If you are involved in a historic preservation campaign or organization, you must face one truth: You won't always get the results you've worked so hard to achieve. The building you've struggled to save may get demolished. A project you're passionate about may be tabled indefinitely. And the pro-preservation candidate you've championed may not get elected.

Preservation advocacy requires thick skin, an ability to handle rejection, and enough passion to dust off after a big loss. You can let your losses extinguish your energy — or you can harness your disappointment from a short-term defeat as fuel for future fires. A prime example of a historic loss serving as a catalyst occurred in Madison. The 1971 demolition of an old stone farmhouse called Mapleside laid the groundwork for the city's passage of a landmarks ordinance. The loss also contributed to the creation of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation.

The best way to win when you lose a preservation fight is to respond with the four tactics described below.

Lose Gracefully

Responding to a defeat with public griping and personal attacks can undermine your credibility. In an extreme case, it could even provoke a lawsuit for slander or libel. In contrast, losing gracefully works in your favor. If you lose and you handle it well in public, people in your community will be likely to remember your positive response rather than the loss.

Debrief

After a preservation loss, sit down with your fellow advocates for a debriefing session. Discuss what happened and what the event says about your community. This loss could lead to a general conversation in your preservation group or community as a whole about what has been lost and what might still be saved. Your group could post an "Opportunities List" to spotlight other historic resources with the potential for revitalization before these properties become endangered.

Redirect Your Efforts

If your preservation loss is symptomatic of a troubling trend in your community, you may consider launching a new group, committee, or program to focus on this specific issue. For instance, historic barns are particularly difficult to save. Barns are often hard to adapt into other uses without damaging their distinctive characteristics. They are often in less visible locations that make demolition by neglect common.

Historic barns are also directly connected to small-scale farming — a practice that is in decline. The unique challenges of barn preservation have been addressed through Barn Again!, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Barn Again! Program offers resources to help farmers and ranchers incorporate historic barns into modern agricultural production.

Maintain Your Foundation of Support

Your preservation group spent a lot of time putting together and managing your support network. After a defeat, your troops may be beaten down, but you still have a foundation of support. Keep this group and its energy going with new work that dovetails from the solid foundation you've built. A defeat can lead to an extremely productive fresh look at your strategic plan.

The worst way to handle defeat is to avoid confronting it head on. By openly discussing what happened and what you are going to do about it, your group will demonstrate resilience and leadership. These qualities will be remembered the next time you are looking for community support.

Learn More

Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide

Find more how-to articles about historic preservation advocacy.