Technical Preservation Resources

The tools and guidance in this section, developed by various agencies and industry experts, are meant for the purpose of supporting the rehabilitation and historic preservation of historic buildings and sites. These resources will assist property owners to develop their Certificate of Appropriateness applications, nominate a property, and understand the basic tenants of historic preservation principles.
 

Preservation Briefs

Preservation briefs were developed by the National Park Service to “help historic building owners recognize and resolve common problems prior to work.” They are practical, technical guidance for how to preserve, rehabilitate and restore historic buildings. They outline the sensitivities required when treating and working with historic materials. The briefs recommend methods and approaches that are consistent with a building’s historic character and are especially useful to applicants who want to utilize the Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program

There are 50 Preservation Briefs, all available as PDF files. They are organized alphabetically by topic below and are grouped for external, internal and other modifications. 

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CategorySub-CategoryBrief No.Title

ADA ComplianceADA ComplianceBrief 32Making Historic Properties Accessible

AdditionsExterior AdditionsBrief 14Exterior Additions to Historic Buildings: Preservation Concerns

AwningsAwningsBrief 44The Use of Awnings on Historic Buildings: Repair, Replacement and New Design

Cast IronCast IronBrief 27The Maintenance and Repair of Architectural Cast Iron

Cast StoneCast StoneBrief 42The Maintenance, Repair, and Replacement of Historic Cast Stone

ConcreteConcreteBrief 15Preservation of Historic Concrete 

Exterior LightingExterior LightingBrief 50Lightning Protection for Historic Structures 

Masonry 
 
Cleaning & Water Repellent Treatments
 
Brief 1
 
Assessing Cleaning and Water-Repellent Treatments for Historic Masonry Buildings
 
 Cleaning Historic Buildings
 
Brief 6
 
Dangers of Abrasive Cleaning to Historic Buildings 
 
 Repointing Mortar Joints
 
Brief 2
 
Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings 
 
 Adobe Buildings
 
Brief 5
 
The Preservation of Historic Adobe Buildings
 
 Glazed Terra-Cotta
 
Brief 7
 
The Preservation of Historic Glazed Architectural Terra-Cotta
 
 Stucco
 
Brief 22
 
The Preservation and Repair of Historic Stucco
 
 Removing Graffiti
 
Brief 38
 
Removing Graffiti from Historic Masonry
 

MothballingMothballingBrief 31Mothballing Historic Buildings

Ornamental PlasterOrnamental PlasterBrief 23Preserving Historic Ornamental Plaster 

PaintExterior PaintBrief 10Exterior Paint Problems on Historic Woodwork

Preserving Character (Exterior)Exterior CharacterBrief 17Architectural Character—Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character 

Roofs
 
Roofing
 
Brief 4
 
Roofing for Historic Buildings
 
 Wooden Shingle Roofs
 
Brief 19
 
The Repair and Replacement of Historic Wooden Shingle Roofs 
 
 Slate Roofs
 
Brief 29
 
The Repair, Replacement, and Maintenance of Slate Roofs 
 
 Clay Tile Roofs
 
Brief 30
 
The Preservation and Repair of Historic Clay Tile Roofs
 

Stained And Leaded GlassStained and Leaded GlassBrief 33The Preservation and Repair of Stained and Leaded Glass

Substitute MaterialsSubstitute MaterialsBrief 16The Use of Substitute Materials on Historic Building Exteriors 

Windows
 
Repair Wooden Windows
 
Brief 9
 
The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows
 
 Pigmented Structural Glass
 
Brief 12
 
The Preservation of Historic Pigmented Structural Glass (Vitrolite and Carrara Glass)
 
 Steel Windows
 
Brief 13
 
The Repair and Thermal Upgrading of Historic Steel Windows
 

Wooden PorchesWooden PorchesBrief 45Preserving Historic Wooden Porches

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CategorySub-CategoryBrief No.Title

Ceramic Tile FloorsCeramic Tile FloorsBrief 40Preserving Historic Ceramic Tile Floors

HVACHeating, Ventilating and CoolingBrief 24Heating, Ventilating, and Cooling Historic Buildings: Problems and Recommended Approaches

Interior DecorationInterior DecorationBrief 34Applied Decoration for Historic Interiors: Preserving Historic Composition Ornament

