The essential ingredients for replacing and maintaining a historic
roof are:
Understanding the historic character of the building and being
sympathetic to it.
Careful examination and recording of the existing roof and any
evidence of earlier roofs.
Consideration of the historic craftsmanship and detailing and
implementing them in the renewal wherever visible.
Supervision of the roofers or maintenance personnel to assure
preservation of historic fabric and proper understanding of the
scope and detailing of the project.
Consideration of alternative materials where the original cannot
be used.
Cyclical maintenance program to assure that the staff understands
how to take care of the roof and of the particular trouble spots
to safeguard.
With these points in mind, it will be possible to preserve the
architectural character and maintain the physical integrity of
the roofing on a historic building.
Boaz, Joseph N., ed. Architectural Graphic Standards. New York:
John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1970. (Modern roofing types and detailing)
Briggs, Martin S. A Short History of the Building Crafts. London:
Oxford University Press, 1925. (Descriptions of historic roofing
materials)
Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology. Vol.
2 (nos. 12) 1970. (Entirely on roofing)
Holstrom, Ingmar; and Sandstrom, Christina. Maintenance of Old
Buildings: Preservation from the Technical and Antiquarian Standpoint.
Stockholm: National Swedish Building Research, 1972. (Contains
a section on roof maintenance problems)
Insall, Donald. The Care of Old Buildings Today. London: The Architectural
Press, 1972. (Excellent guide to some problems and solutions for
historic roofs)
Labine, R. A. Clem. " Repairing Slate Roofs." The Old
House Journal 3 (no. 12, Dec. 1975): 67.
Lefer, Henry. "A Birdseye View." Progressive Architecture.
(Mar. 1977), pp. 8892. (Article on contemporary sheet metal)
National Slate Association. Slate Roofs. Reprint of 1926 edition,
now available from the Vermont Structural Slate Co., Inc., Fairhaven,
VT 05743. (An excellent reference for the many designs and details
of slate roofs)
Peterson, Charles E. "Iron in Early American Roofs."
The Smithsonian Journal of History 3 (no. 3). Edited by Peter
C. Welsh. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1968, pp.
4176.
Waite, Diana S. Nineteenth Century Tin Roofing and its Use at
Hyde Hall. Albany: New York State Historic Trust, 1971.
___________. "Roofing for Early America." Building Early
America. Edited by Charles E. Peterson. Radnor, Penn.: Chilton
Book Co., 1976.
"Roofing" an Historic Preservation Brief
