Historic Architecture Preservation

“In a society of consumption, that tends to view buildings as a product or commodity, the proposition of preserving older historic buildings is often an argument against the general current of the culture.”

In America, we dispose of 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, 4.3 pounds of waste in a given day (1), and 35 million cell phones in a year. In North America (2). only 1% of products are still in use 6 months after they are purchased (3). Unchecked, these patterns will lead to a 170% usage of the earth’s bio-capacity by the year 2040(4). In a society of consumption, that tends to view buildings as a product or commodity, the proposition of preserving older historic buildings is often an argument against the general current of the culture.

We view historic preservation as the most sustainable type of construction because no building will consume fewer resources than one that presently exists. In addition to the environmental benefits, historic buildings are typically more durably constructed, utilize better materials, and incorporate more intricate detail than can be achieved cost effectively within the modern construction environment. When cultural and historical significance is also factored into the equation, these structures are irreplaceable. Unlike a product, when we “dispose” of a historic structure, there is no possibility of buying an equal replacement.

We offer a full range of historic preservation services including National and State historic tax credit applications, historic structures reports, existing conditions reports, detailed preservation plans, as well as design services for rehabilitation, restoration, and reuse projects. Experience within the firm includes work on numerous historic tax credit projects, preservation work for the General Services Administration (GSA), as well as Historic American Building Survey (HABS) documentation for the Library of Congress.

1. Environmental Protection Agency
2. National Wildlife Foundation
3 .The Story Of Stuff
4. World Business Council of Sustainable Development.

Highlighted Historic Preservation Projects