 |
Rehabilitating Interiors in Historic
Buildings
H. Ward Jandl
A floor plan, the
arrangement of spaces, and features and applied finishes may
be individually or collectively important in defining the
historic character of the building and the purpose for which
it was constructed. Thus, their identification, retention,
protection, and repair should be given prime consideration in
every preservation project. Caution should be exercised in
developing plans that would radically change
character-defining spaces or that would obscure, damage or
destroy interior features or finishes.
While the exterior of a
building may be its most prominent visible aspect, or its
"public face," its interior can be even more important in
conveying the building's history and development over time.
Rehabilitation within the context of the Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation calls for the
preservation of exterior and interior portions or features of
the building that are significant to its historic,
architectural and cultural values.
Interior components
worthy of preservation may include the building's plan
(sequence of spaces and circulation patterns), the building's
spaces (rooms and volumes), individual architectural
features, and the various finishes and materials that make up
the walls, floors, and ceilings. A theater auditorium or
sequences of rooms such as double parlors or a lobby leading
to a stairway that ascends to a mezzanine may comprise a
building's most important spaces. Individual rooms may
contain notable features such as plaster cornices, millwork,
parquet wood floors, and hardware. Paints, wall coverings,
and finishing techniques such as graining, may provide color,
texture, and patterns which add to a building's unique
character.
Virtually all
rehabilitations of historic buildings involve some degree of
interior alteration, even if the buildings are to be used for
their original purpose. Interior rehabilitation proposals may
range from preservation of existing features and spaces to
total reconfigurations. In some cases, depending on the
building, restoration may be warranted to preserve historic
character adequately; in other cases, extensive alterations
may be perfectly acceptable.
This Preservation Brief
has been developed to assist building owners and architects
in identifying and evaluating those elements of a building's
interior that contribute to its historic character and in
planning for the preservation of those elements in the
process of rehabilitation. The guidance applies to all
building types and styles, from 18th century churches to 20th
century office buildings. The Brief does not attempt to
provide specific advice on preservation techniques and
treatments, given the vast range of buildings, but rather
suggests general preservation approaches to guide
construction work.
Identifying and Evaluating the Importance of Interior
Elements Prior to Rehabilitation
Before determining what
uses might be appropriate and before drawing up plans, a
thorough professional assessment should be undertaken to
identify those tangible architectural components that, prior
to rehabilitation, convey the building's sense of time and
place--that is, its "historic character." Such an assessment,
accomplished by walking through and taking account of each
element that makes up the interior, can help ensure that a
truly compatible use for the building, one that requires
minimal alteration to the building, is selected.
Researching The
Building's History
A review of the
building's history will reveal why and when the building
achieved significance or how it contributes to the
significance of the district. This information helps to
evaluate whether a particular rehabilitation treatment will
be appropriate to the building and whether it will preserve
those tangible components of the building that convey its
significance for association with specific events or persons
along with its architectural importance. In this regard,
National Register files may prove useful in explaining why
and for what period of time the building is significant. In
some cases research may show that later alterations are
significant to the building; in other cases, the alterations
may be without historical or architectural merit, and may be
removed in the rehabilitation.
Identifying Interior
Elements
Interiors of buildings
can be seen as a series of primary and secondary spaces. The
goal of the assessment is to identify which elements
contribute to the building's character and which do not.
Sometimes it will be the sequence and flow of spaces, and not
just the individual rooms themselves, that contribute to the
building's character. This is particularly evident in
buildings that have strong central axes or those that are
consciously asymmetrical in design. In other cases, it may be
the size or shape of the space that is distinctive. The
importance of some interiors may not be readily apparent
based on a visual inspection; sometimes rooms that do not
appear to be architecturally distinguished are associated
with important persons and events that occurred within the
building.
Primary spaces, are found
in all buildings, both monumental and modest. Examples may
include foyers, corridors, elevator lobbies, assembly rooms,
stairhalls, and parlors. Often they are the places in the
building that the public uses and sees; sometimes they are
the most architecturally detailed spaces in the building,
carefully proportioned and finished with costly materials.
They may be functionally and architecturally related to the
building's external appearance. In a simpler building, a
primary space may be distinguishable only by its location,
size, proportions, or use. Primary spaces are always
important to the character of the building and should be
preserved.
