What is a historic property?
In the mid 1950s, the City of Philadelphia, along with other cities
& townships at various other times, deemed properties that they
felt were either older or built in an older design to be historic.
A historic designation means that they took on the responsibility
of making sure that nobody did any changes to the property that
would conflict with the motif that it was built in.
What should I consider when renovating a historic property?
In the Philadelphia, the historic commission will want input and
approval on any exterior changes to the property that can be viewed
from any public street. This means, but is not limited to: additions,
windows, doors, and porches, brick work, exterior paint, siding,
etc. I think that you get the picture. This translates into a few
indisputable facts:
You have to get the historic commissions approval on all exterior
changes
You can just do what you want to your property. If you do something
that they don't like, you will get cited with a violation form
the department of licenses and inspections.
Any change that they suggest will probably cost you more money
that if you did what you wanted. (Most windows & doors need
to be custom made)
