ABSTRACT
Elite neighborhoods in both cities are filled with houses, which, for the most part, have been well maintained because homeowners had the resources to keep up the properties. Preservation experiences in Riverside and Ontario suggest that elite homeowners have engaged their local municipal agencies in historic preservation protections, not so much out of a passion for preserving material history but as an exclusionary technique. Preservation organizations aim the educational or advocacy efforts to include local residents of different populations whose aesthetic preferences may pose a threat to the historic ideal. The evocation of a sense of loss, of nostalgia, coupled with fears of potential future losses are what commonly motivate citizen advocacy for historic preservation protections. Preservation advocates, however, argue that expanding and adding decorative architectural features that destroy the original features does just as much damage to historical architecture as demolition itself.
