Wittkofski, J. Mark wrote:
"As most of you know, available land in that part of Northern
>Virginia is becoming scarce due to so many peoples' desires to own more
than
>a condo on a postage stamp-sized lot.  Does anyone really think that the
>government should preserve this particular nasty, old ca. 1910 prison
>complex as a park? "
And
"Could it be that when managers are tasked with deciding the fate of old
institutional
>buildings like this, they forget the tough questions and simply go for
>preserving the whole lot, as a sacred prison museum.  Don't count on seeing
>me or my family heading there as a vacation destination..."

Without a lengthy discourse, I would like to point out that the preservation
of the historic fabric of America is our responsibility, and this includes
all aspects of that history.  With that in mind, yes the gov't should
preserve this facility as part of this fabric.  First, they are required to
evaluate it as part of NRHP, and the preference is for districts over
individual buildings, and secondly laws are in place on the disposal of
public buildings which require a lengthy process of offering them to
everything from local governments to the homeless.  I know of several
instances of where this has been done,  Fort Hays in Columbus, Ohio and
Defense Depot Ogden Utah come to mind.  As to the sacred prison museum,
well, I doubt it will come to that as a whole.  Using Fort Hays as an
example, it was declared a historic district, and as the Army closed parts
of the facility, they were turned over to the Columbus schoolboard.  This
leads me into probably the best use of the facility, adaptive reuse.  I have
seen Lorton, and many of the buildings would lend themselves to this.

Society might rather forget most of the criminals from Lorton (which I
disagree with) but if this is so, it is all the more reason to preserve the
facility.  Lowell Mass has preserved boarding houses (they were only
workers, why remember them) Keweenaw National Historic Park is working to
save the history of a mining district, and Sloss(schloss?) furnace in
Birmingham is preserving the history of a segregated workplace and
industrial  site, should we just ignore them too?

Richard A. Fields

Views are my own and not those of my employer

-----Original Message-----
From: Wittkofski, J. Mark <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, October 19, 1999 1:06 PM
Subject: Lorton Correctional Complex


>I read in today's edition of the Washington Post
>www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/feed/a12299-1999oct19.htm
><http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/feed/a12299-1999oct19.htm>
>that the General Services Administration, owner of the 3,000-acre site in
>Fairfax County, Virginia will be recommending the 136 buildings of the
>Lorton Correctional Complex on a 552-acre tract be preserved as an historic
>district.  As most of you know, available land in that part of Northern
>Virginia is becoming scarce due to so many peoples' desires to own more
than
>a condo on a postage stamp-sized lot.  Does anyone really think that the
>government should preserve this particular nasty, old ca. 1910 prison
>complex as a park?  The GSA under federal legislation is to transfer
>ownership of part or all of the property to the Department of the Interior,
>Northern Virginia Park Authority, of Fairfax County Park Authority.  The
>land could be transferred to a public or private entity in accordance with
>the Fairfax County re-use plan and the best interest of the United States,
>according to the article.
>
>I am certain some would use the National Register Criteria to establish
>significance of this property in order to save this sample of turn of the
>century prison buildings.  No doubt they would argue the property qualifies
>under Criterion A as an example of a failed "event," in that the prison
farm
>was constructed "during the Progressive Era when reformers worked to
improve
>conditions at institutions such as insane asylums and prisons.  The theory
>was that if people were put in a wholesome environment, they would thrive
>and improve morally.  The workhouse and reformatory originally had no bars
>or locks.  Prisoners were expected to improve themselves through hard
>outdoor work on the 1,200-acre farm...By the 1940s, bars and locks had been
>installed...The reformatory and maximum security are still filled with D.C.
>prisoners..."(see the Washington Post 10-19-99 article).  Although most of
>the rest of the prison population has been distributed to other prisons,
the
>last prisoners are expected to be removed by 2001.  For those of you
>unfamiliar with Lorton, its record is clear, it has excelled as a failed
>experiment.  However, this probably is not something people want to
remember
>or take the children on a picnic to visit!  There likely were many
>significant persons (Criterion B) associated with Lorton, but again, I
>suspect most were criminals and probably ones Society would rather forget.
>As for Criterion C, the buildings may be an interesting example of a
>Colonial Revival - Institutional design, but should they really be
>considered to be worthy of "National, State, or Local" significance?
>
>I know that is a loaded question, but what "important" information
>(Criterion D) would we expect these buildings to possess?  Could it be that
>when managers are tasked with deciding the fate of old institutional
>buildings like this, they forget the tough questions and simply go for
>preserving the whole lot, as a sacred prison museum.  Don't count on seeing
>me or my family heading there as a vacation destination...
>