What is Historic Preservation?
The National Park Service, the federal agency in the United States that provides guidance on historic preservation, defines historic preservation as:
“Historic preservation is a conversation with our past about our future.”
Historic preservation also appears as (built) “heritage conservation,” that Black in Historic Preservation defines as:
“Heritage conservation is storytelling about the built environment that emphasizes its embodied cultural value.”
Black in Historic Preservation’s definition of historic preservation incorporates the philosophy of heritage conservation:
“Historic preservation is storytelling that tells as full a story as possible about the built environment.”
The Four R’s
There are four types of preservation treatments to an existing building or site. Considered the four R’s of preservation, they are:
Rehabilitation
1
Repair with non-traditional methods/materials, Add to existing, or Renovate to adapt to modern and future uses (adaptive reuse)
Restoration
2
Repair to a period of significance for the building/site/material, often with traditional methods / materials
Replacement
3
To Replace with brand new material or an entire structure or system
Reconstruction
4
Recreate what a city/people/natural forces demolished
Historic Preservation Resources
Below are a few links to help you learn more about historic preservation and heritage conservation.
Researching graduate programs in historic preservation? Click the NCPE logo to access their program database.
National Park Service (NPS)
National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE)
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP)
US Department of the Interior