What Date Do I Restore To?

By J. Randall Cotton

	Photo Courtesy of Montpelier

Preservationists have debated this question for a long time, and there is still no absolute consensus. In 19th-century England, one school of architects-the scrapers -advocated scraping away all vestiges of age and wear in ancient medieval churches and restoring with new, improved (but usually ersatz) materials. The antiscrapers insisted that all existing elements be retained regardless of condition, age, or architectural purity.

The debate continues. Consider Montpelier, the Virginia home of James Madison owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and operated as a house museum. The house today looks considerably different than when the fourth president of the United States lived there in the late 1700s. In 1901 the prominent William du Pont family, who owned Montpelier then, greatly changed the size and appearance of the country home. Moreover, Madison himself had made changes in 1794 and 1809 to the original ca. 1760 house.

To what era should Montpelier be restored? From one perspective, keeping the 1901 additions respects the history of the du Pont family, as well as their architectural and decorative tastes. Others argue that James Madison was the home's most historically significant resident, so all alterations made subsequent to Madison's residency should be removed. A third point of view advocates restoring parts of the house to the 1790s and other parts to 1901 so that the visiting public can experience several historic eras. However, this last approach creates an architectural schizophrenia that never actually existed.

So what's a conscientious old-house owner to do? First, remember that the vast majority of older historic homes do not rise to the significance of a national landmark or a house museum. After all, you want to live in a functional house, not a museum. Up-to-date kitchens, bathrooms, and electrical, heating, and plumbing systems are usually necessary to meet the demands of modern living. Only restoration purists will insist on absolute top-to-bottom authenticity.

Still, there are sensible and practical guidelines to consider when deciding what date (or dates) should guide the restoration of an older home:

• Take your time. Don't rush into restoration or rehabilitation projects based on first impressions or false assumptions. Research your house's history at local historical societies and libraries and in the building records of your municipality. Your local historical commission is a good place to get historical records and expert advice. You may discover early photographs, drawings, or written records that can contribute to your understanding of the evolutionary changes to your house.
  
• Give yourself time to discover surviving physical clues. Let the house speak to you through evidence of past changes, such as the scars of now gone walls, porches, or window and door openings. If you're really serious about authenticating your home's pathology (that is, the study of the history of changes to a building) consider hiring an architectural historian or restoration architect to do the detective work and analysis, resulting in what is known as a Historic Structure Report.
  
• Learn more. First, familiarize yourself with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties-the Ten Commandments of preservation and common-sense guidelines on making decisions regarding restoration and rehabilitation projects. Most old-house owners will not be engaged in museum-quality restoration of old houses, but rather sensitive rehabilitation, which the Standards define as the process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features that convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values. Then read some of the many excellent books and resources on historic homes, building technologies, and residential architectural styles.
  
• Be conservative. Unless you have conclusive evidence that your house appeared in ways different than it does today, it's better to do nothing. Don't speculate.
  
• Resist the urge to early up. Don't alter a house based on some romantic-yet inaccurate-notion about how early houses looked. A prime example is removing plaster ceilings to reveal structural framing in the misguided belief that early houses typically had exposed beams (actually, after the mid-1700s few American houses did). Conversely, don't gild the lily. Don't gussy up what was originally a simple vernacular or contractor-designed house.
  
• Determine a target date. If you have done sufficient research and looked at the physical evidence, you should be able to determine a relative date when the house achieved its fullest architectural or historical significance. Perhaps it was soon after it was built and before it suffered from unsympathetic alterations that distract from your appreciation of the architecture. Or perhaps it was when a major addition, alteration, or a stylistic change was made. Often these changes have equal-or even greater-significance than the house's earlier appearance. The Secretary of the Interior's Standards state, changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved. When deciding which subsequent changes should be retained, consider whether or not they: 1) enhance or distract from the overall appreciation of the house, both architecturally and historically;
  2) possess good quality in design and craftsmanship;
  3) contribute to the livability or functionality of the house.
  Differentiate between primary and secondary interior spaces and exterior elevations. Don't feel slavishly bound to restore secondary elements to your target date. A less-than-strident restoration treatment is fine for upstairs bedrooms, secondary halls, bathrooms, or kitchens, especially when there are more pressing concerns of function or safety. However, do treat living and dining rooms, entry halls, main stairways, front porches, doors, and windows with greater historical respect. These are the major public spaces in, and views of, a historic house and the features that make the building worth restoring in the first place.