Preservation Resource Center
Let us answer your preservation questions.
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Chattanooga has four Local Historic Districts: St. Elmo, Fort Wood, Ferger Place, and Battery Place. These neighborhoods are regulated by the Chattanooga Historic Zoning Commission (CHZC) and staff. Visit the CHZC website to view neighborhood maps, design guidelines, and meeting information. It’s important to confirm whether your property is located within a local historic district before making any changes to the exterior of a structure.
Local historic districts are designed to ensure that growth, development and change take place in ways what respect the important architectural, historical and environmental characteristics within a designated area. This happens through a process called design review, whereby the CHZC approves major changes and issues Certificates of Appropriateness which allow the proposed changes to take place.
Hamilton County GIS includes maps for local and national districts. Access the map HERE. Click on Layers (lower left) and then on the Municipal layer to find the historic maps.
Check out this video on local historic districts on ChattaMatters.
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Local historic districts are designed to protect neighborhoods whereas National Register Districts are more about identifying historically significant areas.
A National Register historic district is a designated area that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, our country’s official list of historic places worthy of preservation. These districts can include individual buildings, sites, and/or objects. Boundaries of National Register districts are tightly drawn to encompass only concentrated areas of historic properties. National Register listing also provides a limited degree of protection from the effects of federally funded activities. The National Register is maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Chattanooga is home to several National Register Districts. These include the local districts of Ferger Place, Fort Wood, and St. Elmo as well as Glenwood, M.L. King Boulevard, Market and Main Streets, Market Street Warehouses, Missionary Ridge, Signal Mountain, Stringer Ridge, and Stone Fort Land Company. Keep in mind that a National Register District may not include an entire neighborhood or place such as Signal Mountain. Details of a district’s boundaries are available within the Chattanooga district listings online.
Within a National Register District, some properties will be noted as “contributing structures” while others may be noted as “non-contributing structures”. Non-contributing structures do not meet the criteria for historic determination but may be located within the boundaries of the district. For example, a district may have 25 homes built between 1880 and 1920 that are historically significant, but one lot may have a home built in 1985 that is not. This is important to know, especially if the property is commercial. Contributing commercial properties may be eligible for federal tax credits as incentives for rehabilitation.
Hamilton County GIS includes maps for local and national districts. Access the map HERE. Click on Layers (lower left) and then on the Municipal layer to find the historic maps.
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The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources. Learn more about this process here.
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The rehabilitation of “certified historic” income-producing buildings may qualify for a 20% federal tax credit. The credit can often help fill a “gap” in developing a successful pro forma. Some important items to note:
1) The amount of credit available under this program equals 20% of the qualifying expenses of the rehabilitation.
2) The tax credit is only available to properties that will be used for a business or other income–producing purpose, and a "substantial" amount must be spent rehabilitating the historic building.
3) The building needs to be certified as a historic structure by the National Park Service.
4) Rehabilitation work has to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, as determined by the National Park Service.
Preserve Chattanooga can assist with this process by connecting developers with qualified tax credit consultants.
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Opportunity Zones are a relatively new community development tool established by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This new tool is designed to drive long-term capital to low-income communities. The new law provides a federal tax incentive for investors to re-invest their capital gains into Opportunity Funds, which are specialized vehicles dedicated to investing in designated low-income areas.
There are 176 census tracts in Tennessee that are qualified opportunity zones. These low-income tracts were nominated by Tennessee and certified by the Secretary of the Treasury.
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The Standards offer four distinct approaches to the treatment of historic properties—preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction—with accompanying Guidelines for each. One set of standards will apply to a property undergoing treatment, depending upon the property's significance, existing physical condition, the extent of documentation available and interpretive goals, when applicable.
The Standards are a series of concepts about maintaining, repairing, and replacing historic materials, as well as designing new additions or making alterations. The Guidelines offer general design and technical recommendations to assist in applying the Standards to a specific property. Together, they provide a framework and guidance for decision-making about work or changes to a historic property.
The Standards and Guidelines can be applied to historic properties of all types, materials, construction, sizes, and use. They include both the exterior and the interior and extend to a property’s landscape features, site, environment, as well as related new construction.
Federal agencies use the Standards and Guidelines in carrying out their historic preservation responsibilities. State and local officials use them in reviewing both Federal and nonfederal rehabilitation proposals. Historic district and planning commissions across the country use the Standards and Guidelines to guide their design review processes.
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Preservation Briefs provide information on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic buildings. These publications help historic building owners recognize and resolve common problems prior to work. The briefs are especially useful to Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program applicants because they recommend methods and approaches for rehabilitating historic buildings that are consistent with their historic character.
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A preservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that protects a significant historic, archaeological, or cultural resource. Such easements provide assurance that a historic property’s most important features will be preserved, even with changes in ownership. In addition, certain tax benefits may result for certified historic properties.
