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Preservation Brief 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Manage... Page 8 of 11
<br />within a restoranen or A landscape with a high level of Integrity and authenticity may suggest preservation as the primary
<br />reconstruction protect.
<br />Photo: HPS files. treatment. Such a treatment may emphasize protection, stabilization, cyclical maintenance,and
<br />repair of character - defining landscape features. Changes over time that are part of the landscape's
<br />continuum and are significant in their own right may be retained, while changes that are not
<br />significant, yet do not encroach upon or erode character may also be maintained. Preservation entails the essential
<br />operations to safeguard existing resources.
<br />Rehabilitation is often selected in response to a contemporary use or need — Ideally such an
<br />approach is compatible with the landscape's historic character and historic use. Rehabilitation
<br />may preserve existing fabric along with introducing some compatible changes, new additions
<br />and alterations. Rehabilitation may be desirable at a private residence in a historic district where
<br />the homeowner's goal Is to develop an appropriate landscape treatment for a front yard, or in a
<br />public park where a support area is needed for its maintenance operations.
<br />When the most important goal Is to portray a landscape at an exact period of time, restoration is
<br />selected as the primary treatment. Unlike preservation and rehabilitation, interpreting the
<br />landscape's continuum or evolution is not the objective. Restoration may include the removal of
<br />features from other periods and /or the construction of missing or lost features and materials
<br />from the reconstruction period. In all Cases, treatment should be substantiated by the historic
<br />research findings and existing conditions documentation. Restoration and re- construction
<br />treatment work should avoid the creation of a landscape whose features did not exist
<br />historically. For example, if features from an earlier period did not co -exist with extant features
<br />from a later period that are being retained, their restoration would not be appropriate.
<br />The historic birch allee at Stan
<br />HYwet Hall, Akron, Ohio,
<br />which had suffered rrom barer
<br />Infestation and leaf miner,
<br />was preserved through a
<br />In rare cases, when evidence is sufficient to avoid conjecture, and no other roe steps that took I executed of j property ty exists that nra that took iv years ed
<br />can adequately explain a certain period of history, reconstruction may be utilized to depict a realize. Photo: child
<br />associates.
<br />vanished landscape. The accuracy of this work is critical. In cases where topography and the sub
<br />- surface of soil have not been disturbed, research and existing conditions findings may be confirmed by thorough
<br />archeological investigations. Here too, those features that are Intact should be repaired as necessary, retaining the original
<br />historic features to the greatest extent possible. The greatest danger in reconstruction is creating a false picture of history.
<br />False historicism in every treatment should be avoided. This applies to individual features as well as the entire landscape.
<br />Examples of Inappropriate work include the introduction of historic - looking benches that are actually a new design, a
<br />fanciful gazebo placed in what was once an open meadow, executing an unrealized historic design, or designing a historic -
<br />looking landscape for a relocated historic structure within "restoration."
<br />Landscape Interpretation
<br />Landscape interpretation is the process of providing the visitor with tools to experience the landscape as it existed during
<br />Its period of significance, or as it evolved to its present state. These tools may vary widely, from a focus on existing
<br />features to the addition of Interpretive elements. These could Include exhibits, self - guided brochures, or a new
<br />representation of a lost feature. The nature of the cultural landscape, especially its level of significance, Integrity, and the
<br />type of visitation anticipated may frame the interpretive approach. Landscape interpretation may be closely linked to the
<br />integrity and condition of the landscape, and therefore, its ability to convey the historic character and character- defining
<br />features of the past. If a landscape has high Integrity, the Interpretive approach may be to direct visitors to surviving
<br />historic features without introducing obtrusive interpretive devices, such as free - standing signs. For landscapes with a
<br />diminished Integrity, where limited or no fabric remains, the interpretive emphasis may be on using extant features and
<br />visual aids (e.g., markers, photographs, etc.) to help visitors visualize the resourceas it existed in the past. The primary
<br />goal in these situations is to educate the visitor about the landscape's historic themes, associations and lost character -
<br />defining features or broader historical, social and physical landscape contexts.
<br />Developing a Preservation Maintenance Plan and
<br />Implementation Strategy
<br />Throughout the preservation planning process, It is important to ensure that existing landscape features are retained.
<br />Preservation maintenance is the practice of monitoring and controlling change In the landscape to ensure that Its historic
<br />Integrity Is not altered and features are not lost. This is particularly important during the research and long -term treatment
<br />planning process. To be effective, the maintenance program must have a guiding philosophy, approach or strategy; an
<br />understanding of preservation maintenance techniques; and a system for documenting changes in the landscape.
<br />The philosophical approach to maintenance should coincide with the landscape's current
<br />stage in the preservation planning process. A Cultural Landscape Report and Treatment
<br />httn: / /www.nr)s.eov /tDs/ho,�v -to- preserve/ briefs /36- cultural- landscat)es.htm 2/28/2014
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