A People’s Preservation: Urban Erasures in Essex County, NJ

The value of historic preservation is defined by an appreciation for old buildings as contributing to the sense of place of communities, both large and small. A recent national effort to develop a “preservation for people,” however, suggests that the inherent good of preservation is being challenged and rethought. This article considers this self‐assessment a retrenchment aimed at ensuring the preservation of the preservation field. Looking specifically at the urban and suburban landscape of Essex County, New Jersey, since the passing of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1965, I examine how preservation has developed a tradition of serving only those that can support its agenda. I then turn to show how those neglected by the preservation field in the county nevertheless practice preservation on their own terms, developing the foundations of what I call “a people’s preservation.” This counternarrative produces a different frame for preservation, showing how it can serve not a generic people but specific communities whose self‐determination can be the real focus of preservation practice.