In Pursuit of Sustainability

Sustainability is often a consideration in Historic Preservation projects. In the big picture, preservation projects work to lessen the burden on the environment — limiting the amount of waste sent to the landfill — through restoration rather than demolition. With this in mind, as Vision Historic Preservation Foundation sought to clear the building of old furnishings, we found a way to divert over 70 items from the landfill by offering the community the opportunity to buy items via an Online Silent Auction and through Facebook Marketplace sales. This included over 20 desks and credenzas, 8 bookcases & shelving units, 2 sets of cabinet bases & upper cabinets, a refrigerator, 14 chairs, 23 bicycles, and a multitude of other items. Several filing cabinets are also metal-recycling bound.

Vision Historic Preservation Foundation is proud to have diverted these items from the landfill and put them back into service in the community. We are pleased the furnishings have found a new home and their buyers got a good deal on a still useful item. Some items were restoration projects in themselves — like historic desks that were of excellent quality, but could use some TLC — and others items came with a funny story — like the one I dubbed “the naughty stool”: a simple backless wooden stool located in the tiny room in which officers would bring detainees to “process” them.

Thank you to the community for helping us in our sustainability efforts.