Ancient monuments, structures, and buildings have their value. They are worth a lot of money because they attract tourists and researchers. In addition to this, they represent their time. However, this is not the case with today’s monuments that have their prime time. Later on, they are removed or even discarded.
They are removed because they no longer serve the purpose or there are better things to put on display. Whatever the reason may be, we should admit that it takes a lot of effort in creating such things. Therefore, they should not be discarded. There can be things that you can do with them.
Here is what you should and can do with old monuments.
1 – Selling them
One of the best ways to treat old monuments is by selling them. If you do not have any other ideas, you can simply sell them. You can go to this website and contact them to sell and buy monuments. If you are a monument owner, you can sell it off. Or get a subsidy for it or repurpose it.
In addition to this, if you are planning to buy it, you can also get it from them. Furthermore, they will also show you all of their current offers. This is the best way to deal with that.
Repurposing the statues, renovating them, and repositioning them requires a lot of effort. So why bother dealing with them when you have the option to subcontract the job? Whatever you want to do with it, you can do that.
2 – Repurpose an old one
Another way of dealing with the statues is to repurpose them.
For example, some statues were a symbol of fear for people. For example, in 1991, the Soviet Union fell and so do the statutes of that time. The statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky was destroyed because he was a symbol of fear. He was the founder of the Soviet secret police which was known for its ruthless behavior.
Thus, only by destroying those statues, the instilled fear in common people was dealt with. This was a clear message to the people that the ruthless police are no longer working. Therefore, no one needs to fear them anymore.
Similarly, there were statues in Moscow. These statues were dragged down to the grassy lot near the Central House of Artists, which was present on an island in the Moscow River. Thus, it acts as a graveyard of statues of Soviet crests and Lenins.
The world has seen something similar in Taiwan. In 1997, the statues of Dictator Chiang Kai-Shek and his son Jing Guo were put in the green park on the bank of Cihu Memorial Statues Park. This park has many other statues along with their description that tells us where they originally stood.
Such places act as a remembrance for others so that people can learn their final ending.
3 – Renovating them again
Another way of dealing with statues and monuments is renovating them. This has happened previously and is happening even now.
For example, there were statues of Hatshepsut who was a ruler of Egypt from 1479 to 1458 B.C. She became the acting regent after her husband’s death because her step-son was only 2 years old. After her death, the next ruler was Thutmose or his son probably. Whoever was the king, ended up smashing many statues of Hatshepsut.
After hundreds of years, archeologists discovered pieces of statues of Hatshepsut. So now they are putting them back together. So what if the next ruler smashed her statues? They could not erase her from history.
Similarly, if we have monuments and statues that can be of historical value, we can always renovate them.
This was all about what we can do with monuments. But why would there be a need to remove them? And what is the process of repurposing them?
1 – Evaluation of its condition
Before doing anything, the first step is to evaluate the condition of the monument. Historians and municipal experts will do that and determine whether there is a need to repurpose or dislocate them. If the claim is unfounded, the monument will stay where it is.
2 – Starting the repurposing process
Once the municipal experts determine the need to repurpose the monument, the process will start. For example, if there is a memorial house and the repurposing makes it suitable for turning it into an educational facility, there is a need to protect the things in there.
The furniture should be kept safe and away from the reach of visitors. Likewise, paintings and decorations should also be protected from outsiders. All such things should be preserved because they will act as an attraction. In addition to this, if the building is old, the structure should also be improved as much as possible.
3 – Assess the risks
Another important thing during repurposing is an assessment of risks. Old buildings are not always durable enough to be suitable for turning into other facilities. Therefore, a risk assessment should be done carefully.
If risk assessment is not done properly, the building might collapse due to heavy rains or natural disasters. Thus, there will be a risk of injuries. So repurposing is necessary when the restoration is not enough.
4 – The cost of repurposing
Repurposing is not something very easy. Apart from the efforts, it also requires a lot of funds. Sometimes the cost is so high that the authorities simply ignore it. However, if someone has the intention to restore the monument they will need to invest the amount. Furthermore, they will need to ensure the functionality of all the things.
With this cost, it will be possible to protect the past and have a better future for such monuments. But this came into practice only for privately owned monuments and important buildings. Because they have a purpose for them. They will use it to earn back the invested amount through tourism and exhibitions.