Travel spending supported almost 450,000 Texas jobs in 1995. Texas ranks fourth in the U.S. in the number of cultural and historical travelers. Nationwide, more than 65 million Americans said they had visited a historic site or museum or had attended a music concert, arts performance or other cultural event in 1996. Heritage travelers take longer trips and spend more per trip than average U.S. travelers. Erath County Courthouse Environmental Responsibility Preservation protects and extends the environmental investment a community has already made in an existing building.
Preservation eliminates the excessive waste of construction materials and resources.
Rehabilitation reduces the cost of demolition and the impact on landfill space. Less energy and materials are needed for rehabilitation than for new construction, and this reduces the need for new construction materials whose production is costly to the environment. Demolition and new construction may threaten the large, older trees that often dominate public squares that surround county courthouses. New construction can create problems. The overall quality of new buildings is generally less than the construction quality of historic courthouses, which means newer structures have a much shorter life span and could potentially require more maintenance and upkeep.