Past Meets Future: Saving America's Historic Environments

288 pp. In October 1991 preservationists, public officials, historians, museum administrators, and educators gathered in San Francisco to mark the 25th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service. There they did something more - they set an agenda for the next 25 years to ensure a continuing and strong role for historic preservation in the nation's cities and countryside. Past Meets Future presents that agenda through the writings of some of America's most prominent citizens involved in this field. These leaders and others have contributed 33 thoughtful essays to guide the actions of everyone who seeks to keep America's architectural and cultural heritage in the forefront of public policy decisions into the 21st century. From the opening Findings and Recommendations through each of its chapters, Past Meets Future provides a challenging blueprint for the next quarter century.