 Because of the speed at which the economy declined in the 1890s and the lack of any industry to replace it, very few of the Victorian buildings were torn down or built over in the intervening period.They were essentially preserved for nearly 100 years, when the value of protecting them was appreciated and fostered.Unlike most cities in the Pacific Northwest that were ravaged by natural and man-made disasters such as fire and earthquakes, prominent examples of public, private and business buildings from nearly every period of Port Townsend's history have survived to the present day.