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"As I worked it became increasingly important to me to pay a tribute to the old houses - a tribute that did not ask for the past, but stated what they give to the present.

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"But why am I so fond of these buildings?  Because such houses as these will never be built on earth again.  Because they are often both handsome and lovely, slightly irrational, and always a visual feast.  Because their very presence was and is, day in and day out, a gift to every neighbor, postman and passerby on the street.  Because they are large, public reflections of qualities to be found in each of us.  Walk down a street, and you'll find a house that borders on the puritanical, next to one that is playful, next to one that is pompous and affected, next door to one that is straightforward and bold.  And all are covered with sensuous details.  In essence, then, I see the old houses as unique, public, large-scale celebrations of life, worthy of preservation and respect."

 ~ Carol Olwell, A Gift to the Street

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