Collections Care: Historic Buildings and Landscapes

Many historical societies and museums either operate within or are stewards of historic buildings and/or landscapes. Even if you do not operate a museum or historical society, but simply call an historic house home, preserving the characteristics that make your building or landscape significant involves careful planning, understanding how to treat historic materials, and attention to preventative maintenance. 

Further tips on caring for historic buildings and landscapes as well as information on the National Register of Historic Places, preservation tax incentives, grant funding, and technical assistance may be found below. For information on disaster planning, see the “Disaster Planning Basics” toolkit. For further information on operating historic house museums or sites, see the “Historic House Museums and Sites” toolkit.

Historic Buildings and Materials

• National Park Service
  • Four Approaches to the Treatment of Historic Properties
  • Preservation Briefs: Guidance on the preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of historic buildings and their materials as well as information on maintenance and lead paint.
  • Preservation Tech Notes: Guidance on a variety of topics involving the maintenance and preservation of historic materials.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: “Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older and Historic Buildings”

Weatherizing and Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings

• Canadian Conservation Institute: “Closing a Museum for the Winter”
• National Park Service
  • Preservation Brief 3: “Improving Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings”
  • Preservation brief 24: “Heating, Ventilating, and Cooling Historic Buildings—Problems and Recommended Approaches”
  • “Weatherizing and Improving the Energy Efficiency of Historic Buildings”

Historic Landscapes and Gardens

• National Park Service
  • Guide to Developing a Preservation Maintenance Plan for a Historic Landscape
  • Olmstead Center for Landscape Preservation
    • “Preservation Maintenance”
    • “Replacing Trees in Cultural Landscapes”
  • “Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes”
  • Preservation Brief 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes
• Traditional Building: “The Challenges of Preserving Historic Gardens”

Grant Funding and Fundraising

• Iowa Barn Foundation: “Barn Preservation Awards, Grants, Programs, Funds, and Taxes”
• Preservation Directory: “Grant Funding & Sources”
• Downtown Resource Center: “Funding Opportunities”
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: “Grant Programs”
• National Park Service: “Historic Preservation Fund Grant Programs”
• Sacred Places: “Fundraising Guide”
• State Historic Preservation Office of Iowa
  • Certified Local Government Grant Program
  • County School Grant Program
  • Historical Resource Development Program Grants

National Register, Tax Incentives, and Technical Assistance

• State Historic Preservation Office of Iowa
  • National Register of Historic Places
  • Tax Incentives
• State Historical Society of Iowa: “Technical Assistance”