- Illustrated Architectural Vocabulary (Adobe PDF)
- Window Terminology in Detail (Adobe PDF)
- PHMC’s Common Architectural Terms Used to Describe Historic Buildings
Definitions and Acronyms regarding Reading and Historic Architecture
Acquisition - The act or process of acquiring fee title or interest other than fee title of real property (including acquisition of development rights or remainder interest).
BHP – Bureau for Historic Preservation is a part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The role of the bureau is to identify and protect the architectural and archaeological resources of Pennsylvania. Their responsibility is to work with individuals, communities, local governments, and state and federal agencies to educate Pennsylvanians about our heritage and its value.
BPRC - Blighted Property Review Committee
COA – Certificate of Appropriateness. See ‘Certificate of Appropriateness’
Comprehensive Historic Preservation Planning - The organization into a logical sequence of preservation information pertaining to identification, evaluation, registration and treatment of historic properties, and setting priorities for accomplishing preservation activities
CRGIS – Cultural Resource Geographic Information System. Found on the PHMC website, the CRGIS is an interactive map-based inventory using information collected from the BHP. It is a way to find information regarding historic districts and locations, as well as nationally registered sites.
HARB - Historic Architectural Review Board. See ‘What is HARB?’
Historic Context - A unit created for planning purposes that groups information about historic properties based on a shared theme, specific time period and geographical area.
Historic District – a defined area which encompasses buildings, structures, architecture, or objects that are significant in American history, heritage, or culture that may be subject to additional regulation by the city, state, or nation.
Historic Preservation Specialist - This person is specialized in the field of preservation and restoration of historic places and historical architecture. Their duty is to protect and maintain the historical integrity of the City’s physical environment within the Historic Districts as defined by the City of Reading’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. They administer federally funded programs that provide incentives for the enhancement of the physical appearance of designated areas within the City, publicize information to the public through historic research, historic tours, and local media programs, as well as provide technical support to the Reading Board of Historical Architectural Review and the City’s Rehabilitation Specialists.
Historic Property - A district, site, building, structure or object significant in American history, architecture, engineering, archeology or culture at the national, State, or local level.
Integrity - The authenticity of a property's historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property's historic or prehistoric period.
Intensive Survey - A systematic, detailed examination of an area designed to gather information about historic properties sufficient to evaluate them against predetermined criteria of significance within specific historic contexts.
Inventory - A list of historic properties determined to meet specified criteria of significance.
National Register – Managed by the Bureau for Historic Preservation, the National Register of Historic Places for Pennsylvania is a program established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The National Register is a list of Properties listed which includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. The list highlights the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation
National Register Criteria-the established criteria for evaluating the eligibility of properties for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
NPS – National Park Service. The National Park Service cares for national parks as well as help revitalize communities, preserve local history, and celebrate local heritage. See ‘Design Guidelines’ and ‘Financial Incentives’
PHMC – Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The PHMC is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The PHMC is responsible for the collection, conservation, and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. See ‘Regulated Districts’ and ‘Financial Incentives’
Preservation - The act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property. Work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. New exterior additions are not within the scope of this treatment; however, the limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a preservation project.]
Property Type - A grouping of individual properties based on a set of shared physical or associative characteristics.
Reconnaissance Survey - An examination of all or part of an area accomplished in sufficient detail to make generalizations about the types and distributions of historic properties that may be present.
Reconstruction - The act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location.]
Rehabilitation - The act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.]
Research Design - A statement of proposed identification, documentation, investigation, or other treatment of a historic property that identifies the project's goals, methods and techniques, expected results, and the relationship of the expected results to other proposed activities or treatments.
Restoration - The act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project.]
RITC – Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit. See ‘Financial Incentives’
Sample Survey - Survey of a representative sample of lands within a given area in order to generate or test predictions about the types and distributions of historic properties in the entire area.
SIS – Secretary of Interior’s Standards. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation are the primary guidelines to consider when restoring or altering a property in a Historic District. See ‘Design Guidelines’.
TPS – Technical Preservation Services, part of the National Park Service. The TPS specializes in supplying information for the preservation and maintenance of historic buildings. The TPS provides Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings as well as Preservation Briefs which are organized by individual topics. See “Design Guidelines”. |
