Architectural Character: Identifying
the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their
Character
Lee H. Nelson, FAIA
The Secretary of the
Interior's "Standards for Historic Preservation Projects"
embody two important goals: 1) the preservation of historic
materials and, 2) the preservation of a building's
distinguishing character. Every old building is unique, with
its own identity and its own distinctive character. Character
refers to all those visual aspects and physical features that
comprise the appearance of every historic building.
Character-defining elements include the overall shape of the
building, its materials, craftsmanship, decorative details,
interior spaces and features, as well as the various aspects
of its site and environment.
The purpose of this Brief
is to help the owner or the architect identify those features
or elements that give the building its visual character and
that should be taken into account in order to preserve them
to the maximum extent possible.
There are different ways
of understanding old buildings. They can be seen as examples
of specific building types, which are usually related to a
building's function, such as schools, courthouses or
churches. Buildings can be studied as examples of using
specific materials such as concrete, wood, steel, or
limestone. They can also be considered as examples of an
historical period, which is often related to a specific
architectural style, such as Gothic Revival farmhouses,
one-story bungalows, or Art Deco apartment buildings.
There are many other
facets of an historic building besides its functional type,
its materials or construction or style that contribute to its
historic qualities or significance. Some of these qualities
are feelings conveyed by the sense of time and place or in
buildings associated with events or people. A complete
understanding of any property may require documentary
research about its style, construction, function, its
furnishings or contents; knowledge about the original
builder, owners, and later occupants; and knowledge about the
evolutionary history of the building. Even though buildings
may be of historic, rather than architectural significance,
it is their tangible elements that embody its significance
for association with specific events or persons and it is
those tangible elements both on the exterior and interior
that should be preserved.
Therefore, the approach
taken in this Brief is limited to identifying those visual
and tangible aspects of the historic building. While this may
aid in the planning process for carrying out any ongoing or
new use or restoration of the building, this approach is not
a substitute for developing an understanding about the
significance of an historic building and the district in
which it is located.
If the various materials,
features and spaces that give a building its visual character
are not recognized and preserved, then essential aspects of
its character may be damaged in the process of change.
A building's character
can be irreversibly damaged or changed in many ways, for
example, by inappropriate repointing of the brickwork, by
removal of a distinctive side porch, by changes to the window
sash, by changes to the setting around the building, by
changes to the major room arrangements, by the introduction
of an atrium, by painting previously unpainted woodwork,
etc.
A
Three-Step
Process to Identify A Building's Visual Character
This Brief outlines a
three-step approach that can be used by anyone to identify
those materials, features and spaces that contribute to the
visual character of a building. This approach involves first
examining the building from afar to understand its overall
setting and architectural context; then moving up very close
to appreciate its materials and the craftsmanship and surface
finishes evident in these materials; and then going into and
through the building to perceive those spaces, rooms and
details that comprise its interior visual character.
Step 1: Identify the
Overall Visual Aspects
Identifying the overall
visual character of a building is nothing more than looking
at its distinguishing physical aspects without focusing on
its details. The major contributors to a building's overall
character are embodied in the general aspects of its setting;
the shape of the building; its roof and roof features, such
as chimneys or cupolas; the various projections on the
building, such as porches or bay windows; the recesses or
voids in a building, such as open galleries, arcades, or
recessed balconies; the openings for windows and doorways;
and finally the various exterior materials that contribute to
the building's character. Step one involves looking at the
building from a distance to understand the character of its
site and setting, and it involves walking around the building
where that is possible. Some buildings will have one or more
sides that are more important than the others because they
are more highly visible. This does not mean that the rear of
the building is of no value whatever but it simply means that
it is less important to the overall character. On the other
hand, the rear may have an interesting back porch or offer a
private garden space or some other aspect that may contribute
to the visual character. Such a general approach to looking
at the building and site will provide a better understanding
of its overall character without having to resort to an
infinitely long checklist of its possible features and
details. Regardless of whether a building is complicated or
relatively plain, it is these broad categories that
contribute to an understanding of the overall character
rather than the specifics of architectural features such as
moldings and their profiles.
