Why historic preservation is vital to building 'green'

Published November 8, 2022 at 4:00 AM EST

The Terrace Plaza building in downtown Cincinnati. — This May, Cincinnati City Council voted 7-1 to deny local historic landmark status for the Terrace Plaza Hotel, saying such a designation would have limited what developers could do to the structure. Terrace Plaza opened in 1948 and was the first hotel to have a television in every room, and the first to have a fully automated elevator. Vacant since 2008, it is now set to become a mix of retail, parking and apartments.

When most people think of an environmentally friendly building, they probably picture something very modern, made with futuristic materials.

But green building expert, architect and Principal Emeritus with Quinn Evans, Carl Elefante, says the greenest buildings are the ones we've already built. Elefante will be in Cincinnati Nov. 11 giving a talk on that concept at the Cincinnati Preservation Association's annual Fall Forum.

Elefante joins Cincinnati Edition, along with Green Cincinnati Education Advocacy Editor Chuck Lohre, to talk about local and national examples of the intersection between green building and historic preservation.

Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.

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