Secondary spaces are
generally more utilitarian in appearance and size than
primary spaces. They may include areas and rooms that service
the building, such as bathrooms, and kitchens. Examples of
secondary spaces in a commercial or office structure may
include storerooms, service corridors, and in some cases, the
offices themselves. Secondary spaces tend to be of less
importance to the building and may accept greater change in
the course of work without compromising the building's
historic character.
Spaces are often designed
to interrelate both visually and functionally. The sequence
of spaces, such as vestibule-hall-parlor or
foyer-lobby-stair-auditorium or stairhall-corridor-classroom,
can define and express the building's historic function and
unique character. Important sequences of spaces should be
identified and retained in the rehabilitation project.
Floor plans may also be
distinctive and characteristic of a style of architecture or
a region. Examples include Greek Revival and shotgun houses.
Floor plans may also reflect social, educational, and medical
theories of the period. Many 19th century psychiatric
institutions, for example, had plans based on the ideas of
Thomas Kirkbride, a Philadelphia doctor who authored a book
on asylum design.
In addition to evaluating
the relative importance of the various spaces, the assessment
should identify architectural features and finishes that are
part of the interior's history and character. Marble or wood
wainscoting in corridors, elevator cabs, crown molding,
baseboards, mantels, ceiling medallions, window and door
trim, tile and parquet floors, and staircases are among those
features that can be found in historic buildings.
Architectural finishes of note may include grained woodwork,
marbleized columns, and plastered walls. Those features that
are characteristic of the building's style and period of
construction should, again, be retained in the
rehabilitation.
Features and finishes,
even if machine-made and not exhibiting particularly fine
craftsmanship, may be character defining; these would include
pressed metal ceilings and millwork around windows and doors.
The interior of a plain, simple detailed worker's house of
the 19th century may be as important historically as a richly
ornamented, high-style townhouse of the same period. Both
resources, if equally intact, convey important information
about the early inhabitants and deserve the same careful
attention to detail in the preservation process.
The location and
condition of the building's existing heating, plumbing, and
electrical systems also need to be noted in the assessment.
The visible features of historic systems--radiators, grilles,
light fixtures, switchplates, bathtubs, etc.--can contribute
to the overall character of the building, even if the systems
themselves need upgrading.
Assessing Alterations and
Deterioration
In assessing a building's
interior, it is important to ascertain the extent of
alteration and deterioration that may have taken place over
the years; these factors help determine what degree of change
is appropriate in the project. Close examination of existing
fabric and original floorplans, where available, can reveal
which alterations have been additive, such as new partitions
inserted for functional or structural reasons and historic
features covered up rather than destroyed. It can also reveal
which have been subtractive, such as key walls removed and
architectural features destroyed. If an interior has been
modified by additive changes and if these changes have not
acquired significance, it may be relatively easy to remove
the alterations and return the interior to its historic
appearance. If an interior has been greatly altered through
subtractive changes, there may be more latitude in making
further alterations in the process of rehabilitation because
the integrity of the interior has been compromised. At the
same time, if the interior had been exceptionally
significant, and solid documentation on its historic
condition is available, reconstruction of the missing
features may be the preferred option.
It is always a
recommended practice to photograph interior spaces and
features thoroughly prior to rehabilitation. Measured floor
plans showing the existing conditions are extremely useful.
This documentation is invaluable in drawing up rehabilitation
plans and specifications and in assessing the impact of
changes to the property for historic preservation
certification purposes.
Drawing Up Plans and
Executing Work
If the historic building
is to be rehabilitated, it is critical that the new use not
require substantial alteration of distinctive spaces or
removal of character-defining architectural features or
finishes. If an interior loses the physical vestiges of its
past as well as its historic function, the sense of time and
place associated both with the building and the district in
which it is located is lost.
The recommended
approaches that follow address common problems associated
with the rehabilitation of historic interiors and have been
adapted from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for
Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic
Buildings. Adherence to these suggestions can help ensure
that character-defining interior elements are preserved in
the process of rehabilitation. The checklist covers a range
of situations and is not intended to be all-inclusive.
Readers are strongly encouraged to review the full set of
guidelines before undertaking any rehabilitation
project.
