Preservation Guidelines
Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation
All of the working within the Central Bennington Downtown Historic District must meet a set of national preservation standards known as the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation.
Bennington's Handbook
In order to help you understand how these standards work, the Town of Bennington has produced Time & Place in Bennington: A Handbook for the Central Bennington Historic District..
This book is available free online as a pdf document,available for review at the town office and Bennington Free Library, and available for purchase at the town offices.
**You may also download individual sections that are relevant to your project.
Preservation Briefs
In addition to Time & Place in Bennington, the following Preservation Briefs issued by the National Park Service and other resources on specific preservation topics may also be useful for you:
- Windows
- Preservation Brief #9 - The repair of historic windows
- Windows should be retained whenever possible...
http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/tax/incentives/avoiding_5.htm
- Doors
- Preservation Brief #32 - Making Historic Properties Accessible
- Siding
- Preservation Brief #8 Aluminum and Vinyl Siding on Historic Buildings - The Appropriateness of Substitute Materials for Resurfacing Historic Wood Frame Buildings
- ABOUT.com Architecture
- Scale and massing and New Additions to Historic Structures
- Preservation Brief #14 New Exterior Additions to Historic Buildings
- Preserving Significant Historic Materials and Features
- Preserving the Historic Character
- Protecting the Historical Significance
- Roofs
- Preservation Brief #4 - Roofing for Historic Buildings
- Significance of the Roof
- Historic Roofing Materials in America
- Locating the Problem
- Repair or Replace
- Historical Research
- Replacing the Historic Roofing Material
- Alternative Materials
- Temporary Stabilization
- Precautions
- Maintenance
- Storefront
- Preservation Brief #11 - Rehabilitating Historic Storefronts
- Historical Overview
- Evaluating the Storefront
- Deciding a Course of Action
- Rehabilitating Metal Storefronts
- Rehabilitating Wooden Storefronts
- Rehabilitating Masonry Storefronts
- Designing Replacement Storefronts
- Other Considerations
- Site design
- Today, the Standards are the guiding principles behind sensitive preservation design and practice in America.
http://www.wbdg.org/design/index.php- A Natural Connection--Sustainable Design and Historic Preservation
- Signage
- Preservation Brief #25 - The Preservation of Historic Signs