Preserve Chattanooga currently holds several easements on historic properties and is prepared to assist with this process. Additional information on easements may be found in this National Park Service publication.
Please note that easements are legal tools defined by Tennessee state law. The advice and assistance of a knowledgeable attorney, tax adviser, appraiser, and/or other professionals should be sought prior to using this tool. For tax benefits associated with such easements, please refer to IRS guidelines.
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In April 2021, the Tennessee General Assembly developed the Historic Development Grant Program (HDGP) and allocated $4.8 million to renovate and preserve the State’s historic buildings. The legislators recognized that historic buildings and their preservation expand the state’s economy, create new employment opportunities, revitalize and renew communities, create an environment for investment, and promote tourism and rural economic development.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development will begin accepting the letter of intent for the HDGP on May 9, 2022. The application will be available June 30, 2022.
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These grants are matching grants and will reimburse up to 60% of the costs of approved project work. The remaining 40% must be provided by the grantee as matching funds.
The selection process emphasizes projects such as architectural and archaeological surveys, design guidelines for historic districts, and restoration of historic buildings that are listed in the National Register and have a public use. Priorities for grants will be based on the State Historic Preservation Plan.
Restoration of historic buildings must follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. In order to be eligible for a restoration grant, the property must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to the restoration of buildings, predevelopment work necessary to undertake rehabilitation is an acceptable grant.
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The CARE Tool allows users to compare the total carbon impacts of renovating an existing building vs. replacing it with a new one.
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If you live in a house that’s more than a few decades old, it’s natural to wonder about its history. Who built it, and when? Who lived there before you moved in? You might even wonder about the evolution of the home’s structure, as well as any changes made to it over time.
A Guide to Researching the History of a House by HomeAdvisor will help you get started.
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If you are fortunate to have a property with its original historic windows, please do everything in your power to preserve them. Not only are they important to the architecture of the building, but they also offer many benefits. Here’s our “Top 5”:
1) High-Quality Materials
Older wood windows from before 1940 are likely made from old-growth trees. This type of wood is easy to paint or stain and is naturally resistant to insects and rot. Plus, the wood is likely to have been sourced locally. That means that your windows are better adapted to your local weather patterns.
2) Historic Windows Are Greener
When you invest in window repair instead of replacement, you are helping the environment. Repairs mean you avoid sending your current windows to the landfill. You also save the energy and resources used to make new windows.
3) Preserves Character
Historic structures often have custom windows. The window openings might be in shapes and sizes that are no longer standard. That means replacing the window will involve changing the size or shape of your opening. Even doing that doesn’t guarantee a perfect fit. You might have gaps around the windows that let in the draft. Or you might get less light and trim that doesn’t match the opening.
4) Energy Efficient
Windows lose 10-15% of the treated air from inside the house. This is true for new construction windows as well as antique ones. Yet, there are many things you can do to make your historic windows as energy-efficient (or more) than a replacement window. Weatherizing and adding storms will increase the energy efficiency of historic windows.
5) Historic Windows Are Simple
One of the biggest benefits of keeping your historic windows is their inherent simplicity. These are made up of three things: wood, glass, and putty. You know that glass never wears out. Also, by being made from old-growth wood that resists decay and damage, these windows can last indefinitely. Modern windows such as double-paned glass are different. They have a finite lifespan. Usually, they last between 10 and 20 years. At the end of their lifespan, the seal on these windows fail. Soon the windows start to fog and become less effective.
Here is an interesting video overview from Hagerstown.
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According this article from vtdigger, “spray foam is especially risky for homes built prior to the 1950s, and for low-income homeowners who cannot afford architects, contractors or energy auditors with building science training.” If you are wondering about foam insulation in older homes, start your research here.
Another point comes from The Craftsman Blog - “From a historic preservation perspective, reversibility is imperative. If you irreversibly change a historic building then are you really preserving it? This is readily apparent concerning the exterior appearance of historic properties, but the same applies to other pieces like structure, water management, and air management.” Read more here.
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Historic homes are beautiful and a joy to live in but finding the items you need to repair and replace items can be hard. Here are a few tips for getting started:
Check out antique stores and salvage shops. They often accumulate old lights, locksets, doorknobs, hinges, and more. Places like The Refindery in Chattanooga, Architectural Antics in Knoxville, Preservation Station in Nashville, or Architectural Accents in Atlanta may be able to help you find that elusive piece of hardware. There are also online sources like The Old House Parts Company.
Sometimes it’s necessary to buy brand new, but there are still places that are manufacturing old house worthy replacements, such as House of Antique Hardware.
Several online sites provide directories of suppliers and manufacturers. These include OldHouses.com and Traditional Building.
Be sure to ask your friends and neighbors who also own historic homes for their thoughts as well as connections to local service providers and craftsmen. Finding the things, you need for an older home can take a little more detective work, but it’s worth the effort.
