What is historic preservation?

Historic preservation is a movement focused on the rediscovery and re-use of our urban cores. It is about understanding, preserving, and in many cases reusing our historic sites in new and interesting ways.

What is the purpose of a historic building preservation survey?

The purpose of a historic building preservation survey is to identify, protect, and document landmarks of historic significance. It is also about showcasing these buildings as elements of our urban history, through offering tours to visitors, and reimagining old structures for new purposes.

What tools can be used to collect data and surveys for historic preservation?

Fulcrum is a great tool for collecting data and surveys for historic preservation, and can even be used to publish that data to a web map to share with the community of residents and visitors.

Historic building preservation surveys

March 19, 2015

Historic preservation

Historic building preservation is a big deal in our cities these days. There’s an entire movement focused on the rediscovery and re-use of our urban cores. With any city of significant age, a key step to making the most out of our existing infrastructure is understanding, preserving, and in many cases reusing our historic sites in new and interesting ways.

Snell Arcade Building Historic Building Preservation

The historic Snell Arcade building in downtown St. Pete

Historic preservation societies exist nationwide, working to identify, protect, and document landmarks with significant historical and cultural value. However, preservation isn’t just about preventing change or restricting access to historically significant buildings. It focuses on showcasing these structures as essential parts of urban history and keeping them relevant to modern communities. Many societies offer guided tours to help visitors understand the historical and architectural importance of these landmarks. Others reimagine old buildings for new uses, blending preservation with innovation to ensure their continued purpose.

St. Petersburg, Florida historic landmarks

In St. Petersburg, Florida, over 100 designated historic landmarks have found new purposes beyond their original use. Many old Central Downtown hotels, for example, now serve as vibrant community spaces while maintaining their historical charm. One fantastic industrial-era building has been transformed into a brewery, preserving its garage-style architecture and attracting daily visitors. Instead of being abandoned, these repurposed spaces continue to enrich the city’s cultural and economic landscape.

Fulcrum provides a powerful tool for collecting data and surveys related to historic preservation and urban development. Users can also publish collected data to a web map, making information accessible to residents and visitors. We built a sample historic buildings survey app to showcase the types of data useful for preservation efforts. Architects, historians, urban planners, and designers can use this tool to analyze historic districts in growing urban areas. The template allows users to document architectural styles, construction types, build years, photos, reasons for significance, and more.

I took a geocoded list of historic building locations and imported them into Fulcrum. In the field when walking around town, I can capture photos and fill out the associated form field to build a rich dataset of historic landmarks of St. Petersburg.