Architectural History

AN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY PARTNER WHO SEES THE WHOLE PICTURE

Cultural knowledge and scientific expertise that bring your project to life.

Every historical resource has a story to tell. We also know you’re up against tight deadlines and confusing regulatory requirements. We’ll advance your project efficiently, leveraging our passion for cultural resources and innovative digital tools, along with our knowledge of compliance standards, to guide you through the process.

Chronicle Heritage specializes in historical properties evaluation, historical compliance, historical preservation, archival research, and more – because this is what we love doing. Rooting in our history allows us to focus on the future – and this isn’t just a platitude. After completing the largest architectural history survey of its kind in Montgomery, Alabama, we created an immersive online tour of the city, documenting the pivotal role it played in shaping African American civil rights.

Our architectural historians and historians all meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for Architectural History and History. No matter the industry you’re in, we can help.

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Historical Properties Evaluation

Chronicle Heritage assists our clients with a detailed historical properties evaluation of the built environment, including residential, commercial and industrial buildings, historic districts and cultural landscapes, farms and ranches, bridges, water conveyance structures, and military installations.

Evaluating historic properties for their significance extends beyond the external treatment. It requires an assessment of numerous criteria, including historical, cultural, engineering, architectural, and archaeological considerations.

Our team has completed thousands of historical properties evaluations across the United States. We have a deep understanding of the eligibility criteria established by national, state, and local entities. This includes the criteria set by the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR).

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Historical Compliance

Chronicle Heritage can help you determine whether your project will impinge on a historic property or whether the alterations you have in mind are historically compliant.

Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historical Preservation Act (NHPA) regulate the licensing of activities that might affect historic properties. We‘ll review your project, advise you on any possible project impacts, and then design mitigation strategies that meet both federal and state regulations.

We’re experts in completing historic property assessments and evaluations in compliance with a range of regulatory frameworks, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and various state and local regulations.

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Historical Preservation

We work with towns, cities, and municipalities to develop and implement preservation frameworks for historical resources that fit the community’s specific needs.

Our team at Chronicle Heritage is skilled at putting together a historical preservation plan that will act as a reference point as you preserve, rehabilitate, and reconstruct a historic property. We do this in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

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Archival Research

When it comes to developing mitigation measures for a project that affects a cultural or historical resource, Chronicle Heritage can help with the archival research that often forms part of compliance.

Archival research is detailed and laborious, and requires that one know where to look and whom to consult. We know how to solve complex problems that require both advocating for the historic integrity of resources and keeping your project moving.

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HABS/HAER/HALS Documentation

The architectural historians at Chronicle Heritage have decades of experience completing Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS) documentation.

Just the photographic requirements alone for meeting the documentation standards for historical resources are complex in their own right, demanding the most skilled practitioners.

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Mitigation and Implementation

Chronicle Heritage’s purpose is to manage and promote our cultural heritage, and so developing and implementing remedial actions for historical resources is in our wheelhouse.

We keep your project top of mind, and integrate our knowledge of regulatory requirements into our recommendations and plans.

These remedial actions can include adaptive reuse, changes to existing project plans, HABS/HAER/HALS documentation, design guidelines, website development, historic contexts, photogrammetry and 3D modeling, story maps, interpretive displays, historical publications, architectural salvage, and more.

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Historic Surveys

A survey of a historical resource gathers information that is essential to the evaluation of a property.

Chronicle Heritage has done it all, from single-building evaluations to recording thousands of historic properties. We use digital tools and our own in-house field technology systems to record the property with precision.

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Historic Tax Credits

If you’re a property owner with a historic resource, Chronicle Heritage can help you apply for historic tax credits.

The United States has a federal tax credit for historic properties, and 39 states have state-specific historic tax credit programs. The process is convoluted and lengthy, but we can guide you through the application process and help you create plans to restore and rehabilitate your historic properties. We’ll also give you guidance to ensure you stay compliant with the program’s conditions.

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Historic Contexts

At Chronicle Heritage, we can put together historic context documents that provide information for evaluating properties for their historical significance.

Our team can prepare these documents to support various efforts, including assessing individual projects, historic districts, thematic groups, National Register Multiple Property Documentation Forms, planning documents, and regulatory compliance documents.

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National, State, and Local Register Nominations

Chronicle Heritage helps with the formal process of submitting properties or sites for consideration and potential inclusion in national, state, or local registers of historic places.

These nominations aim to recognize and preserve properties of historical, architectural, or cultural significance.

We have extensive outreach experience, working alongside local governments, property owners, and State Historic Preservation Officers on your behalf to list properties on historic registers.

Cultural Resource and Heritage Management Solutions for Major Projects

Challenging projects enliven us – so bring us your project headache. We’ll partner with you all the way. And, we’ll start by bundling our services so you meet your milestones efficiently.

Mapping Montgomery and its Role in the Modern Civil Rights Movement

After completing the largest architectural history survey of its kind for the City Planning department in Montgomery, Alabama, we created an immersive online tour of the city, documenting the pivotal role it played in shaping African American civil rights.

Ask Chronicle Heritage

about the services we offer in your sector.