There are many abandoned historic buildings in cities across the state. These buildings can be used for public purposes instead of being demolished and replaced with newer buildings. Instead of allowing historic landmarks to become abandoned wastelands, or destroying them and losing history forever, steps can be taken to incorporate them into the modern world through reinvention. This conservation will not only preserve historic sites, but transform them into active and valuable sites for the future. One option to help save historic buildings is to turn them into apartments. Doing this is something that will save history while solving housing problems. This is an idea that will maintain a city's history without hindering its growth. Research conducted by Preservation Massachusetts, a nonprofit historic preservation group, estimated that there are more than 25 million square feet of historic structures that go unused (Tsipis, Y. 2004). These buildings are structurally sound and could be used to grow a city while maintaining its historic value. Rent increases are something that usually go hand in hand with the restoration of historic buildings. Massachusetts put in place a historic tax credit to prevent this from happening. With the use of the tax credit it is possible to carry out restoration work on historic buildings without increasing the rent. This will help prevent low-income families from being excluded from having a place to live. This is important in the conservation process, if you can't keep rents low then you create a problem for a lot of people. This tax credit was a way to ensure that history could be saved without pushing low-income people out of… middle of paper… and demolition. Instead of allowing historic landmarks to become abandoned wastelands, or destroying them and losing history forever, steps can be taken to incorporate them into the modern world through reinvention. This preservation will not only preserve historic sites, but transform them into active and valuable sites for the future. References Geehan, A. (2009). The Spalding house in Lowell is embellished with some window displays. The sun.Laidler, J. (2002). No buyers yet for the old Salem Jail. Boston Globe.McCabe, K. (2000). Battle rages over Salem museum armory wants facade razed, but group cites historic value. Boston Globe.Tsipis, Y. (2004). History and the real estate crisis. Boston Globe.Weir, R.E. (2012) Haunted and Baffling: Salem Witches, Empty Factories, and Tourist Dollars. Massachusetts Historical Journal, 40(1), 178-XIII