Page 42 - State College, PA Design Guidelines

06.28.2018 •

DESIGNING AN General Guidelines for Additions to
APPROPRIATE ADDITION Contributing Buildings
FOR A CONTRIBUTING
BUILDING When planning an addition to an existing building, its impact on the historic
building should be considered. In order to minimize negative impacts on the
For more information about designing historic structure, an addition to the rear or side of the historic building
an addition to a contributing historic is preferred. A compatible addition maintains the general appearance of a
building, review the National Park
Service Preservation Brief 14: New historic building especially from key public vantage points, minimizes damage
Exterior Additions to Historic Buildings: to the original building by preserving character-defining features, is designed
Preservation Concerns. A hard copy is to be distinguishable from the original structure and ensures the addition is
available for review in the Planning compatible with the historic context.
Department.
The following general guidelines should be followed when designing an
addition to a historic building.

• Locate an addition to avoid disturbing character-defining features
of the historic building or its site.
• Design an addition to a historic building to be visually
subordinate so the historic building remains prominent.
• Design an addition to be generally compatible with, but
distinguishable from, the historic building.
• Design an addition to be compatible with the historic district.

In addition to the general design guidelines above, the degree of visibility of
the addition from the street should be a strong consideration in the review
of the proposed addition. The specific design guidelines that follow address
how to minimize the visibility of an addition to make it more compatible
with the historic building and the historic context.

36 STATE COLLEGE, PA • HERITAGE STATE COLLEGE DESIGN GUIDELINES