The sources above are provided as a courtesy and is not to be intended to be an endorsement by our organization.
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Building a new home in a historic neighborhood is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about traditional design. Your decisions about building scale and style can either have a positive or negative impact on the surrounding homes. The Chattanooga Design Studio has created a website, My Chatt House, that provides guidance to homeowners located in the neighborhoods near downtown. If you are interested in fixing up an existing home, building a new one, or landscaping your yard, be sure to check it out.
We also recommend Marianne Cusato’s book Get Your House Right. Marianne is a champion of traditional architectural principles and her book addresses aesthetics of form, appropriateness to a neighborhood, and sustainability. She presents the definitive guide to what makes houses look and feel right, revealing the dos and don'ts of livable home design.
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
When important buildings are abandoned and deteriorating, local citizens are generally the catalysts for preserving them. They share a collective vision of what these buildings could be again, and the passion and perseverance to make it happen.
Preserve Chattanooga is on the front lines but cannot do it all. We need an army of preservationists seeking to improve their neighborhoods one building at a time. Here are 7 grassroots steps for saving a building:
1) The first task is to determine who owns the property and then explore available options.
2) Identify immediate threats to the building and secure it.
3) Research its history and seek a historic designation for the building, such as the National Register of Historic Places.
4) Assuming the building is vacant, determining a viable new use for it will help to secure local financial support, and ensure its long-term usefulness for the community.
5) Conduct a building assessment. An assessment contains a description of the structure’s design and building materials, its current conditions, and details of its deficiencies. It may also provide recommendations for repairs and rehabilitation efforts.
6) Seek support from local preservation organizations, historical societies, and government leaders.
7) Build community awareness and support.
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Condition assessments are a holistic approach to understanding how buildings were constructed, used, and maintained, and the various mechanisms that affect their structural and material condition. Whether done for research purposes or as a precursor to restoration work, all condition assessments have two primary objectives: to identify materials and features and evaluate their condition.
The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training provides these Tips for Historic Building Owners. Be sure to read the National Park Service Preservation Brief No. 34, Understanding Old for Process of Architectural Investigation. Consider using a template similar to this one.
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Preserving African American Historic Places: Suggestions and Sources is now available on MTSU’s CHP website. The guide directs readers to a myriad of resources useful for the preservation and interpretation of historic places. It also features in-depth essays that provide context for these places, with sections on cemeteries, churches, schools, businesses, lodges, farms, houses, and neighborhoods. With links to numerous digital resources, Preserving African American Historic Places covers such topics as heritage tourism, collections care, fundraising, and museum management.
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The National Park Service (NPS) Tribal Preservation Program assists Indian tribes in preserving their historic properties and cultural traditions through the designation of Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO) and through annual grant funding programs.
Get to know local resources: Spring Frog’s cabin at Audubon Acres; John Ross House in Rossville; John Brown Tavern.
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Read this article on How to Preserve Historic Cemeteries and Burial Grounds from the National Trust. National Register Bulletin No. 41 provides guidelines for evaluating and registering cemeteries and burial places. Have legal questions? Here is a quick guide to Tennessee state laws regarding cemeteries. The Historic Cemeteries Preservation Guide from Michigan includes information on cleaning and repairs. If you encounter human remains while building or digging – STOP! Do not remove any bones or objects near the bones. Notify the Tennessee Division of Archaeology immediately for guidance.
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A distinct set of challenges await communities and individual building owners responding to natural disasters, but those affected are not alone or without resources. For cities, organizations, and homeowners preservation-integrated disaster plans are indispensable for the survival of these resources and the larger community.
Resources for flood damage, fire recovery and more along with preparedness stories are available HERE.
Findings from the study above (“Saving Windows, Saving Money”) demonstrate that upgrading windows (specifically older, single-pane models) with high performance enhancements can result in substantial energy savings across a variety of climate zones. Selecting options that retain and retrofit existing windows are the most cost effective way to achieve these energy savings and to lower a home’s carbon footprint. For many older homes, non-window-related interventions—including air sealing, adding insulation, and upgrading heating and cooling systems—offer easier and lower cost solutions to reducing energy bills.
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The TRUTH About Old Windows
Do your research before throwing something beautiful and irreplaceable in the trash.
If you are fortunate to have a property with its original historic windows, please do everything in your power to preserve them. Not only are they important to the architecture of the building, but they also offer many benefits.
A lot of commercial window companies will convince homeowners that they need to replace their old windows with new ones, usually ones made from vinyl. Simply put, a historic building can be ruined by poor window replacements and the homeowner has lost the opportunity to own a well-made unit (from hardwoods no longer available) and the ability to make repairs themselves.
Nine Reasons to Keep Your Old Windows
Are Historic Windows Energy Efficient?
Need additional assistance?
If you are needing preservation assistance that has not been covered in our Resource Center, please send us a message and we will do our best to help you find the answers you need.