Overview
Rather than maintaining and preserving a building as it has evolved over time, the expressed goal of the Standards for Restoration and Guidelines for Restoring Historic Buildings is to make the building appear as it did at a particular—and most significant—time in its history. As opposed to other treatments, the scope of work in Restoration can include removal of features from other periods; missing features from the restoration period may be replaced based on documentary and physical evidence, using traditional materials or compatible substitute materials. The final guidance emphasizes that only those designs that can be documented, as having been built should be re-created in a restoration project.
The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for establishing professional standards and providing advice on the preservation and protection of all cultural resources listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, apply to all proposed development grant-in- aid projects assisted through the National Historic Preservation Fund, and are intended to be applied to a wide variety of resource types, including buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts. They address four treatments: Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Reconstruction. The treatment Standards, developed in 1992, were codified as 36 CFR Part 68 in the July 12, 1995 Federal Register (Vol. 60, No. 133).
This four-hour course will be specifically based on the portion of those standards and guidelines which concern “Restoration” of historic buildings. Restoration is defined as the act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project.
Most buildings represent continuing occupancies and change over time, but in Restoration, the goal is to depict the building as it appeared at the most significant time in its history. Thus, work is included to remove or alter existing historic features that do not represent the restoration period. This could include features such as windows, entrances and doors, roof dormers, or landscape features. Prior to altering or removing materials, features, spaces, and finishes that characterize other historical periods, they should be documented to guide future research and treatment.
Please note that The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties are only regulatory for projects receiving federal grant-in-aid funds; otherwise, the Standards and Guidelines are intended only as general guidance for work on any historic building.
This course is based entirely on the selected “Restoration” portion of The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic Buildings published by the U.S. Department of the Interior-National Park Service.
The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty-four (24) questions at the end of this course to obtain PDH credits.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Building Exterior: Materials
- Masonry/ Wood
- Architectural Metals
- Building Exterior: Features
- Roofs
- Windows
- Entrances and Porches
- Storefronts
- Building Interior
- Structural Systems
Course
Click on the following link to the PDF document to review the course material before taking the quiz for credit.
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