Step 2: Identify the
Visual Character at Close Range
Step two involves looking
at the building at close range or arm's length, where it is
possible to see all the surface qualities of the materials,
such as their color and texture, or surface evidence of
craftsmanship or age. In some instances, the visual character
is the result of the juxtaposition of materials that are
contrastingly different in their color and texture. The
surface qualities of the materials may be important because
they impart the very sense of craftsmanship and age that
distinguishes historic buildings from other buildings.
Furthermore, many of these close up qualities can be easily
damaged or obscured by work that affects those surfaces.
Examples of this could include painting previously unpainted
masonry, rotary disk sanding of smooth wood siding to remove
paint, abrasive cleaning of tooled stonework, or repointing
reddish mortar joints with gray portland cement.
There is an almost
infinite variety of surface materials, textures and finishes
that are part of a building's character which are fragile and
easily lost.
Step 3: Identify the
Visual Character of the Interior Spaces, Features and
Finishes
Perceiving the character
of interior spaces can be somewhat more difficult than
dealing with the exterior. In part, this is because so much
of the exterior can be seen at one time and it is possible to
grasp its essential character rather quickly. To understand
the interior character, it is necessary to move through the
spaces one at a time. While it is not difficult to perceive
the character of one individual room, it becomes more
difficult to deal with spaces that are interconnected and
interrelated. Sometimes, as in office buildings, it is the
vestibules or lobbies or corridors that are important to the
interior character of the building. With other groups of
buildings the visual qualities of the interior are related to
the plan of the building, as in a church with its axial plan
creating a narrow tunnel-like space which obviously has a
different character than an open space like a sports
pavilion. Thus the shape of the space may be an essential
part of its character. With some buildings it is possible to
perceive that there is a visual linkage in a sequence of
spaces, as in a hotel, from the lobby to the grand staircase
to the ballroom. Closing off the openings between those
spaces would change the character from visually linked spaces
to a series of closed spaces. For example, in a house that
has a front and back parlor linked with an open archway, the
two rooms are perceived together, and this visual
relationship is part of the character of the building. To
close off the open archway would change the character of such
a residence.
The importance of
interior features and finishes to the character of the
building should not be overlooked. In relatively simple
rooms, the primary visual aspects may be in features such as
fireplace mantels, lighting fixtures or wooden floors. In
some rooms, the absolute plainness is the character-defining
aspect of the interior. So-called secondary spaces also may
be important in their own way, from the standpoint of history
or because of the family activities that occurred in those
rooms. Such secondary spaces, while perhaps historically
significant, are not usually perceived as important to the
visual character of the building. Thus we do not take them
into account in the visual understanding of the
building.
Conclusion
Using this three-step
approach, it is possible to conduct a walk through and
identify all those elements and features that help define the
visual character of the building. In most cases, there are a
number of aspects about the exterior and interior that are
important to the character of an historic building. The
visual emphasis of this brief will make it possible to
ascertain those things that should be preserved because their
loss or alteration would diminish or destroy aspects of the
historic character whether on the outside, or on the inside
of the building.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Shape
The shape of a building
can be an important aspect of its overall visual character.
The building illustrated here, for example, has a distinctive
horizontal boxlike shape with the middle portion of the box
projecting up an extra story. This building has other visual
aspects that help define its overall character, including the
pattern of vertical bands of windows, the decorative
horizontal bands which separate the base of the building from
the upper floors, the dark brown color of the brick, the
large arched entranceway, and the castle -like tower behind
the building.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Openings
Window and door openings
can be important to the overall visual character of historic
buildings. This view shows only part of a much larger
building, but the windows clearly help define its character,
partly because of their shape and rhythm: the upper floor
windows are grouped in a 4,3,4,1,4 rhythm, and the lower
floor windows are arranged in a regular 1,1,1,... rhythm. The
individual windows are tall, narrow and arched, and they are
accented by the different colored arched heads, which are
connected where there are multiple windows so that the color
contrast is a part of its character. If additional windows
were inserted in the gap of the upper floors, the character
would be much changed, as it would if the window heads were
painted to match the color of the brick walls.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Shape
It should not be assumed
that only large or unusual buildings have a shape that is
distinctive or identifiable. The front wall of this modest
commercial building has a simple three-part shape that is the
controlling aspect of its overall visual
character. It consists of a large center bay with a two story
opening that combines the storefront and the windows above.
