Search Results for: exterior

Zoning, Planning, Historic Preservation, and Structural Racism?

A few weeks ago an article was posted to the Preservation Professionals group on Facebook. You can read the article here: https://www.rewire.org/how-discussions-of-neighborhood-character-reinforce-structural-racism/.  The article is an interesting discussion of how redevelopment can impact the the neighborhood qualities and characteristics especially in relation to affordable housing.  The example used in the article is from St. Paul, …

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Out of the Mouths of Preservationists: Common Preservation Terms Explained

THIS IS A RE-POST OF A BLOG WE ORIGINALLY POSTED SEPTEMBER 2012: *Updates have been made throughout this piece, including additional terms and new links for sources of those definitions.   PRESERVATION TERMINOLOGY: It’s one of the most common barriers between preservationists and those who do not define themselves as preservationists. It is the language …

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Bathrooms: A Necessary (Room) Discussion

BATHROOMS – or whatever you call them, as they have many names – are a necessary part of our lives, but we often take them for granted. Bathrooms did not always exist as a dedicated room, and the conglomeration of fixtures and practices that occur in these rooms today, as well as the design of …

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Keeping Your Historic Home Cool in Summer

KEEPING YOUR HISTORIC HOME COOL IN SUMMER is an essential part of living comfortably today. But, how was it done in the past, and what can we do now? We’ve outlined the history and applicable steps for you.    1880’s photo of a British home in India. Image source: Wikipedia’s entry on Punkahs   Historic Cooling …

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Planning Your Historic Building Project and Getting Through the Review, Permitting, and Approval Process

  When your historical home was originally built, the process was simple. You bought some land, hired some contractors, and raised the building that met your budget and design needs. Work on an existing building was simple: you hired someone to do the work. Today the process is a bit more complex. Work of any …

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Practical Preservation Podcast Featuring Patricia Cove of Architectural Interiors and Design

Patricia Cove, of Architectural Interiors and Design, joined the Practical Preservation podcast to discuss information about her background in interior design and her company’s specialization in renovation, restoration, and adaptive re-use. We covered a multitude of topics including: How she evolved in her career, beginning as an English teacher, and moving on to follow her …

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Preservation and Sustainability

Preservation and sustainability. What does one have to do with the other? If we examine these terms more closely, we can see that older buildings are inherently “green” or sustainable because of “embodied energy” (all of the energy used to build the building that would need to be expended to build something else). In fact, …

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Historical Interiors: The inside counts, too

How often have we heard the phrase “It’s what’s on the inside that counts?” When it comes to historical homes and buildings, I’m sure those of us who are preservation-inclined would say it’s what’s on the outside and the inside that counts. And we’ve discussed the outside before: last week we shared our piece on …

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Historical Facades: More Than Aesthetics

A façade. What is it? Most of us know that its most basic definition is “face.” In the case of architecture, this refers to the exterior side of the building, usually the front. Façades on buildings are often the first defining features we see. As times change, so do architectural design styles, and this is …

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