Historic Restoration

Preservation in Progress: Historic Porch Restoration at the Harris-Cameron Mansion in Harrisburg, PA

History of the Harris-Cameron Mansion in Harrisburg, PA   In the early 1700′s, Harrisburg’s founder John Harris Sr. immigrated to the area from Yorkshire, England after receiving a land grant.  When he first arrived, Harris Sr. built a homestead on the bank of the Susquehanna River and established a trading post, and then a successful ferry business …

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PA Architecture Spanish Colonial Revival Style

This article is a part of a series from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s excellent field guide on the architectural styles found in Pennsylvania.  In it, they’ve assigned key periods of development – from the Colonial period in the 18th Century to the Modern Movements of the 29th Century.  This article focuses on an overview of the …

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Historic Porches Their Evolution, History, and Significance

[social_share/] From the National Park Service’s Preservation Brief #45: Preserving Historic Wood Porches: In colonial America, buildings in the northern colonies tended to echo British precedents with small gable-roofed extensions to protect main entrances. Whether open or enclosed, these extensions were called porches (from Medieval English and the French word porche, which stems from the Latin, porticus). Also known as …

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How Complete Restorations Happen: A Case Study of the Mylin House

The Mylin House project was a complete interior restoration project that we had been very much looking forward to doing.  The Willow Valley Retirement Community hired Historic Restorations to restore the first floor of both the original farmhouse and the addition to use as a community center in keeping with their preservation of the original …

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Preserving Pennsylania: A Journey Through the Last 20 Years, Part 8

Preservation Pennsylvania has released their “Pennsylvania At-Risk: Twenty-Year Retrospective of Pennsylvania’s Endangered Historic Properties, Where Are They Now” edition. It’s a fascinating look at preservation in action and we’ll be posting a look at each property in a series of posts over the next several months. INTRODUCTION Preservation Pennsylvania established the annual Pennsylvania At Risk list in …

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How to Hire a Contractor for Your Historic Building

  Picking a contractor with adequate skills and experience to complete a job is always important, but it is particularly important for restorations and renovations of a historical building.  To avoid permanently damaging the historical fabric of your building, you need a contractor who is well-versed in historical products and materials, can identify and replicate the traditional trade …

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Put Plastic Windows to Shame

  Even if you decide I’m too long-winded, or that I’m preaching to the choir, to read this entire post – MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM to get your free copy of a report on how to make wood windows last for generations we recently wrote.   Why Save Historic Wood Windows? Did you …

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Preserving Pennsylania: A Journey Through the Last 20 Years, Part 5

Preservation Pennsylvania has released their “Pennsylvania At-Risk: Twenty-Year Retrospective of Pennsylvania’s Endangered Historic Properties, Where Are They Now” edition. It’s a fascinating look at preservation in action and we’ll be posting a look at each property in a series of posts over the next several months. INTRODUCTION Preservation Pennsylvania established the annual Pennsylvania At Risk list …

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The Battle of Gettysburg Through a 13-Year-Old's Eyes

150 years ago, the young America was on the tail end of decades of political strife that would result in the utter turmoil of a Civil War.  In honor of this Sesquicentennial (the term for a 150 year anniversary for those who would have to look it up like I did), we’ll post articles throughout …

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Preserving Pennsylvania: A Journey Through the Last 20 Years, Part 3

Preservation Pennsylvania has released their “Pennsylvania At-Risk: Twenty-Year Retrospective of Pennsylvania’s Endangered Historic Properties, Where Are They Now” edition. It’s a fascinating look at preservation in action and we’ll be posting a look at each property in a series of posts over the next several months. INTRODUCTION Preservation Pennsylvania established the annual Pennsylvania At Risk …

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