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Historic Foundations, like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, are working hard to save and restore old homes throughout the U.S.  Unfortunately, not all historic homes will be saved from demolition, but in many cases the beautiful architectural components of the homes can be salvaged and reused.

Items like doors, windows, wood floors, porch/stair components, bathroom fixtures, hardware and decorative moldings can be used to renovate an another historic home to it's original glory.  Those same items can also be used in newer homes to help add to their character and interest.

Another creative use for reusing demolition finds is turning them into interesting furniture and works of art.  Artists like Jason Wein (www.ClevelandArt.com) use items salvaged from buildings of all kinds to create amazing furniture and decorative items.

Reusing salvaged items keeps them out of the 1500 U.S. landfills.  Because our landfills are filling up quickly, we should all do everything that we can to cut down on what is going into them.  Saving and reusing architectural elements from demolished homes not only helps to do this, it also preserves our heritage and makes our homes more interesting.

To date, the National Trust has documented more than 500 communities in 40 states that are experiencing significant numbers of teardowns.

I especially love several old pieces of ironwork that I got at the Wrecking Barn.  A single piece makes a nice focal point in a space and grouped they have a great visual impact.