Historic
Resources
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Hough Historic Resources |
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Why is it important to save historic structures? Preserving the architectural heritage of our community is desirable for many reasons. Culturally, historic buildings remind us of our roots, and connect us with the independent spirit of people who built our early communities. Architecturally, older buildings trace unique styles and 
technical innovations, highlighting our ongoing creativity and
ingenuity, as well as reminding us of typical lifestyles in the past.
Visually, historic homes and commercial buildings are interesting to
look at, and add depth and character to the built environment, and our
enjoyment of it. Listing properties on an historic register…why is it important? Listing a property on the Clark County Heritage Register, Washington Heritage Register, and National Register of Historic Places can help preserve historic resources. In addition to being an honor, register listing can provide access to special tax abatement programs for income-earning units, land with buildings on the historic register and for qualified rehabilitation expenses. Register listing also allows use of the state Historic Building Code, which offers greater latitude in meeting local building codes. How are buildings nominated to historic registers? The process varies depending on which register to which you wish to nominate your property. The best place to start is by calling landmark staff at Clark County at 360-397-2375 (ext. 4909). Staff can review options and get you started on the nomination process. Steps include writing a description of building features, researching and describing the people who lived there near the construction date, providing photos (both new and old if available), filling out an application and attending a nomination hearing. Check out the Clark County web page at www.co.clark.wa.us, and click on Historic Preservation. How can I get involved in historic preservation?
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Remodel with confidence while preserving historic integrity How do you keep your old house’s historic integrity but still add the extra space you want? Good news! There are several guidelines to follow if you want to do a remodel, but would still like your house to qualify for the historic register.
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OLD WINDOWS AS GOOD AS GOLD Do I have your attention? Well, maybe they’re not worth their weight in gold, but it’s not too far off! I know what you’re thinking...how could drafty, painted-shut, broken rope, dry rotted windows be worth anything? Well, they’re valuable because they’re historic. Do I hear you laughing? But this is the truth, and I’ll tell you why.
SO WHAT ARE SOME GOOD ALTERNATIVES?
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Vinyl siding and windows: resist temptation! How many phone calls have you had this year telling you about some promotion to add vinyl siding or windows in your area? I get at least four calls per year. In the past when I told the caller about my historic home, they quickly ended the call. But vinyl siding dealers are craftier now…they tell about how they can add siding to your old home that looks “exactly” like your old siding. But this isn’t true. It’s easy to tell from the street when an old home has vinyl siding added. There are telltale seams, the width of the siding is different, and the architectural details and trim look wrong and are sometimes removed for easier vinyl installation. It’s tempting to consider vinyl siding and windows, however, because of the ease of maintenance, at least in the short term. Not having to paint siding or windows for ten years sounds very appealing. But eventually, vinyl does break down, fade and become damaged. More than this, however, adding vinyl to an historic home actually damages its value. There’s a limited supply of historic homes, and more and more people are
In addition, many homes will not qualify for historic register listing when vinyl has been added. Historic register listing can bring big benefits for homeowners, including tax abatement, potential grants and utilization of the historic building code (more flexibility when making construction alterations). Siding and window maintenance—who can help? Painting and maintaining siding and windows can be a big job. Carefully research your painting job before tackling it yourself or hiring a contractor. Retail paint stores can answer questions about putting new paint over old, and the best methods. Make sure to take photos and information with you to the paint store, and find out if there’s insulation in the exterior walls. Often removing the old paint can provide the best opportunity for the new paint to adhere well and look great. Some people choose this method for the front of the house, and then just repaint the sides and back after scraping, sanding and filling. This cuts down on the cost of removing paint down to the wood, and prioritizes the front of the house for this procedure. See the resource list below for help with painting and maintenance. |
Resource list: contractors and suppliers
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Where is Hough Neighborhood and why is it historic? Hough Neighborhood is located in the west downtown area of Vancouver, Washington. It’s bordered by Main Street to the east, Mill Plain on the south, the Burlington Northern railroad tracks to the west, and Fourth Plain on the north.
So what’s the big deal with keeping homes historic? There are several reasons that the neighborhood association has this goal as the number one priority in our Neighborhood Action Plan.
The short answer is no. Once the fronts of historic houses are altered or remodeled, they may no longer qualify for official historic status. The good news is that houses can be restored to their original style! This was done with the Howard House on Officers’ Row. Remodeling over the years had added large, flat-roofed additions that encircled the old home. But the City of Vancouver decided to “restore” the house back to its original look. So from the front, the house looks exactly like it did in 1879 when it was built. We can do this in Hough too! There are many tools and tricks for finding out what your old house looked like originally...from historic photos, to looking at the actual lumber in your house, to researching the architectural style...there are many resources that homeowners can use. --Julie Garver is a member of the Hough Neighborhood Association, and a commissioner on the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission. If you have questions about preservation issues or historic register listing for your old home, contact her at 745-0407, or julieG@houghOnline.org. |
