Preservation/Rehabilitation & Building Analysis
-
Preservation Company, working with owner/developers and others, is frequently involved in the adaptive reuse of historic properties. We work to ensure that proposed designs satisfy the requirements of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation while also meeting the financial constraints of the project. Services include complete pre-eligibility and post-construction photographic documentation, property certification through National Register Nominations and the completion of Certified Rehabilitation Applications under the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program (a 20% income tax credit available for the rehabilitation of historic, income-producing buildings). We work to identify significant historic features and spaces and, in consultation with the architect or owner, integrate those elements into the rehabilitation design. Several of our projects have received awards.
-
Preservation Company works with owners of historic structures in a number of ways. Oftentimes our work starts off with the preparation of a historic structures report, which provides a comprehensive guide to the historic building fabric of a particular resource. Although HSR’s vary depending on the resource and the use/audience for the document, they typically include a history of the resource, an analysis of its character-defining features and their condition and treatment suggestions.
Many times Preservation Company’s expertise relating to individual historic buildings will take a different form depending on the project and the client. Our work in this vein varies from consultation on historic building materials (and their replacement when necessary), to testimony about historic resources in historic districts.
In terms of individual resources, Preservation Company has a wealth of experience in working with, and understanding the fabric of, historic buildings. Our work occurs in many different settings and situations: in the preparation of historic structure reports to permit funding for preservation (for instance by LCHIP), in the preparation of NPS forms to enable developers/owners to receive tax credits under the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program, and in simply providing advice to individual homeowners who want to insure that the historic character of their property will be retained and preserved.
Following the guidelines of the Secretary of the Interiors Guidelines and Standards for Preservation and Rehabilitation, Preservation Company first works to identify the character-defining features of a historic resource and document their condition. Preservation Company, working with preservation architects and engineers, will also make recommendations which will maximize the retention of distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships given the building’s proposed program. As called for in the guidelines, each property is recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use.