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
 Many institutional buildings possess distinctive spaces or floor plans that are important in conveying the significance of the property. This grand hall, which occupies the entire floor of the building, could not be subdivided without destroying the integrity of the space. Photo: NPS files. |
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.
 The interior of this 19th worker's house has not been properly maintained, but it may be as important historically as a richly ornamented interior. Its wide baseboards, flat window trim, and four-panel door should be carefully preserved in a rehabilitation project. Photo: NPS files. |
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.
"Rehabilitating Interiors in Historic Buildings" an Historic Preservation Brief
