Preservation and Documentation of Historic Structures in the 21st Century
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
In 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration initiated a federal program to record structures of historic interest in the United States. Not only was the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) part of Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to create jobs; it was the first real recognition of historic preservation prior to the federal 1935 Historic Sites Act and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. HABS established national standards for documentation of historic structures including physical history of a property, its historical context, and architectural information. The most challenging aspects of documentation are the plan and elevation maps and the detailed photography required by these standards. While change is slow in coming, new technology promises more efficient ways for recording historic structures. An interdisciplinary survey team applied both old and new recording methods at a historic property in Downtown Missoula prior to deconstruction. With an upswing in demolition and development throughout the country, cultural resources are disappearing at an alarming rate and detailed documentation is quickly becoming the new preservation.
Preservation and Documentation of Historic Structures in the 21st Century
UC Ballroom, Pod #3
In 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration initiated a federal program to record structures of historic interest in the United States. Not only was the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) part of Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to create jobs; it was the first real recognition of historic preservation prior to the federal 1935 Historic Sites Act and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. HABS established national standards for documentation of historic structures including physical history of a property, its historical context, and architectural information. The most challenging aspects of documentation are the plan and elevation maps and the detailed photography required by these standards. While change is slow in coming, new technology promises more efficient ways for recording historic structures. An interdisciplinary survey team applied both old and new recording methods at a historic property in Downtown Missoula prior to deconstruction. With an upswing in demolition and development throughout the country, cultural resources are disappearing at an alarming rate and detailed documentation is quickly becoming the new preservation.