This question relates to a Historic site.
Question: An architect is working on the rehabilitation of small city hall building that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The existing building is two stories with wood framing, solid masonry exterior walls with red brick facades, wood double-hung windows and a gabled, high-pitched slate roof.
Which design elements should the architect suggest for a new addition on the rear of the building?
My answer was - Aluminum frame windows matching the scale and proportion of the existing windows
Correct answer - Metal stud brick veneer walls on the addition
I am confused since I thought additions to historic sites should look complementary to the existing historic building and should not match the look of historic buildings?
Hi @gjeong212 - aluminum frame windows is not the best answer to this question because the metal stud wall with brick veneer will visually look exactly like the historic portion of the building, while the aluminum windows will not. Even if the windows match the scale and proportion of the existing windows, aluminum windows tend to have larger sightlines than wood windows.
@coachchrishopstock thank you for your response - I guess I am still confused. Should historical additions visually look exactly like the exg historic building or not? I learned that historical additions should be complementary/compatible, not try to look exactly the same.
I agree with the previous commentor, in my work and experience with projects with similar conditions, often we are trying to take cues without trying to mimic exactly, and in other cases we are trying to match what is seen exactly, but it depends on the project. Will the ARE ever include this level of nuance? Or will we always assume the approach is to simply copy as close as possible, even though in practice it is never that cut and dry.
@zblizard @gjeong212 Great question! You’re right that real-world projects can involve much more nuance. For the ARE, I’d focus on the underlying preservation principle: new additions should be compatible with the historic building, but differentiated from it rather than simply copying it. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards specifically emphasize that balance.
When you encounter these types of questions, look for the answer that best preserves the historic character while allowing the new work to remain identifiable as new.
Hope this helps!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Product Coordinator
Black Spectacles