Historic Preservation Resources for Homeowners
National Park Service Preservation Briefs
The baseline resource for many preservation issues. Some of the most relevant to houses in the Swampscott historic districts include:
- Additions to Historic Buildings
- Aluminum and Vinyl Siding on Historic Buildings
- Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings
- Preserving and Protecting Cultural Landscapes
- Repairing Historic Roofs
- Repairing Historic Wooden Windows
- Repairing Slate Roofs
- Understanding Key Features of Architectural Character
Boston Landmarks Commission
The Landmarks Commission's online Resources page contains links to many good sources for historic preservation information and ideas. Good information on maintaining historic wood windows.
Cambridge Historical Commission
Some excellent publications on maintaining historic homes. These will be made available at the Reference Desk at the Swampscott Public Library:
- Charles Sullivan, Eileen Woodford and the Staff of the Cambridge Historical Commission. Maintaining Your Old House in Cambridge.
An invaluable illustrated guide for owners or tenants who live in a Cambridge house built before 1930. The book offers straightforward, practical advice on repairing and maintaining the home without sacrificing its stylistic integrity. ($8.00, for sale at the Commission). - Cambridge Historical Commission. Painting Historic Exteriors: Colors, Application, and Regulation.
Guide written to help homeowners and those who work in historic preservation achieve appropriate exterior paint color schemes for buildings of different periods and styles. Painting Historic Exteriors contains 80 pages with illustrations and tables and comes shrink-wrapped and 3-hole punched ready to be inserted in a binder. ($8.00, for sale at the Commission).
Window Restorations
Historic windows are one of the most important character defining elements of a historic house, and many of the replacement windows on the market simply don’t reproduce the historic appearance and last as long as historic sash made of old growth wood. Two local resources for repair and restoration of wood windows are:
- Old Town Repair in Marblehead: Website | (781) 613-5145
- The Window Woman in Peabody: Website | (978) 532-3070
Paint Colors
While color is not part of the jurisdiction of the Local Historic District, the Commission will help interested homeowners find resources for historic building color palettes. Some online resources: