Identify, Retain and Preserve
Identifying, retaining, and preserving buildings
and their features as well as features of the site that
are important in defining its overall historic character.
Site features may include circulation systems such as
walks, paths, roads, or parking; vegetation such as
trees, shrubs, fields, or herbaceous plant material;
landforms such as terracing, berms or grading; furnishings
such as lights, fences, or benches; decorative elements
such as sculpture, statuary or monuments; water features
including fountains, streams, pools, or lakes; and subsurface
archeological features which are important in defining
the history of the site.
 |
The historic building site shown is important
to the overall character of the property because
of its design and materials, which include the
iron fence along the sidewalk, the curved walk
leading to the porch, and the various plantings.
If the front yard were to be converted to off-street
parking, this character would be drastically changed.
Photo: NPS files.
|
Retaining the historic relationship between buildings
and the landscape.
Removing or radically changing buildings and their features
or site features which are important in defining the
overall historic character of the property so that,
as a result, the character is diminished.
Removing or relocating buildings or landscape features,
thus destroying the historic relationship between buildings
and the landscape.
Removing or relocating historic buildings on a site
or in a complex of related historic structures--such
as a mill complex or farm--thus diminishing the historic
character of the site or complex.
Moving buildings onto the site, thus creating a false
historical appearance.
Radically changing the grade level of the site. For
example, changing the grade adjacent to a building to
permit development of a formerly below-grade area that
would drastically change the historic relationship of
the building to its site.
Protect and Maintain
Protecting and maintaining buildings and the site
by providing proper drainage to assure that water does
not erode foundation walls; drain toward the building;
or damage or erode the landscape.
Minimizing disturbance of terrain around buildings
or elsewhere on the site, thus reducing the possibility
of destroying or damaging important landscape features
or archeological resources.
Surveying and documenting areas where the terrain
will be altered to determine the potential impact to
important landscape features or archeological resources.
Protecting, e.g., preserving in place important
archeological resources.
Planning and carrying out any necessary investigation
using professional archeologists and modern archeological
methods when preservation in place is not feasible.
 |
This archeological investigation was carried
out using professional
archeologists and modern archeological methods. Photo: NPS files.
|
Preserving important landscape features, including
ongoing maintenance of historic plant material.
Protecting the building and landscape features against
arson and vandalism before rehabilitation work begins,
i.e., erecting protective fencing and installing alarm
systems that are keyed into local protection agencies.
Providing continued protection of historic building
materials and plant features through appropriate cleaning,
rust removal, limited paint removal, and re-application
of protective coating systems; and pruning and vegetation
management.
Evaluating the overall condition of the materials
and features of the property to determine whether more
than protection and maintenance are required, that is,
if repairs to building and site features will be necessary.
Failing to maintain adequate site drainage so that buildings
and site features are damaged or destroyed; or alternatively,
changing the site grading so that water no longer drains
properly.
Introducing heavy machinery into areas where it may
disturb or damage important landscape features or archeological
resources.
Failing to survey the building site prior to the beginning
of rehabilitation work which results in damage to, or
destruction of, important landscape features or archeological
resources.
 |
The landscape and landscape features around
a historic building are often important aspects
of its character or that of the historic
district in which it is located. In preparation
for a project that involved re-development of
the site for low-rise apartments, the surviving
landscape features--both plant materials and architectural
elements--were destroyed. Photo: NPS files.
|
Leaving known archeological material unprotected so
that it is damaged during rehabilitation work.
Permitting unqualified personnel to perform data recovery
on archeological resources so that improper methodology
results in the loss of important archeological material.
Allowing important landscape features to be lost or
damaged due to a lack of maintenance.
Permitting the property to remain unprotected so that
the building and landscape features or archeological
resources are damaged or destroyed.
Removing or destroying features from the building or
site such as wood siding, iron fencing, masonry balustrades,
or plant material.
Failing to provide adequate protection of materials
on a cyclical basis so that deterioration of building
and site features results.
Failing to undertake adequate measures to assure the
protection of building and site features.
Repair
Repairing features of the building and site by reinforcing
historic materials.
Replacing an entire feature of the building or site
such as a fence, walkway, or driveway when repair of
materials and limited compatible replacement of deteriorated
or missing parts are appropriate.
Using a substitute material for the replacement part
that does not convey the visual appearance of the surviving
parts of the building or site feature or that is physically
or chemically incompatible.
Replace
Replacing in kind an entire feature of the building
or site that is too deteriorated to repair if the overall
form and detailing are still evident. Physical evidence
from the deteriorated feature should be used as a model
to guide the new work. This could include an entrance
or porch, walkway, or fountain. If using the same kind
of material is not technically or economically feasible,
then a compatible substitute material may be considered.
Replacing deteriorated or damaged landscape features
in kind.
 |
As part of a rehabilitation project, the deteriorated
limestone walkways are
being replaced in kind. Photo: NPS files.
|
Removing a feature of the building or site that is unrepairable
and not replacing it; or replacing it with a new feature
that does not convey the same visual appearance.
Adding conjectural landscape features to the site such
as period reproduction lamps, fences, fountains, or
vegetation that are historically inappropriate, thus
creating a false sense of historic development.
The following work
is highlighted to indicate that it represents
the particularly complex technical or design aspects
of Rehabilitation projects and should only be
considered after the preservation concerns listed
above have been addressed.
Design for the Replacement of Missing Historic
Features
Designing and constructing a new feature of
a building or site when the historic feature is
completely missing, such as an outbuilding, terrace,
or driveway. It may be based on historical, pictorial,
and physical documentation; or be a new design
that is compatible with the historic character
of the building and site.
Creating a false historical appearance because
the replaced feature is based on insufficient
historical, pictorial, and physical documentation.
Introducing a new building or site feature that
is out of scale or of an otherwise inappropriate
design.
Introducing a new landscape feature, including
plant material, that is visually incompatible
with the site, or that alters or destroys the
historic site patterns or vistas.
The following work is
highlighted to indicate that it represents the
particularly complex technical or design aspects
of Rehabilitation projects and should only be
considered after the preservation concerns listed
above have been addressed.
Alterations/Additions for the New Use
Designing new onsite parking, loading docks,
or ramps when required by the new use so that
they are as unobtrusive as possible and assure
the preservation of historic relationship between
the building or buildings and the landscape.
 |
This large new parking lot has destroyed
distinctive site features in the process. Photo: NPS files.
|
Designing new exterior additions to historic
buildings or adjacent new construction which is
compatible with the historic character of the
site and which preserves the historic relationship
between the building or buildings and the landscape.
Removing non-significant buildings, additions,
or site features which detract from the historic
character of the site.
Locating any new construction on the building
site in a location which contains important landscape
features or open space, for example removing a
lawn and walkway and installing a parking lot.
Placing parking facilities directly adjacent
to historic buildings where automobiles may cause
damage to the buildings or landscape features,
or be intrusive to the building site.
Introducing new construction onto the building
site which is visually incompatible in terms of
size, scale, design, materials, color, and texture;
which destroys historic relationships on the site;
or which damages or destroys important landscape
features.
Removing a historic building in a complex of
buildings; or removing a building feature, or
a landscape feature which is important in defining
the historic character of the site
|
|
