Do Historic Designations Hinder Takoma's Future?

During the course of some recent dialogue on my prior post about losing Trohv, an interesting question arose:  Should a house located in the Takoma Park, DC or Takoma Park, MD historic district retain its historic status if the owner(s) modified it in such a way as to hide or remove the historic qualities that made it historic in the first place?

Luckily, there are a few examples lining the commercial Takoma Park, DC corridor:

Here's the trio of businesses La Mano Coffee Bar, Takoma Station Barber and Spicy Delight hiding two historic homes:

The next historic house has been converted into the Hilltop Hostel (on the right) and retains its original character, but next to it are another trio of businesses/organizations hiding two historic houses - Seekers Church, Electric Maid Community Exchange and Friedrich's Modern Cleaners (dry cleaning and laundry):

And finally there are two historic houses behind the Torchinsky Hebrew Funeral Home (noted by the red circles because the Google street view didn't show the houses):

All of these houses are located in the Takoma Park, DC historic district, yet most of them are hidden from public view (save the Hilltop Hostel) by the storefronts that were added at some point or another - I'm guessing before the official designation by DC in 1980.  

There's no question that Takoma Park's historic districts are both beautiful and desirable, but does anyone really believe that the houses noted above represent their historic nostalgia behind the storefronts that now hide them?  The first question to ask is what makes a house or neighborhood historic?  Urban Land Institute Senior Resident Fellow Ed McMahon explains that "historic buildings tell us who we are and where we came from."

Also, in a recent academic paper on the topic of the effects of historic districts on local housing markets in New York City, the authors state the purpose of preservation policies is to "preserve the aesthetic beauty or amenity level of a neighborhood and minimize the risks that new investment will undermine the distinctive character of an area."  

Don't get me wrong, I believe the diverse stock of historic homes in both DC and MD make Takoma Park the envy of many other neighborhoods around the metro DC area.  But it's unclear to me that the small inventory and high prices of houses in Takoma Park is due to their historic designations or the fact that many of them are so close to the Takoma Metro station, although I'm leaning towards the latter fact.  Yet looking at these pictures doesn't give me the impression of Takoma Park, DC being a historic neighborhood because the beautiful Victorian-era houses are hidden from view behind non-historic storefronts on Takoma Park's most visible main street of commerce.

Meanwhile, DC has a housing affordability crisis and all of these homes/businesses are a short walking distance from the nearby Takoma Metro station.  All of this land could be redeveloped into one or more mixed-use buildings that would increase the supply of local housing, including some units being reserved for people that can't afford the rent.  But don't take my word for it - some scholars believe that  historic preservation requirements can limit the supply of new housing and hinder developers’ responses to increases in demand.

In sum, to answer the question posed at the beginning of this post, I believe that all of these houses (and their land) - save the Hilltop Hostel - should no longer be designated as historic unless the storefronts are removed and the houses are returned to their original appearance, which means that a developer should be able to purchase any or all of these houses and develop them without the noose that a historic designation brings with it.  

Maybe then we could lure Trader Joe's to open a store in Takoma as part of a large mixed-use development so close to Metro.

What do you think?

We lost Trohv, but gained an opportunity!

Main Street Takoma recently announced that Takoma's beloved upscale furniture and good store Trohv is closing due to lack of business.  It's a sad day when any company is forced to close down for lack of business, but especially so when it's a local one or quasi local like Trohv (they also have a shop in Baltimore).  According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), about half of all new businesses survive five years or more and about one-third survive 10 years of more, so survival is not a given by any means.

But ever the optimist we see the loss of Trohv as an opportunity for Takoma.  As we noted in a prior post, the population around the Takoma Metro station is about to grow by another 604-1812 people.  As shown in the map below, the building that housed Trohv is well suited for demolition and/or development - it's a single story building with a parking lot that is one-block from the Takoma Metro station.  

Map of block on Carroll St with outline of lots for Trohv and Torchinsky Hebrew funeral home

No offense to the dead here, but a smart developer would also attempt to buy the neighboring lot which is the Torchinsky Hebrew funeral home.  We're not sure how much business Ms. Torchinsky has these days, but what she most certainly has is a prime location and a sizable plot of land.  Anyone who frequents this block of Carroll Street can see the potential for housing and other mixed-uses so close to a Metro station. Hopefully the DC Office of Planning sees this too and is working to increase the supply of housing in an otherwise unaffordable city.

What would you like to see built in this part of Takoma?