Preservation Terms

In the preservation world there are three terms that describe the types of maintenance performed on an old building: preservation, restoration and rehabilitation.  Preservation refers to a structure in its current condition; modern features are not added and historical changes are not removed.  Restoration is the process of returning a structure to a specific period of time. Removing features added after that chosen period and reconstructing missing features that existed during that period.  Rehabilitation is the process of restoring and retaining original historic features, while updating an old building to modern day standards.  For more info on this topic see Megan Lord’s column in Feb, 2010 issue of The Minute Magazine, http://issuu.com/theminutemagazine.