Prince Edward County Heritage Advisory Committee (PEHAC)
Prince Edward Heritage Advisory Committee

Guiding Principles in the Conservation
of Historic Properties


County Heritage,
Role of PEHAC


A Photo Tour of PEC
Heritage: A National
Cultural Landscape?


Prince Edward County
Historic Notes


List of Designated
Properties in PEC


Advantages of
Heritage Designation


Criteria


Guiding Principles in
the Conservation of
Historic Properties


PEHAC Membership


Contact Us


Links to Related Sites

 

      
The following principles are generally accepted world wide as appropriate for historic properties.
  1. Respect for Documentary Evidence: restoration should be based on research, not speculation. Photographs, drawings and physical evidence are preferred information sources.
  2. Respect for Original Location: moving a building should always be a last resort for protecting a structure. A change in site diminishes significantly the historic value of a building.
  3. Respect for Historic Material: repair and conservation is the best route, with replacement of materials limited to when it is absolutely necessary.
  4. Respect for Original Fabric: repairs should be done with like materials. To use different material than the original alters the integrity of the historic property.
  5. Respect for the Building’s History: restoring to one period at the expense of another changes the integrity of the evolution of the historic structure. Later additions that might be destroyed to restore a building to a particular time period in fact destroy the evidence of the historic evolution.
  6. Reversibility: If alterations are made in a manner that means the original design and technique is respected, it can be returned to its original condition at a later date. Original material might be removed, numbered and protected for later restoration, or covered in situ, so that the changes made are reversible.
  7. Legibility: new work should not be made to appear exactly as the old. It is important to be able to distinguish new material and work from the original, and these distinctions should not be blurred.
  8. Maintenance: regular care can postpone the need for restoration indefinitely. Regular upkeep helps avoid the need for major restoration work, and thus reduces the associated high costs.

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