I just read an article about how Portugal is leasing historic buildings to business owners who will drive tourism and handle maintenance of the property.
It’s a fascinating idea for a win-win situation. Business owners get a unique spot to open their restaurant, hotel, etc… and the country offloads the cost of upkeep to the businesses.
Who knows how well it will work in practice, but the one constituency I’m curious to hear from are the historians. Will your restaurant pay homage to the nature of the place? Will it talk about the importance of the building? Or will it simply become a trendy dining spot?
While trendy dining spot leads to more revenue for everyone involved, you would hate to see historical significance thrown away in hopes of making a few extra dollars.
If you can address that concern, now you create a win-win-win. Unfortunately historical appreciation is fading, but a tasteful resurgence of celebrating the past might be a great solution.