Historic Preservation

At the heart of every community and organization’s preservation efforts is an important goal—preserving authentic, distinct places that are not only valuable reminders of our cultural heritage but also valuable assets of our future. At CRA, we take pride in helping others achieve this goal and firmly believe that preservation is a powerful tool that promotes vibrant, culturally rich communities and enhances quality of life.

 

CRA’s dedicated professionals routinely assist local communities, non-profit organizations, state and federal agencies, and others working to preserve and manage irreplaceable historic properties. Through our work, we’ve acquired nationwide experience in crafting preservation planning tools that serve as catalysts for retaining, promoting, and leveraging historic places as heritage assets that promote community pride, cultural identity, and heritage tourism. CRA’s professionals also have cultivated particular expertise in working alongside architects, engineers, and planners on building programs directed at heritage assets. This expertise is founded in our understanding of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and our commitment to helping clients navigate the challenge of rehabilitating and adaptively reusing historic properties in ways that respect their architectural character and integrity.

 

Whether working closely with a local community to craft a tailored set of design guidelines or assisting a non-profit or agency with preservation strategies for a historic site, CRA places a priority on collaborating with the on-the-ground local experts who are integral to short- and long-term management of a property. Our ongoing commitment to support those dedicated to preservation of our cultural heritage is at the heart of our approach, which is focused on developing practical, approachable, and creative strategies rooted in the identification and protection of significant features that help convey the history and importance of a property.

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Historic Preservation Services

Our preservation specialists value the opportunity to help our clients recognize, plan for, and appropriately manage the heritage assets that define our communities through a variety of services.

  • Building Documentation and Walkthroughs
  • Historic Preservation Plans
  • Historic Structure Reports
  • Historic Tax Credit Applications
  • Historic Paint Analysis
  • Development Plan Review
  • Cultural Resource Management Plans
  • Battlefield Plans
  • Cemetery Preservation Plans
  • Cultural Landscape Reports
  • Heritage Area Planning
  • Historic District Design Guidelines

Preservation Planning

Whether assisting a community with design guidelines or helping prepare a planning document for a state historic site, CRA places a priority on thoughtful analysis of existing conditions and project goals to help clients achieve practical solutions for our heritage assets. Most importantly, we recognize the importance of helping our project partners thoroughly understand recommended approaches, thus allowing them to carry forward their knowledge of historic preservation techniques into future projects.

Historic Paint Analysis

Specially trained in historic paint sample collection, CRA routinely works with architectural conservators to offer paint analysis of historic structures.  This analysis can provide the answers to difficult questions regarding the history of a building, including clues to the age of interior or exterior elements and how building features and spaces have evolved over time, and can help you make informed decisions during the rehabilitation or restoration process.

A/E Design Assistance

From review of schematic, conceptual, and design development plans to the development of planning documents intended to guide phases of the design program, CRA embraces the opportunity to collaborate with other professionals in achieving outcomes that balance appropriate treatment of significant architectural features and spaces with building programs that promote the longevity of our heritage assets as functioning elements of the landscape.

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