Historic Architecture

Camp Office at Greentop Cabin Camp, Catoctin Mountain Park

Tom Sizemore

Overview

Historic architecture includes buildings, bridges, tunnels, statues, and other structures that create tangible links to the American past, whether in relation to historical events and people, traditional ways of life, architectural design, or methods of construction. The regional program draws on technical and historical knowledge of architectural styles, engineering, materials, and methods of historic preservation. Its work involves documenting and preserving buildings and structures ranging from scarcely visible culverts to national memorials and NPS visitor centers. Historic structures in nearby national parks include the White House and the statuary of President’s Park, the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and Lincoln Memorial at the National Mall, the CCC-era cabin camps at Catoctin Mountain Park and Prince William Forest Park, and the home of Frederick Douglass at National Capital Parks - East.

The Architectural Conservation Program aids National Capital Region parks in the care and management of their historic resources in a variety of ways including the creation of condition assessments and treatment plans, advising on the planning and management of conservation projects and projects creating or updating baseline documentation for park resources, providing training for park staff and volunteers in routine conservation and preventive maintenance treatments, and consulting on and reviewing project compliance for Section 106.

Contact

Both the Regional Historic Architect and Architectural Conservator positions are currently vacant. For information contact Patrick Campbell, Associate Regional Director for Resource Stewardship & Science. If you need assistance from Resource Stewardship and Science (RESS), you may submit a Solution for Technical Assistance Requests (STAR) request online (NPS Only).

Projects

• Historic Structure Reports (HSRs)
  Historic Structure Reports provide baseline documentation, condition assessments, and treatment recommendations for historic buildings and structures for park management. This can include new Historic American Building (HABS) drawings (or similar as-built drawings), photographs, 3D scans, and other digital files.

• Historic Structures in the Cultural Resources Inventory System (HS-CRIS; formerly the List of Classified Structures)
  The HS-CRIS database was created to document and assess the condition of historic buildings and structures. HS-CRIS also provides associated geospatial information for historic buildings and structures and allows the NPS to meet federal requirements of Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended.

• Preservation Maintenance Plans (PMPs)
  Preservation Maintenance Plans provide guidance about the care and maintenance of historic structures for park management. These plans create a system for prioritizing maintenance tasks that consider the most vulnerable and character-defining elements and usually include schedules, baseline documentation, written procedures, record-keeping guidelines, and other similar tools.

Links

• Electronic Technical Information Center (eTIC) Search
• HABS / HAER Collection at the Library of Congress
• Heritage Documentation Program (HABS / HAER)
• Cultural Resource Inventory System for Historic Structures (CRIS-HS; formerly LCS) (Login Required)
• National Register
• Technical Preservation Services

NCR Historic Structure Reports

Source: NPS DataStore Saved Search 5555. To search for additional information, visit the NPS DataStore.