Re: [UC] local history (was another idea from California)

[Krfapt]

In a message dated 12/5/2004 2:30:46 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: how we come to view and define 'history' and 'historical' -- for instance, how we choose to view and tell the story about the development of our area, what we choose to celebrate, what we choose to submerge (in this case, streetcar lines or sewer lines!) -- and what all that says about the selective processes involved in preserving history, in legitimizing certain histories and not others... Thought-provoking comments.   Many people are familiar with George Santayana's comment that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Fewer folks, and especially the people who want to use what LaserRay calls (above) "the selective processes involved in preserving history" either know or care to cite Santayana's second best-known statement on the subject. Namely, "History is a pack of lies, about things that never happened, told by people who weren't there."   As for the Civic Center and museum: 1) I'm no fan of Penn's "anointed monster who ate the neighborhood" forays into urban revitalization, as anyone who knows me (and lots who don't) know. But the property on the east side of Civic Center Boulevard, given what's there now and what's on the west side of the street, has to be an ideal spot for further evolution of one of the great medical treatment and research centers of the world. A facility that will do more for the city in particular and humanity in general than the place where one paper reported Truman and another Roosevelt got nominated for the presidency. The fate of this area was sealed when the new Convention Hall was built in center city and the old PGH grounds were selected as a site for medically-related activities. Nobody's being displaced. Nobody's cost of living is being artificially raised. Nobody's rights are being abrogated. And the weighting of importance between some buildings of dubious architectural merit (a stone Quonset hut, examples of which can be found in many cities across the US -- as near as Atlantic City, where they've had a devil of a time bringing a similar building up to a point where it can be actually used for anything) and a cancer research center certainly comes up in favor of Penn's plans. 2) Not to be misconstrued as being too cynical, but from the articles in the DP and the UCReview, methinks the preservationist community is sucking up to Penn on this one. Not only the sanctimonious crew at the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, but the School of Design at you-know-where whose dean is a former member of the Philadelphia Historical Commission (PHC) and as present chair of the HD reform task force has shown clear bias in favor of the stats quo, and one of whose flunkies (Harris Steinberg) is presently a member of the PHC. Another example of "do as I preach, not as I practice." I guess that if I were in their shoes, I'd at least think twice about crossing a new university president before I had a better understanding of her sentiments and limits, either (although I like to believe I wouldn't crater as easily as they all have).   Anyway, doesn't Mill Creek flow into the Schuylkill a mile or so south of the land in question? If so, we're not really losing anything inextricably bound to our claim on being one of the nation's premier historic sewer pipe suburbs.   Al Krigman (Left of Ivan Groznyj)