The upward projecting parapet and the decorative stonework
also relate to and emphasize its shape. The flanking narrow
bays enframe the side windows and the small iron balconies,
and the main entrance doorway into the store. Any changes to
the center portion of this three-part shape, could
drastically affect the visual character of this
building.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Openings
The opening illustrated
here dominates the visual character of this building because
of its size, shape, location, materials, and craftsmanship.
Because of its relation to the generous staircase, this
opening places a strong emphasis on the principal entry to
the building. Enclosing this arcade-like entry with glass,
for example, would materially and visually change the
character of the building.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Roof and Related Features
This building has a
number of character-defining aspects which include the
windows and the decorative stonework, but certainly the roof
and its related features are visually important to its
overall visual character. The roof is not only highly
visible, it has elaborate stone dormers, and it also has
decorative metalwork and slatework. The red and black slates
of differing sizes and shapes are laid in patterns that
extend around the roof of this large and freestanding
building. Any changes to this patterned slatework, or to the
other roofing details would damage the visual character of
the building.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Roof and Related Features
On this building, the
most important visual aspects of its character are the roof
and its related features such as the dormers and chimneys.
The roof is important to the visual character because its
steepness makes it highly visible, and its prominence is
reinforced by the patterned tinwork, the six dormers and the
two chimneys. Changes to the roof or its features, such as
removal or alterations to the dormers, for example, would
certainly change the character of this building. This does
not discount the importance of its other aspects, such as the
porch, the windows, the brickwork, or its setting; but the
roof is clearly crucial to understanding the overall visual
character of this building as seen from a distance.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Projections
A projecting porch or
balcony can be very important to the overall visual character
of almost any building and to the district in which it is
located. Despite the size of this building (3-1/2 stories),
and its distinctive roofline profile, and despite the
importance of the very large window openings, the lacy
wraparound iron balcony is singularly important to the visual
character of this building. It would seriously affect the
character to remove the balcony, to enclose it, or to replace
it with a balcony lacking the same degree of detail of the
original material.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Projections
Since these are row
houses, any evaluation of their visual exterior character is
necessarily limited to the front and rear walls; and while
there are a number of things competing for attention in the
front, it is the half round projecting bays with their
conical roofs that contribute most prominently to the visual
character. Their removal would be a devastating loss to the
overall character, but even if preserved, the character could
be easily damaged by changes to their color (as seen in the
left bay which has been painted a dark color), or changes to
their windows, or changes to their tile roofs. Though these
houses have other fine features that contribute to the visual
character and are worthy of preservation, these half round
bays demonstrate the importance of projecting features on an
already rich and complex facade. Because of the repetitive
nature of these projecting bays on adjacent row houses, along
with the buildings' size, scale, openings, and materials,
they also contribute to the overall visual character of the
streetscape in the historic district. Any evaluation of the
visual character of such a building should take into account
the context of this building within the district.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Projections
Many buildings have
projecting features such as porches, bay windows, or
overhanging roofs, that help define their overall visual
character. This projecting porch because of its size and
shape, and because it copies the pitch and material of the
main roof, is an important contributor to the visual
character of this simple farmhouse. The removal or alteration
of this porch would drastically alter the character of this
building. If the porch were enclosed with wood or glass, or
if gingerbread brackets were added to the porch columns, if
the tin roof was replaced with asphalt, or if the porch
railing was opened to admit a center stairway, the overall
visual character could be seriously damaged. Although this
projecting porch is an important feature, almost any other
change to this house, such as changes to the window pattern,
or changes to the main roof, or changes to the setting, would
also change its visual character.
figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Trim
If one were to analyze
the overall shape or form of this building, it would be seen
that it is a gable-roofed house with dormers and a wraparound
porch. It is similar to many other houses of the period. It
is the wooden trim on the eaves and around the porch that
gives this building its own identify and its special visual
character. Although such wooden trim is vulnerable to the
elements, and must be kept painted to prevent deterioration;
the loss of this trim would seriously damage the overall
visual character of this building, and its loss would
obliterate much of the closeup visual character so dependent
upon craftsmanship for the moldings, carvings, and the
see-through jigsaw work.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Setting
In the process of
identifying the overall visual character, the aspect of
setting should not be overlooked. Obviously, the setting of
urban row houses differs from that of a mansion with a
designed landscape. However, there are many instances where
the relationship between the building and its place on the
streetscape, or its place in the rural environment, in other
words its setting, may be an important contributor to its
overall character.
In this instance, the
corner tower and the arched entryway are important
contributors to the visual character of the building itself,
but there is also a relationship between the building and the
two converging streets that is also an important aspect of
this historic building. The curb, sidewalk, fence, and the
yard interrelate with each other to establish a setting that
is essential to the overall visual character of the historic
property. Removing these elements or replacing them with a
driveway or parking court would destroy an important visual
aspect.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Setting
Even architecturally
modest buildings frequently will have a setting that
contributes to their overall character. In this very urban
district, setbacks are the exception, so that the small front
yard is something of a luxury, and it is important to the
overall character because of its design and materials, which
include the iron fence along the sidewalk, the curved walk
leading to the porch, and the various plantings. In a
district where parking spaces are in great demand, such front
yards are sometimes converted to off-street parking, but in
this instance, that would essentially destroy its setting and
would drastically change the visual character of this
historic property.
[figure]
Overall Visual Character:
Setting
Among the various visual
aspects relating to the setting of an historic property are
such site features as gardens, walks, fences, etc. This can
include their design and materials. There is a dramatic
difference in the visual character between these two fence
constructions--one utilizing found materials with no
particular regard to their uniformity of size or placement,
and the other being a product of the machine age utilizing
cast iron components assembled into a pattern of precision
and regularity. If the corral fence were to be repaired or
replaced with lumberyard materials its character would be
dramatically compromised. The rhythm and regularity of the
cast iron fence is so important to its visual character that
its character could be altered by accidental damage or
vandalism, if some of the fence top spikes were broken off
thus interrupting the rhythm or pattern.
[figure]
Arm's Length Visual
Character: Materials
At arm's length, the
visual character is most often determined by the surface
qualities of the materials and craftsmanship; and while these
aspects are often inextricably related, the original choice
of materials often plays the dominant role in establishing
the close range character because of the color, texture, or
shape of the materials.
In this instance, the
variety and arrangement of the materials is important in
defining the visual character, starting with the large pieces
of broken stone which form the projecting base for the
building walls, then changing to a wall of roughly
rectangular stones which vary in size, color, and texture,
all with accentuated, projecting beads of mortar, then there
is a rather precise and narrow band of cut and dressed stones
with minimal mortar joints, and finally, the main building
walls are composed of bricks, rather uniform in color, with
fairly generous mortar joints. It is the juxtaposition and
variety of these materials (and of course, the craftsmanship)
that is very important to the visual character. Changing the
raised mortar joints, for example, would drastically alter
the character at arm's length.
[figure]
Arm's Length Visual
Character: Craft Details
There are many instances
where craft details dominate the arm's length visual
character. As seen here, the craft details are especially
noticeable because the stones are all of a uniform color, and
they are all squared off, but their surfaces were worked with
differing tools and techniques to create a great variety of
textures, resulting in a tour-de-force of craft details. This
texture is very important at close range. It was a
deliberately contrived surface that is an important
contributor to the visual character of this building.
