According to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, historic preservation is “the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property.” The following resources were compiled from organizations throughout the nonprofit and museum sector. AAM reviewed and approved each one based on the organization’s authority and expertise and the resource’s usefulness related to the topic. Clicking the links below will take you off the AAM website.
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
The National Park Service (NPS) shares the text of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), as amended, which provides a broad base of protection for cultural resources.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Park Service (NPS) has information about the National Register of Historic Places’s criteria and results of listing in the Register; it also offers links to state, tribal, and federal preservation offices
The National Park Service (NPS) Painting Historic Interiors Preservation Brief reviews types of paints that have been used historically and offers advice on paint investigation, choosing a treatment, and applying interior paints.
Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes
The National Park Service (NPS) offers a Preservation Brief on planning, treatment, and management of historic landscapes. It provides an overview of the steps in preservation planning, the types of reports typically generated as part of planning, and options for treatments for cultural landscapes.
Process of Architectural Investigation
The National Park Service (NPS) offers a Preservation Brief that outlines the sequence of planning, investigation, and analysis prior to beginning work on a historic structure.
What Historic Sites Have Learned After 25 Years with ADA
The Engaging Places blog shares several examples of settlement agreements with museums and historic sites that did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.