When is a historic district not a historic district?

When not enough people care about its survival.

Much of New Castle’s North Hill is classified as historic. Officially, that means it has a large number of older homes with a variety of interesting architecture.

And indeed, a walk or drive around these neighborhoods reveals this to be true. As we have said repeatedly in the past, New Castle’s architecture and the character of many of its older buildings is one of its greatest strengths.

But in some eyes, it also becomes one of its greatest weaknesses.

Because of a long — and continuing — population drop, New Castle has no shortage of houses. And many of them are abandoned and deteriorating. That includes houses on the North Hill.

Such structures become targets of thieves, vandals and arsonists. They may be perceived as hazards, rather than assets.

On Tuesday, the New Castle News ran an article about the Scottish Rite Cathedral Foundation’s acquisition of some properties on the lower North Hill, which are being demolished. The land will be used to expand parking for the cathedral.

Certain historic-minded residents oppose the demolition, in part because they want to protect the character of the neighborhood and worry that the demolitions may be part of a larger plan to eliminate a large swath of historic homes around the cathedral.

So who’s right, officials with the cathedral’s foundation, who say parking is an issue and the homes being demolished are eyesores? Or preservationists, who proclaim something precious in the city is being lost forever?

In a sense, they are both right.

Paul Lynch, who serves as president of the Lawrence County Historical Society, was interviewed by The News about the North Hill house demolitions. He noted that the area’s historic designation is largely meaningless if there is no way to maintain the properties within it. By allowing them to deteriorate, and hurt neighborhood property values, the owners of these homes — and the community — threaten to spread the problem like a virus.

So is simply tearing down these homes the solution? It is a solution, but not the desirable one. Instead, New Castle’s historic district ought to be something the community can embrace for its inherent value and potential for improving the quality of life throughout the city.

Neighborhoods seldom remain stagnant; they either deteriorate or improve. Repairing vacant and dilapidated homes on the North Hill will take money, presumably both public and private, in order to reverse the current trends.

But more than money, the historic district requires a commitment. It must come from property owners, the city, people who support preservation and organizations — including the historical society — that do likewise. Standing on the sidelines and complaining or making excuses is not an answer.