[figure]
Arm's Length Visual
Character: Craft Details
The arm's length visual
character of this building is a combination of the materials
and the craft details. Most of the exterior walls of this
building consist of early 20th century Roman brick, precisely
made, unusually long bricks, in varying shades of
yellow-brown, with a noticeable surface spotting of dark iron
pyrites. While this brick is an important contributor to the
visual character, the related craft details are perhaps more
important, and they consist of: unusually precise coursing of
the bricks, almost as though they were laid up using a
surveyor's level; a row of recessed bricks every ninth
course, creating a shadow pattern on the wall; deeply
recessed mortar joints, creating a secondary pattern of
shadows; and a toothed effect where the bricks overlap each
other at the corner of the building. The cumulative effect of
this artisanry is important to the arm's length visual
character, and it is evident that it would be difficult to
match if it were damaged, and the effect could be easily
damaged through insensitive treatments such as painting the
brickwork or by careless repointing.
[figure]
Arm's Length Visual
Character: Craft Details
On some buildings, there
are subtle aspects of visual character that cannot be
perceived from a distance. This is especially true of certain
craft details that can be seen only at close range. On this
building, it is easily understood that the narrow, unpainted,
and weathered clapboards are an important aspect of its
overall visual character; but at close range there are a
number of subtle but very important craft details that
contribute to the handmade quality of this building, and
which clearly differentiate it from a building with machine
sawn clapboards.
The clapboards seen here
were split by hand and the bottom edges were not dressed, so
that the boards vary in width and thickness, and thus they
give a very uneven shadow pattern. Because they were split
from oak that is unpainted, there are occasional wavy rays in
the wood that stand against the grain. Also noticeable is the
fact that the boards are of relatively short lengths, and
that they have feather-edge ends that overlap each other, a
detail that is very different from butted joints. The
occasional large nail heads and the differential silver-gray
weathering add to the random quality of the clapboards. All
of these qualities contribute to the arm's length visual
character.
[figure]
Arm's Length Visual
Character: Craft Details
While hand-split
clapboards are distinctive visual elements in their own way,
machine-sawn and painted wood siding is equally important to
the overall visual character in most other instances. At
arm's length, however, the machine sawn siding may not be so
distinctive; but there might be other details that add visual
character to the wooden building, such as the details of
wooden trim and louvered shutters around the windows (as seen
here), or similar surface textures on other buildings, such
as the saw marks on wall shingles, the joints in leaded
glass, decorative tinwork on a rain conductor box, the rough
surface of pebble-dash stuccowork, or the pebbly surface of
exposed aggregate concrete. Such surfaces can only be seen at
arm's length and they add to the visual character of a
historic building.
[figure]
Interior Visual
Character: Individually Important Spaces
In assessing the interior
visual character of any historic building, it is necessary to
ask whether there are spaces that are important to the
character of this particular building, whether the building
is architecturally rich or modest, or even if it is a simple
or utilitarian structure.
The character of the
individually important space which is illustrated here is a
combination of its size, the twin curving staircases, the
massive columns and curving vaulted ceilings, in addition to
the quality of the materials in the floor and in the stairs.
If the ceiling were to be lowered to provide space for
heating ducts, or if the stairways were to be enclosed for
code reasons, the shape and character of this space would be
damaged, even if there was no permanent physical damage. Such
changes can easily destroy the visual character of an
individually important interior space. Thus, it is important
that the visual aspects of a building's interior character be
recognized before planning any changes or alterations.
[figure]
Interior Visual
Character: Related Spaces
Many buildings have
interior spaces that are visually or physically related so
that, as you move through them, they are perceived not as
separate spaces, but as a sequence of related spaces that are
important in defining the interior character of the building.
The example which is illustrated here consists of three
spaces that are visually linked to each other.
The first of these spaces
is the vestibule which is of a generous size and unusual in
its own right, but more important, it visually relates to the
second space which is the main stairhall.
The hallway is the
circulation artery for the building, and leads both
horizontally and vertically to other rooms and spaces, but
especially to the open and inviting stairway.
The stairway is the third
part of this sequence of related spaces, and it provides
continuing access to the upper floors.
These related spaces are
very important in defining the interior character of this
building. Almost any change to these spaces, such as
installing doors between the vestibule and the hallway, or
enclosing the stair would seriously impact their character
and the way that character is perceived.
