FAÇADE PROGRAM GOALS To encourage coordinated façade improvements and maintenance. To enhance the business districts and the City/Borough’s image. To develop a system that encourages property owners, business people and merchants to invest in the properties. To develop a system that encourages new businesses to locate in the central business district. To encourage the formation of a community identity around the business district and the opportunities created by its proximity to the Beaver/Ohio River. To accentuate the positive aspects of the business district. REHABILITATION VERSUS RESTORATION The guidelines presented within this report are rehabilitation guidelines that have been created to assist local merchants and property owners in respectfully rehabilitating their commercial buildings. Respectful rehabilitation means the sensitive improvement of the buildings, particularly the façade. It involves building on the architectural qualities of the existing structure and its visual relationship to the rest of the business district. These are not restoration guidelines. If you are considering a restoration project for a historic building and you intend to take the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentive, these guidelines do not apply. You should contact the National Park Service, Internal Revenue Service or Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission for the rules and regulations applicable to restoration. EVALUATION OF THE STOREFRONT The most important key to a successful rehabilitation of a commercial building is planning and selecting treatments that are sensitive to the architectural character of the storefront. Identify and evaluate the existing construction material; architectural features; and the storefront’s relationship of those features to the upper stories of the building (Were the storefront and the floors above created as an overall design?) Examine the physical condition to determine the extent and nature of rehabilitation work storefront’s needed. Determine if there are surviving decorative elements such as molded cornices, columns, brackets, etc. Review the neighboring commercial building to look for similarities as well as differences in architectural designs.
FAÇADE PROGRAM GOALS To encourage coordinated façade improvements and maintenance. To enhance the business districts and the City/Borough’s image. To develop a system that encourages property owners, business people and merchants to invest in the properties. To develop a system that encourages new businesses to locate in the central business district. To encourage the formation of a community identity around the business district and the opportunities created by its proximity to the Beaver/Ohio River. To accentuate the positive aspects of the business district. REHABILITATION VERSUS RESTORATION The guidelines presented within this report are rehabilitation guidelines that have been created to assist local merchants and property owners in respectfully rehabilitating their commercial buildings. Respectful rehabilitation means the sensitive improvement of the buildings, particularly the façade. It involves building on the architectural qualities of the existing structure and its visual relationship to the rest of the business district. These are not restoration guidelines. If you are considering a restoration project for a historic building and you intend to take the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentive, these guidelines do not apply. You should contact the National Park Service, Internal Revenue Service or Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission for the rules and regulations applicable to restoration. EVALUATION OF THE STOREFRONT The most important key to a successful rehabilitation of a commercial building is planning and selecting treatments that are sensitive to the architectural character of the storefront. Identify and evaluate the existing storefront’s construction material; architectural features; and the relationship of those features to the upper stories of the building (Were the storefront and the floors above created as an overall design?) Examine the storefront’s physical condition to determine the extent and nature of rehabilitation work needed. Determine if there are surviving decorative elements such as molded cornices, columns, brackets, etc. Review the neighboring commercial building to look for similarities as well as differences in architectural designs.
2014-1-1FIPDesignGuidelines.docx