Recommended Approaches for
Rehabilitating Historic Interiors
1. Retain and preserve
floor plans and interior spaces that are important in
defining the overall historic character of the building. This
includes the size, configuration, proportion, and
relationship of rooms and corridors; the relationship of
features to spaces; and the spaces themselves such as
lobbies, reception halls, entrance halls, double parlors,
theaters, auditoriums, and important industrial or commercial
use spaces. Put service functions required by the building's
new use, such as bathrooms, mechanical equipment, and office
machines, in secondary spaces.
2. Avoid subdividing
spaces that are characteristic of a building type or style or
that are directly associated with specific persons or
patterns of events. Space may be subdivided both vertically
through the insertion of new partitions or horizontally
through insertion of new floors or mezzanines. The insertion
of new additional floors should be considered only when they
will not damage or destroy the structural system or obscure,
damage, or destroy character-defining spaces, features, or
finishes. If rooms have already been subdivided through an
earlier insensitive renovation, consider removing the
partitions and restoring the room to its original proportions
and size.
3. Avoid making new cuts
in floors and ceilings where such cuts would change
character-defining spaces and the historic configuration of
such spaces. Inserting of a new atrium or a lightwell is
appropriate only in very limited situations where the
existing interiors are not historically or architecturally
distinguished.
4. Avoid installing
dropped ceilings below ornamental ceilings or in rooms where
high ceilings are part of the building's character. In
addition to obscuring or destroying significant details, such
treatments will also change the space's proportions. If
dropped ceilings are installed in buildings that lack
character-defining spaces, such as mills and factories, they
should be well set back from the windows so they are not
visible from the exterior.
5. Retain and preserve
interior features and finishes that are important in defining
the overall historic character of the building. This might
include columns, doors, cornices, baseboards, fireplaces and
mantels, paneling, light fixtures, elevator cabs, hardware,
and flooring; and wallpaper, plaster, paint, and finishes
such as stenciling, marbleizing, and graining; and other
decorative materials that accent interior features and
provide color, texture, and patterning to walls, floors, and
ceilings.
6. Retain stairs in their
historic configuration and to location. If a second means of
egress is required, consider constructing new stairs in
secondary spaces. (For guidance on designing compatible new
additions, see Preservation Brief 14, "New Exterior Additions
to Historic Buildings.") The application of fire-retardant
coatings, such as intumescent paints; the installation of
fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers; and the
construction of glass enclosures can in many cases permit
retention of stairs and other character-defining
features.
7. Retain and preserve
visible features of early mechanical systems that are
important in defining the overall historic character of the
building, such as radiators, vents, fans, grilles, plumbing
fixtures, switchplates, and lights. If new heating, air
conditioning, lighting and plumbing systems are installed,
they should be done in a way that does not destroy
character-defining spaces, features and finishes. Ducts,
pipes, and wiring should be installed as inconspicuously as
possible: in secondary spaces, in the attic or basement if
possible, or in closets.
8. Avoid "furring out"
perimeter walls for insulation purposes. This requires
unnecessary removal of window trim and can change a room's
proportions. Consider alternative means of improving thermal
performance, such as installing insulation in attics and
basements and adding storm windows.
9. Avoid removing paint
and plaster from traditionally finished surfaces, to expose
masonry and wood. Conversely, avoid painting previously
unpainted millwork. Repairing deteriorated plasterwork is
encouraged. If the plaster is too deteriorated to save, and
the walls and ceilings are not highly ornamented, gypsum
board may be an acceptable replacement material. The use of
paint colors appropriate to the period of the building's
construction is encouraged.
10. Avoid using
destructive methods--propane and butane torches or
sandblasting--to remove paint or other coatings from historic
features. Avoid harsh cleaning agents that can change the
appearance of wood. (For more information regarding
appropriate cleaning methods, consult Preservation Brief 6,
"Dangers of Abrasive Cleaning to Historic Buildings.")
______________________________________________________
Meeting
Building, Life Safety and Fire Codes.
Buildings undergoing
rehabilitation must comply with existing building, life
safety and fire codes. The application of codes to specific
projects varies from building to building, and town to town.
Code requirements may make some reuse proposals impractical;
in other cases, only minor changes may be needed to bring the
project into compliance. In some situations, it may be
possible to obtain a code variance to preserve distinctive
interior features. (It should be noted that the Secretary's
Standards for Rehabilitation take precedence over other
regulations and codes in determining whether a rehabilitation
project qualifies for Federal tax benefits.) A thorough
understanding of the applicable regulations and close
coordination with code officials, building inspectors, and
fire marshals can prevent the alteration of significant
historic interiors.