[figure]
Interior Visual
Character: Interior Features
Interior features are
three-dimensional building elements or architectural details
that are an integral part of the building as opposed to
furniture. Interior features are often important in defining
the character of an individual room or space. In some
instances, an interior feature, like a large and ornamental
open stairway may dominate the visual character of an entire
building. In other instances, a modest iron stairway (like
the one illustrated here) may be an important interior
feature, and its preservation would be crucial to preserving
the interior character of the building. Such features can
also include the obvious things like fireplace mantles,
plaster ceiling medallions, or paneling, but they also extend
to features like hardware, lighting fixtures, bank tellers
cages, decorative elevator doors, etc.
[figure]
Interior Visual
Character: Interior Features
Modern heating or cooling
devices usually add little to the interior character of a
building; but historically, radiators, for instance, may have
contributed to the interior character by virtue of their size
or shape, or because of their specially designed bases,
piping, and decorative grillage or enclosures Sometimes they
were painted with several colors to highlight their integral,
cast-in details. In more recent times, it has been common to
over paint and conceal such distinctive aspects of earlier
heating and plumbing devices, so that we seldom have the
opportunity to realize how important they can be in defining
the character of interior rooms and spaces. For that reason,
it is important to identify their characterdefining
potential, and consider their preservation, retention, or
restoration.
[figure]
Interior Visual
Character: Surface Materials and Finishes
When identifying the
visual character of historic interior spaces one should not
overlook the importance of those materials and finishes that
comprise the surfaces of walls, floors and ceilings. The
surfaces may have evidence of either handcraft or machine
made products that are important contributors to the visual
character, including patterned or inlaid designs in the wood
flooring, decorative painting practices such ac stenciling,
imitation marble or wood grain, wallpapering, tinwork, tile
floors, etc.
The example illustrated
here involves a combination of real marble at the base of the
column, imitation marble patterns on the plaster surface of
the column (a practice called scagliola), and a tile floor
surface that uses small mosaic tiles arranged to form
geometric designs in several different colors. While such
decorative materials and finishes may be important in
defining the interior visual character of this particular
building, it should be remembered that in much more modest
buildings, the plainness of surface materials and finishes
may be an essential aspect of their historic
character.
[figure]
Fragility of A Building's
Visual Character
Some aspects of a
building's visual character are fragile and are easily lost.
This is true of brickwork, for example, which can be
irreversibly damaged with inappropriate cleaning techniques
or by insensitive repointing practices. At least two factors
are important contributors to the visual character of
brickwork, namely the brick itself and the craftsmanship.
Between these, there are many more aspects worth noting, such
as color range of bricks, size and shape variations, texture,
bonding patterns, together with the many variable qualities
of the mortar joints, such as color, width of joint and
tooling. These qualities could be easily damaged by painting
the brick, by raking out the joint with power tools, or
repointing with a joint that is too wide. As seen here during
the process of repointing, the visual character of this front
wall is being dramatically changed from a wall where the
bricks predominate, to a wall that is visually dominated by
the mortar joints.
# # # #
The
Architectural Character Checklist/Questionnaire
Lee H. Nelson,
FAIA
National Park
Service
This checklist can be
taken to the building and used to identify those aspects that
give the building and setting its essential visual qualities
and character. This checklist consists of a series of
questions that are designed to help in identifying those
things that contribute to a building's character. The use of
this checklist involves the threestep process of looking for:
1) the overall visual aspects, 2) the visual character at
close range, and 3) the visual character of interior spaces,
features and finishes.
Because this is a process
to identify architectural character, it does not address
those intangible qualities that give a property or building
or its contents its historic significance, instead this
checklist is organized on the assumption that historic
significance is embodied in those tangible aspects that
include the building's setting, its form and fabric.
STEP ONE
1. Shape
What is there about the
form or shape of the building that gives the building its
identity? Is the shape distinctive in relation to the
neighboring buildings? Is it simply a low, squat box, or is
it a tall, narrow building with a corner tower? Is the shape
highly consistent with its neighbors? Is the shape so
complicated because of wings, or ells, or differences in
height, that its complexity is important to its character?
Conversely, is the shape so simple or plain that adding a
feature like a porch would change that character? Does the
shape convey its historic function as in smoke stacks or
silos?
