Resources & Publications

The National Trust’s Preservation Books has publications such as The New Old House Starter Kit (with information about researching a house, guidelines on hiring professionals, a bibliography, and guides to architectural and landscape styles), Buyer’s Guide to Older and Historic Houses, Appraising Historic Properties, Design Review in Historic Districts, Fabrics for Historic Buildings: A Guide to Selecting Reproduction Fabrics, Floor Coverings for Historic Buildings: A Guide to Selecting Reproductions, and Paint in America: The Colors of Historic Buildings. To place an order, call the National Trust at 202-588-6296 or visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation - 14 Essential Preservation Books page.

Heritage Preservation Services (a division of the National Park Service) provides services, advice, and publications on historic preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation technology. The publications include Preservation Briefs covering such topics as masonry, mortar, conserving energy in historic buildings, cleaning and caring for historic buildings, and aluminum and vinyl siding. All briefs are available on NPS.gov - Technical Preservation Services page. The website includes information on researching a historic building, applying the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, technical information, and other resources for restoration projects. The program is designed for owners of historic buildings, new members of design review and historic preservation commissions, architects, contractors, developers, maintenance personnel, and students.

APT Bulletin published quarterly by the Association for Preservation Technology International, features articles on all aspects of building and preservation technology, including historical research, scientific papers, and project case studies. To order, write to the Association for Preservation Technology International, 4513 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 213, Lisle, IL 60532-1290, call 630-968-6400, or visit APTI.org.

The Old-House Journal, edited by Gordon H. Block, is a bimonthly magazine dedicated to the rehabilitation, maintenance, and decoration of old houses. The Old-House Journal Restoration Directory is annual buyers' guide to products for houses built prior to 1940 or new homes built in the traditional manner. Old-House Bookshop offers a variety of publications that cover topics including how-to techniques, the Victorian era, historic styles, landscapes and gardens, and period decorating. Restoration Directory is available online through the Old-House Journal - Products and Services Directory page or available at bookstores. For more information, call 202-339-0744. The website for The Old-House Journal provides information on the magazine, allows you to view its classified section, and presents information on new preservation-related products as well as tips for historic building preservation. You can also see historic house plans, and post preservation-related questions on a bulletin board. The Old-House Journal's Find-A-Pro area of the website will help you locate a local architect, contractor, or lender for your restoration project.

Old-House Interiors, once part of The Old-House Journal, is a journal, design center, and sourcebook with period-inspired design and home products. For more information, write to Old-House Interiors, 108 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, call 800-462-0211 or visit the Old-House Interiors website.

Caring for Your Historic House, by Heritage Preservation and the National Park Service, is a book on preserving and maintaining a historic house. Some of the topics covered are structural systems, roofs, paint, wallpaper, woodworking, and landscape. To place an order, call 888-388-6789.

Traditional Building Exhibition and Conference includes seminars and workshops in preservation technology. The conference website contains valuable information for owners of historic homes, as well as a directory of preservation technology contractors. For more information about upcoming conferences, call 800-982-6247 or 202-339-0744, or visit the Traditional Building Show website.

Traditional Building is a bimonthly magazine that serves as an "authoritative where-to-buy-it resource for historical products." To order, write Traditional Building Magazine, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834-9232; email Traditional Building Subscriptions; phone: 800-548-0193 or fax: 973-627-5872. The Traditional Building website includes an online directory of product suppliers, a product database, online articles, and product reports from current and previous issues of the magazine.

The American Association for State and Local History has technical reports and technical leaflets covering a number of restoration and preservation topics. To obtain a catalog of the books, reports, leaflets, and videotapes available, write to AASLH, 1717 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203, call 615-320-3203, email AASLH Membership, or visit AASLH.org.

A Comprehensive Guide for Listing a Building in the National Register of Historic Places by Gail Greenberg takes readers through the process of successfully nominating a historic property to the National Register. The book includes a discussion of eligibility criteria, suggestions for research procedures, an explanation of and information needed to complete each item on the application, and a sample completed application. To order, call 800-222-0737. There is a discount for local historical organizations.

The National Housing Library, under the sponsorship of the National Association of Home Builders, publishes the quarterly Housing Abstracts. Housing Abstracts offers access to a variety of housing industry information. All of the materials cited in Housing Abstracts are part of the National Housing Library's collection. For information, call 202-266-8200 and ask for the Resource Center at extension 8296.

To locate resources about protecting historic buildings from fires, repairing historic buildings after a fire, fire protection options, and many other issues surrounding historic buildings, fire damage, and fire prevention, contact the Historic Annapolis Foundation at Shiplap House, 18 Pinkney Street, Annapolis, MD 21401 or call 410-267-7619, toll-free 800-603-4020.

Fire Safe Building Rehabilitation, written by a fire protection engineer and a preservation architect, is the industry's first complete guide on how to bring older buildings up to code while respecting their original features. Approximately 400 pages, $77.90 including shipping and handling, order no. FSBR03. Order from the National Fire Protection Association website (search for "Rehabilitation") or call 800-344-3555.

American Bungalow Magazine is a wonderful resource for people who own or are interested in historic bungalows. The site offers tips on restoration and interior design, helps you determine what style a bungalow is, has information on publications, and keeps you up to date on the Arts and Crafts movement.

Visit the American Institute of Architects website to find an architect and contractor, help decide whether you should renovate, read tips on managing the construction process, and find information on architect's fees or on your local AIA chapter.

The Arts and Crafts Society online marketplace is a virtual home for the Arts and Crafts movement. The site contains information on architecture, design, antiques, restoration products and services, wallpaper, furniture, metalwork, lighting, and textiles.

The Victorian Society in America is a national non-profit organization committed to the preservation and protection of 19th-century heritage and historic buildings. The website offers information about publications, resources, summer schools, symposia, and architectural study tours devoted to fostering education and appreciation of Victorian heritage. Ian Evan's World of Old Houses is an online guide to caring for and restoring old homes. The website contains preservation product directories for the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. There are also sections for frequently asked restoration questions, essays about preservation technology, and technical tips.

The Old House Web contains reviews of new restoration products, lists historic hardware suppliers, and offers tips on financial assistance, technical problems, and historic gardening.

The Restoration Trades website contains a wealth of information on preservation technology including a service directory, bulletin boards, classifieds, job and resume postings, bid invitations, and education resources. The website of the Marble Institute of America contains information on the care and cleaning of natural stone and ceramic tile as well as a list of publications on such topics as the history of ceramic tile in America, and the names and quarry locations of the world's marbles.

The History Detectives website on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) channel includes a guide to investigating the history of a house with a checklist, leads to additional information and sources, and a case study of an investigation of one home’s history.

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet is a good source of resources for researching the history of your home. The House and Building Histories section of this website provides links to websites for libraries, archives, and museums; professional and volunteer researchers; publications, software, and supplies; and locally specific resources.