Metal Ceilings and WallsMetal Ceilings and WallsBrief 49Historic Decorative Metal Ceilings and Walls: Use, Repair, and Replacement

Moisture ControlMoisture ControlBrief 39Holding the Line: Controlling Unwanted Moisture in Historic Buildings

Painting (Interior)Interior PaintBrief 28Painting Historic Interiors

Preserving Character (Interior)Interior CharacterBrief 18Rehabilitating Interiors in Historic Buildings—Identifying Character-Defining Elements

Plaster Walls and CeilingsPlaster Walls and CeilingsBrief 21Repairing Historic Flat Plaster—Walls and Ceilings

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CategorySub-CategoryBrief No.Title

Ceramic Tile FloorsCeramic Tile FloorsBrief 40Preserving Historic Ceramic Tile Floors

HVACHeating, Ventilating and CoolingBrief 24Heating, Ventilating, and Cooling Historic Buildings: Problems and Recommended Approaches

Interior DecorationInterior DecorationBrief 34Applied Decoration for Historic Interiors: Preserving Historic Composition Ornament

Metal Ceilings and WallsMetal Ceilings and WallsBrief 49Historic Decorative Metal Ceilings and Walls: Use, Repair, and Replacement

Moisture ControlMoisture ControlBrief 39Holding the Line: Controlling Unwanted Moisture in Historic Buildings

Painting (Interior)Interior PaintBrief 28Painting Historic Interiors

Preserving Character (Interior)Interior CharacterBrief 18Rehabilitating Interiors in Historic Buildings—Identifying Character-Defining Elements

Plaster Walls and CeilingsPlaster Walls and CeilingsBrief 21Repairing Historic Flat Plaster—Walls and Ceilings

Preservation Technical Notes

These documents are historic preservation case studies that provide practical information on traditional practices and innovative techniques. They also explore exterior and interior rehabilitation activities. Topics include:

Secretary of the Interior’s Standards

Under the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, the Secretary of the Interior was charged with establishing professional standards for the treatment of historic properties.  These standards provide guidance to building owners, architects, contractors, consultants, and other professionals who work on historic properties. Following these standards is a requirement for projects that receive any federal funding, but they are also used as guidance for work on any property that is listed on a historic register. 

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The Standards cover four types of projects – preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction. 

  • Preservation – applies measures to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property.
  • Rehabilitation – uses repairs, alterations and/or additions to create a use for the property that is compatible with preserving the features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural value. 
  • Restoration- accurately depicts the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by removing features from other periods and reconstructing missing features from the period of historic significance.
  • Reconstruction- replicates, through new construction on the original, historic location, the form, features and details of non-surviving landscaping, buildings and/or structures as they appeared at a specific period of time. 

Each of these project types has a separate set of standards and guidelines that address both exterior and interior work on historic buildings. In Clark County, the criteria used by the Historic Preservation Commission in their design reviews for a Certificate of Appropriateness, are the ten standards outlined in the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

  1. A property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal changes to its distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships.
  2. The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces, and spatial relationships that characterize a property will be avoided.
  3. Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or elements from other historic properties, will not be undertaken.
  4.  Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved. 
  5. Distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved.
  6. Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will match the old in design, color, texture, and where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features will be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence. 
  7. Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, will be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. Treatments that cause damage to historic materials will not be used. 
  8. Archeological resources will be protected and preserved in place.  If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures will be undertaken. 
  9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment. 
  10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. 

The retention and preservation of distinguishing historic characteristics and materials is the primary goal for the treatment of historic properties. Additional information about the Secretary of the Interior's Standards is available on this webpage.

Sustainability through Preservation

Historic preservation makes significant contributions to sustainability efforts across the country. It is well documented that the “greenest” building is one that’s already built. Find out more here.
 

Lending Library

The Historic Preservation Commission has curated a lending library with the purpose of providing resources to property owners with heritage listings, future applicants, and the general public interested in historic preservation. View the list of lending library books and how to access them here
 

Other Technical Preservation Resources

  • Certificate of Appropriateness - Properties on the Clark County Heritage Register may require a Certificate of Appropriateness before work can be done to the property that affects its historic features or requires a building permit. Find out more here.
  • Nominate a Property - Historic sites can be nominated for listing on various registers. 
    Find out more here.