BRATTLEBORO — As I write this two days later, Brattleboro, Vermont is still in shock over the sudden and complete loss of one of its Main Street buildings, apparently because of an electrical fire.
Brooks House, a former hotel with a distinctive mansard roof, was built in 1871 on the ashes of an even older building also destroyed by fire. It was listed on the National Historic Register, but its historic status means nothing compared with its significance to our town. This is like a cigarette burn on the bodice of a silk gown.
The aesthetics are shocking, but the economics are a profound jolt. This was the pinnacle of sustainable building - mixed-use urban real estate and an adaptive reuse project housing a number of thriving retail establishments and 60 families.
These business owners and residents have a long row to hoe.
The whole town has a long row to hoe.
For two days,Main Street was literally shut down while structural damage to the building was assessed. The fire has completely disrupted the lives of hundreds of people who have lost their homes and jobs.
If you are an advocate of multi-family housing, mixed use, and smart growth, this level of utter devastation gives you pause. Denser development means more concentrated damage. One bad wire, and poof.
It doesn't hurt to say it out loud every once in a while: Great buildings are more to people than four walls and a roof. They are greater than the sum of their LEED credits and go deeper than their fly ash concrete foundations. Great buildings are the fabric of our communities and our economy. We also keep them in our hearts.
Making the right choices about where and how to build is a big responsibility, and every choice, it seems, involves tradeoffs.
Sustainable design, by definition, plans for the long term. Most of the time, it works great - but some outcomes are out of our hands.