A CHECKLIST for REHABILITATING HISTORIC BUILDINGS and PROPOSAL OBJECTIVES
Rehabilitation acknowledges the need to alter or add to a historic building to meet continuing or changing uses while retaining the building's historic character.
This series of questions in a "checklist" format has been designed to help anyone who is considering the rehabilitation of a historic building. The CHECK LIST suggests a typical process of documenting, evaluating, and assessing a historic building prior to undertaking rehabilitation work.
Please note that the following is general guidance; therefore, it cannot be used to determine which features of a specific historic building are important in defining the historic character and must be preserved, or which features could be altered--if necessary--for the new use. This kind of careful case-by-case decision-making is best accomplished by seeking assistance from qualified historic preservation professionals in the planning stage of the project. Such professionals include architects, architectural historians, and historians who are skilled in the preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings.
1. CHECK AVAILABLE DOCUMENTATION What historical or architectural documentation is available about the building and site that can help to determine how it looked early in its history, as well as the cumulative changes made over time? For example:
2. EVALUATE THE HISTORIC CHARACTER (THE WAY IT LOOKS TODAY)
Historic buildings are physical records of past inhabitants.
The character-defining aspects of the building that need to be identified and evaluated may include the form and detailing of interior materials, such as masonry, wood, and metal; exterior features such as roofs, porches, and windows; interior materials, such as plaster and wood; and interior features, such as moldings and stairways, room configuration, and spatial relationships, as well as structural and mechanical systems.
What is the original configuration of the building? What are the architectural changes that have been made over time during successive occupancies? They may include:
3. ASSESS ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY, INCLUDING EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITION
Has the architectural integrity of the historic building and its setting been assessed?
(Architectural integrity means the intactness of the building as an architectural system, its plan, features, materials, finishes, and structural system).
Are there physical problems that threaten the building's architectural and structural integrity?
Has a structural survey determined deficiencies due to settlement, deflection of beams, seismic inadequacy, or cuts through structural members for mechanical pipes and ducts?
Is there inherent material damage, such as material failure due to poor design, poor quality materials, severe environmental or moisture problems, neglect, or improper maintenance?
Is there human-inflicted damage, such as removed or lost ornamentation, inappropriate coatings, bad repointing or cleaning, insensitive additions, or partitioning of significant interior spaces?
Are historic features hidden behind later alterations which may include ornamental ceilings or cornices obscured by dropped ceilings?
4. PLAN FOR THE REHABILITATION WORK
It is generally necessary to write unique specifications rather than use standard specifications for certain types of work on a historic building.
Have both the interior and exterior of the historic building been thoroughly photographed to document their condition prior to any construction work?
Will testing be needed to determine the condition of the materials or the systems?
Will the project require specially fabricated replacement materials, such as terra-cotta or ornamental metals?
Will the project involve specialized crafts, such as stone carving or ornamental plastering, and if so, where can the necessary expertise be found?
Will the impact of a proposed new addition or adjacent new construction be minimized by keeping the size, shape, materials, and detailing in scale with the surrounding environment?
What protective measures will be taken to preserve character-defining features and finishes during the construction work?
Will the project require making bathrooms or other areas and amenities accessible to persons with disabilities?
Have options been studied to achieve accessibility without threatening or destroying character-defining interior spaces, features, and finishes?
On the exterior, will the rehabilitation work preserve distinctive historic fabric and the historic character?
Loss of fabric or change of character often occur when:
5. CHECK CODES AND OTHER LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
Are there easements, overlay zones, or local ordinances governing alterations to property (check deed records, zoning offices)?
How do state and local building codes apply to the historic building?
What impact will they have upon the character and integrity?
Are code variances available?
Are there code equivalency possibilities for the building?
Is local historic preservation commission review required?
6. CHECK USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS/REVIEW REQUIREMENTS
What source of funding will be involved in the project, necessitating review by the local Historic Preservation Office and consultation with an advisory council on historic preservation?
7. CHECK AVAILABLE PUBLICATIONS
Review documentations of historic preservation publications developed by technical preservation services.