Eileen Power in her 1924 book Medieval People suggests that “history need not be written down; for it may be something built up, and churches, houses, bridges or Amphitheatre’s tell their story as plainly as print for those who have eyes to read.”
Many local histories record the connection between buildings and residents, sometimes described as their second home. Schools, pubs, offices, commercial and industrial sites, community and civic centres including institutes and the Town Hall, places where residents met week after week.
Port Adelaide for example is privileged to retain many buildings that are communities of memory. They communicate or embody the character of working life, social and cultural association and communities of faith. Many sites representing experiences of community life over time and across generations.
As artefacts public buildings cannot be understood without reference to the people who conceived it, worked to ensure its completion and who held strong convictions about its purpose. As anchors of memory buildings on the current State Heritage listing remind us of those who were adventurous, took risks, were committed and created a legacy we enjoy today.
Civic and religious traditions are a feature of the urban and rural landscape and are expressed in heritage buildings. The language of buildings, their style, visibility and street presence contribute to place making. They remind us of life turning points, surviving major social change while being adapted in relation to changing social attitudes and expectations.
Nineteenth century immigrants to SA settled and “provided places for shaping, displaying and celebrating their inherited and emergent ways of life and their understandings of the world.” [i] In the second half of the nineteenth century buildings were expressions of what they were hoping for and intended.
Place making on main streets was often about the experience of generous hospitality, welcome and openness to one another and generated a sense of belonging. Sites in Port Adelaide were centres that generated support for social causes including campaigns for public education, votes for women, working conditions and support in times of crisis including times of war, unemployment, poverty and plagues!
The study and preservation of buildings also relate to other disciplines that help us appreciate the places where we live and work and plan for the future. Urban planning, geography, sociology, anthropology, demographics, politics, and cultural studies are indictors of trends that assist us address present challenges and opportunities and anticipate future directions.
[i] Orsi, Robert A. ed. 1999. Gods of the City: Religion and the American Urban Landscape. Indiana University Press.