17 Historic Preservation Plan Issues Affecting Historic Preservation An important part of any planning process is to assess the existing resources and the larger trends about community capacity, land use patterns, demographics, and the economy in order to craft an appropriate response. There are several issues worth noting that influence preservation in Franklin: Outstanding quality of historic resources A community preservation ethic and legacy Active preservation organizations A range of preservation tools in place Increasing growth pressure, historic resources at risk Determining sites for new public facilities Preservation responsibilities and public perceptions Outstanding Quality of Historic Resources There is a wonderful array of historic resources in the City of Franklin, ranging from the charming 19th and early 20th century commercial buildings along Franklin’s historic Main Street, to the historic African-American Toussaint L’Overture Cemetery, to working farmsteads set amidst the rolling countryside, to the Civil War battlefields where important military and political events took place. Together, these tell an evocative story of Franklin’s past, present and future potential. The core of Franklin is comprised of mostly pre-World War II housing stock in an array of architectural styles including Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow styles. The scale of the buildings, modest lot sizes, sidewalks, and mature landscaping create a charming small town atmosphere. Much like the pattern in other communities, Franklin’s preservation movement focused its initial efforts on the city’s oldest buildings and on its remarkably intact downtown. Not surprisingly, National Register recognition seems to have focused on the better-preserved, traditionally affluent neighborhoods. One can get a more complete picture of the City’s developed form, however, by examining a series of maps that depict the City’s boundaries at various points in time. The City had several significant bursts of geographical expansion with neighborhoods quickly filling in the landscape. Most of these late 19th century, early to mid-20th century neighborhoods are characterized by
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