Sources of Assistance
Rehabilitation and
restoration work should be undertaken by professionals who
have an established reputation in the field.
Given the wide range of
interior work items, from ornamental plaster repair to marble
cleaning and the application of graining, it is possible that
a number of specialists and subcontractors will need to be
brought in to bring the project to completion. State Historic
Preservation Officers and local preservation organizations
may be a useful source of information in this regard. Good
sources of information on appropriate preservation techniques
for specific interior features and finishes include the
Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology and
The Old-House Journal; other useful publications are listed
in the bibliography.
Protecting
Interior Elements During Rehabilitation
Architectural features
and finishes to be preserved in the process of rehabilitation
should be clearly marked on plans and at the site. This step,
along with careful supervision of the interior demolition
work and protection against arson and vandalism, can prevent
the unintended destruction of architectural elements that
contribute to the building's historic character.
Protective coverings
should be installed around architectural features and
finishes to avoid damage in the course of construction work
and to protect workers. Staircases and floors, in particular,
are subjected to dirt and heavy wear, and the risk exists of
incurring costly or irreparable damage. In most cases, the
best, and least costly, preservation approach is to design
and construct a protective system that enables stairs and
floors to be used yet protects them from damage. Other
architectural features such as mantels, doors, wainscoting,
and decorative finishes may be protected by using heavy
canvas or plastic sheets.
Summary
In many cases, the
interior of a historic building is as important as its
exterior. The careful identification and evaluation of
interior architectural elements, after undertaking research
on the building's history and use, is critically important
before changes to the building are contemplated. Only after
this evaluation should new uses be decided and plans be drawn
up. The best rehabilitation is one that preserves and
protects those rooms, sequences of spaces, features and
finishes that define and shape the overall historic character
of the building.
This Preservation Brief
is based on a discussion paper prepared by the author for a
National Park Service regional workshop held in March, 1987,
and on a paper written by Gary Hume, "Interior Spaces in
Historic Buildings," October, 1987. Appreciation is extended
to the staff of Technical Preservation Services Branch and to
the staff of NPS regional offices who reviewed the manuscript
and provided many useful suggestions. Special thanks are
given to Neal A. Vogel, a summer intern with the NPS, for
many of the illustrations in this Brief.
This publication has been
prepared pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act
of 1966, as amended. Preservation Briefs 18 was developed
under the editorship of Lee H. Nelson, FAIA, Chief,
Preservation Assistance Division, National Park Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, D.C.
200137127. Comments on the usefulness of this information are
welcomed and may be sent to Mr. Nelson at the above address.
This publication is not copyrighted and can be reproduced
without penalty. Normal procedures for credit to the author
and the National Park Service are appreciated.
Selected Reading List
There are few books
written exclusively on preserving historic interiors, and
most of these tend to focus on residential interiors.
Articles on the subject appear regularly in The Old-House
Journal, the Bulletin of the Association for Preservation
Technology, and Historic Preservation Magazine.
Ferro, Maximilian L., and
Melissa L. Cook. Electric Wiring and Lighting in Historic
American Buildings. New Bedford, Massachusetts: AFC/A Nortek
Company, 1984.
Fisher, Charles E.
Temporary Protection of Historic Stairways During
Rehabilitation Work. Preservation Tech Note. Washington,
D.C.: Preservation Assistance Division, National Park
Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1985.
Jennings, Jan, and
Herbert Gottfried. American Vernacular Interior Architecture
18701940. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company,
1988.
Johnson, Ed. Old House
Woodwork Restoration: How to Restore Doors, Windows, Walls,
Stairs and Decorative Trim to Their Original Beauty.
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
1983.
Labine, Clem, and Carolyn
Flaherty (editors). The Old-House Journal Compendium.
Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 1980.
The Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for
Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. Washington, D.C.:
Preservation Assistance Division, National Park Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior, rev. 1983.
U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development. Rehabilitation Guidelines,
volumes 111. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, 198084.
Winkler, Gail Caskey, and
Roger W. Moss. Victorian Interior Decoration: American
Interiors 18301900. New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1986.
Washington, D.C. October,
1988
Last Modified:
January 30, 1998
|