Notes on the Shape or
Form of the Building:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2. Roof and Roof
Features
Does the roof shape or
its steep (or shallow) slope contribute to the building's
character? Does the fact that the roof is highly visible (or
not visible at all) contribute to the architectural identity
of the building? Are certain roof features important to the
profile of the building against the sky or its background,
such as cupolas, multiple chimneys, dormers, cresting, or
weather vanes? Are the roofing materials or their colors or
their patterns (such as patterned slates) more noticeable
than the shape or slope of the
roof?
Notes on the Roof and
Roof Features:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3. Openings
Is there a rhythm or
pattern to the arrangement of windows or other openings in
the walls; like the rhythm of windows in a factory building,
or a threepart window in the front bay of a house; or is
there a noticeable relationship between the width of the
window openings and the wall space between the window
openings? Are there distinctive openings, like a large arched
entranceway, or decorative window lintels that accentuate the
importance the window openings, or unusually shaped windows,
or patterned window sash, like small panes of glass in the
windows or doors, that are important to the character? Is the
plainness of the window openings such that adding shutters or
gingerbread trim would radically change its character? Is
there a hierarchy of facades that make the front windows more
important than the side windows? What about those walls where
the absence of windows establishes its own character?
Notes on the
Openings:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4. Projections
Are there parts of the
building that are characterdefining because they project from
the walls of the building like porches, cornices, bay
windows, or balconies? Are there turrets, or widely
overhanging eaves, projecting pediments or chimneys?
Notes on the
Projections:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
5. Trim and Secondary
Features
Does the trim around the
windows or doors contribute to the character of the building?
Is there other trim on the walls or around the projections
that, because of its decoration or color or patterning
contributes to the character of the building? Are there
secondary features such as shutters, decorative gables,
railings, or exterior wall panels?
Notes on the Trim and
Secondary Features:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
6. Materials
Do the materials or
combination of materials contribute to the overall character
of the building as seen from a distance because of their
color or patterning, such as broken faced stone, scalloped
wall shingling, rounded rock foundation walls, boards and
battens, or textured stucco?
Notes on the
Materials
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
7. Setting
What are the aspects of
the setting that are important to the visual character? For
example, is the alignment of buildings along a city street
and their relationship to the sidewalk the essential aspect
of its setting? Or, conversely, is the essential character
dependent upon the tree plantings and out buildings which
surround the farmhouse? Is the front yard important to the
setting of the modest house? Is the specific site important
to the setting such as being on a hilltop, along a river, or,
is the building placed on the site in such a way to enhance
its setting? Is there a special relationship to the adjoining
streets and other buildings? Is there a view? Is there
fencing, planting, terracing, walkways or any other landscape
aspects that contribute to the setting?
Notes on the
Setting:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
STEP TWO
8. Materials at Close
Range
Are there one or more
materials that have an inherent texture that contributes to
the close range character, such as stucco, exposed aggregate
concrete, or brick textured with vertical grooves? Or
materials with inherent colors such as smooth orange colored
brick with dark spots of iron pyrites, or prominently veined
stone, or green serpentine stone? Are there combinations of
materials, used in juxtaposition, such as several different
kinds of stone, combinations of stone and brick, dressed
stones for window lintels used in conjunction with rough
stones for the wall? Has the choice of materials or the
combinations of materials contributed to the
character?
Notes on the Materials at
Close Range:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
9. Craft Details
Is there high quality
brickwork with narrow mortar joints? Is there hand tooled or
patterned stonework? Do the walls exhibit carefully struck
vertical mortar joints and recessed horizontal joints? Is the
wall shinglework laid up in patterns or does it retain
evidence of the circular saw marks or can the grain of the
wood be seen through the semitransparent stain? Are there
hand split or handdressed clapboards, or machine smooth
beveled siding, or wood rusticated to look like stone, or Art
Deco zigzag designs executed in stucco?
Almost any evidence of
craft details, whether handmade or machinemade, will
contribute to the character of a building because it is a
manifestation of the materials, of the times in which the
work was done, and of the tools and processes that were used.
