Preserving Architectural Integrity
What is Architectural Integrity?
The term architectural integrity refers to the original character and features of a building as designed by the architect and/or in keeping with the historical period in which it was built. The challenge, is to recover, sustain, and enhance as much of this quality as possible. Having spent a quarter of a century working to achieve this goal, we’ve learned a few things about how to accomplish it.
Maintaining architectural integrity is a non-negotiable requirement for any work Mark Donovan and Mary Ludgin, the current owners of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Harry and Louisa Goodrich House, have had done on their home. While we restored all the windows in this residence, maintaining the original features and natural patina on this distinctive stairwell window was uppermost in our mind and was adhered to in every procedure we employed in the restoration proces.
It’s As If We Had Done Nothing!
How do we know when we’ve accomplished our architectural integrity sustaining goal? When it looks like we did nothing at all! All that one can tell is that what we restored looks and functions much the same way it did when it was first built.
Can you tell what restoration work was done here? The first floor bay of windows doesn’t look like it was altered in any way. All you can see is that these windows are in excellent condition.
Example of Replaced Windows & Doors
Example of Restored Windows & Doors
Architectural Integrity is Subtle…Except When It’s Missing
But this quality of original elements seamlessly blending into the building has its downside. Homeowners often speak of regret after for having replaced original with replacement windows. Tragically, it is only after-the-fact that they realize how much the original windows contributed to the integrated character of the home. It’s an easy mistake to make. Precisely because original windows are so much a part of the whole cloth, it can be difficult to recognize the contribution they make. But once they’ve been replaced with windows that are not in keeping with the original design, the replacement windows stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
What is true of replacement windows is also true for replacement doors. You don’t miss the original doors until they are gone. But seeing them side to side with a building where the original doors have been preserved gives you a good idea of what is lost in the process of replacement.
Windows And Doors Have Two Faces
Why are windows and doors so important to the maintenance of architectural integrity?
The answer, surprisingly enough, is revealed to us by classical mythology and, in particular, the god Janus. Janis is the god of beginnings and endings, and of both the interior and the exterior. For these reasons, Janus is the god of both January and of doors.
As is true of Janus, who faces two ways at once, so also do both doors and windows face in two directions–towards both the the interior and the exterior. With respect to architectural integrity, then, they have dual significance, either contributing to or detracting from both its interior and exterior ‘faces.’
As these pictures demonstrate, what is important is not that the interior and exterior faces be the same, but that each of them contribute to the architectural integrity appropriate to the space. When we restored these windows, we chose different finishes for the interior and the exterior surfaces. Both finishes, though, were period appropriate and carried through on all other wood surfaces.
But architectural integrity is not something one simply restores and sustaines. It can also be enhanced, as can be seen here in these plant stands. All seven stands that adorn this stunning row of windows are, consistent with the age and style of the home– antique, Arts and Crafts plant stands. They celebrate the diversity of this artistic period, and in keeping with the Arts and Crafts commitment to blending the transition between architecture and nature, the homeowner diligently searched out and found seven unique plant stands, thus enhancing the integrity of the space. (Need I also mention that the number seven is widely recognized (as in the number of days in a week) completion/perfection? All seven days of the week and each of the 365 days that the sun rises to great this east-facing facade, these windows, plants, and stands offer an Arts and Crafts welcoming!
The Importance of Period Appropriate Finishes
As the pictures above demonstrate, choosing period appropriate finishes is another way to enhance the architectural integrity of a historic building. In fact, it is a commonplace of interior design that finishes are the cheapest form of design. The same is true when considering period consistency of design. Choosing period finishes is often the cheapest means of enhancing harmony with period design. For further discussion of period appropriate finishes, see the services we offer for further Enhancement of Architectural Integrity.