Surveys and Reports
What is a Survey?
In historic preservation, documentation is an important initial step in identifying and classifying historic resources. Surveys are an especially useful tool in this documentation. Through surveying a collection of historic resources, be it a traditional town, neighborhood, or informal settlement, one can begin to learn the context of the area and its buildings. This can lead to better understanding of when and why a neighborhood was founded, who lived and worked there, as well as how a neighborhood has changed.
Two different but equally important levels of survey exist: reconnaissance survey and intensive survey. A reconnaissance survey, sometimes called a “windshield survey”, favors the broad features one can see from their car’s windshield: architectural style, number of stories, and structure shape. Next is the more in-depth intensive survey, which typically reveals fine architectural details, a record of alterations, and owner or resident history. In our collection of surveys and reports, we have both reconnaissance and intensive surveys.
Click the button below to access the surveys.