It further reflects the effects of time, of maintenance
(and/or neglect) that the building has received over the
years. All of these aspects are a part of the surface
qualities that are seen only at close range.
Notes on the Craft
Details:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
STEP THREE
10. Individual
Spaces
Are there individual
rooms or spaces that are important to this building because
of their size, height, proportion, configuration, or
function, like the center hallway in a house, or the bank
lobby, or the school auditorium, or the ballroom in a hotel,
or a courtroom in a county courthouse?
Notes on the Individual
Spaces.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
11. Related Spaces and
Sequences of Spaces
Are there adjoining rooms
that are visually and physically related with large doorways
or open archways so that they are perceived as related rooms
as opposed to separate rooms? Is there an important sequence
of spaces that are related to each other, such as the
sequence from the entry way to the lobby to the stairway and
to the upper balcony as in a theatre; or the sequence in a
residence from the entry vestibule to the hallway to the
front parlor, and on through the sliding doors to the back
parlor; or the sequence in an office building from the entry
vestibule to the lobby to the bank of elevators?
Notes on the Related
Spaces and Sequences of Spaces:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
12. Interior
Features
Are there interior
features that help define the character of the building, such
as fireplace mantels, stairways and balustrades, arched
openings, interior shutters, inglenooks, cornices, ceiling
medallions, light fixtures, balconies, doors, windows,
hardware, wainscoting, panelling, trim, church pews,
courtroom bars, teller cages, waiting room benches?
Notes on the Interior
Features:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
13. Surface Finishes and
Materials
Are there surface
finishes and materials that can affect the design, the color
or the texture of the interior? Are there materials and
finishes or craft practices that contribute to the interior
character, such as wooden parquet floors, checkerboard marble
floors, pressed metal ceilings, fine hardwoods, grained doors
or marbleized surfaces, or polychrome painted surfaces, or
stenciling, or wallpaper that is important to the historic
character? Are there surface finishes and materials that,
because of their plainness, are imparting the essential
character of the interior such as hard or bright, shiny wall
surfaces of plaster or glass or metal?
Notes on the Surface
Finishes and Materials:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
14. Exposed
Structure
Are there spaces where
the exposed structural elements define the interior character
such as the exposed posts, beams, and trusses in a church or
train shed or factory? Are there rooms with decorative
ceiling beams (nonstructural) in bungalows, or exposed vigas
in adobe buildings?
Notes on the Exposed
Structure:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
# # # #
This concludes the
threestep process of identifying the visual aspects of
historic buildings and is intended as an aid in preserving
their character and other distinguishing qualities. It is not
intended as a means of understanding the significance of
historical properties or districts, nor of the events or
people associated with them. That can only be done through
other kinds of research and investigation.
This Preservation Brief
was originally developed as a slide talk/methodology in 1982
to discuss the use of the Secretary of the Interior's
Standards for Rehabilitation in relation to preserving
historic character; and it was amplified and modified in
succeeding years to help guide preservation decision making,
initially for maintenance personnel in the National Park
Service. A number of people contributed to the evolution of
the ideas presented here. Special thanks go to Emogene Bevitt
and Gary Hume, primarily for the many and frequent
discussions relating to this approach in its evolutionary
stages; to Mark Fram, Ontario Heritage Foundation, Toronto,
for suggesting several additions to the Checklist; and more
recently, to my coworkers, both in Washington and in our
regional offices, especially Ward Jandl, Sara Blumenthal,
Charles Fisher, Sharon Park, AIA, Jean Travers, Camille
Martone, Susan Dynes, Michael Auer, Anne Grimmer, Kay Weeks,
Betsy Chittenden, Patrick Andrus, Carol Shull, Hugh Miller,
FAIA, Jerry Rogers, Paul Alley, David Look, AIA, Margaret
Pepin-Donat, Bonnie Halda, Keith Everett, Thomas Keohan, the
Preservation Services Division, MidAtlantic Region, and
several reviewers in state preservation offices, especially
Ann Haaker, Illinois; and Stan Graves, AIA, Texas; for
providing very critical and constructive review of the
manuscript. Washington, D.C. September, 1988
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