California's Statutory Exemption for Religious Properties from Landmark Ordinances: A Constitutional and Policy Analysis

The headline in the October 1, 1994 edition of the San Francisco Examiner read "Law Saves Churches From Preservation." It is not intuitively apparent that churches would want to utilize the law to be saved from historic preservation; in fact, it is at least equally logical to assume that p...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Núñez, Felipe M. (Author) ; Sidman, Eric (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Cambridge Univ. Press 1995
In: Journal of law and religion
Year: 1995, Volume: 12, Issue: 1, Pages: 271-322
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Summary:The headline in the October 1, 1994 edition of the San Francisco Examiner read "Law Saves Churches From Preservation." It is not intuitively apparent that churches would want to utilize the law to be saved from historic preservation; in fact, it is at least equally logical to assume that preservation of historic churches would be a goal around which clergy and preservationists would rally. Secular preservationists, of course, may find in a given church superior formal aesthetic qualities or crucial social or historical significance. Religious leaders, for their part, may welcome historic preservation for theological reasons, so that the buildings will stand as "witnesses to faith"; others may see preservation "as part of a church's responsibility to the wider community." Regardless of their motivations, though, there's significant potential for cooperation among preservationists and religious leaders. However, as landmark and historic district preservation has emerged as an important governmental planning and land use tool, cooperation has inevitably given way to conflict. Ultimately, issues of preservation yield to issues of authority and autonomy, that is, whether freedom of religion or preservation should prevail.
ISSN:2163-3088
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of law and religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2307/1051617