Westfield Architects & Preservation Consultants

Resources

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National
Academic
Periodicals
General
The following list of resources includes web sites containing basic and detailed historic preservation information as well as a few locations with unique attributes for specialized information. Some are excellent starting points for general research while others contain more focused information. Many of these websites have extensive resource lists of their own and further links to other related or specialized topics.

Rather than just a simple "links" list, we have also added comments about each resource which should aid in deciding where to start. We have picked a variety of different types of resources for many different reasons, but obviously we have concentrated on those available online. We hope they will encourage you to explore the many paths to resources available on the internet.

NEW JERSEY/REGIONAL

Preservation New Jersey including the 10 Most Endangered sites in NJ
New Jersey Historic Trust
Main Street New Jersey -- A nationally recognized professional downtown revitalization program providing communities with the skills and knowledge to manage their own central business districts, improving the economy, appearance and image of their traditional downtown, through the organization of local citizens and resources.
We are once again the New Jersey Main Street Architects.

New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office

New Jersey Historical Commission -- The Commission was created by law in 1967 to advance public knowledge of the history of New Jersey.
Franklin Township Historic Preservation Commission -- a very good example of how a small municipal website can provide resources for more than just the local residents (with a good links page)
Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
Partners for Sacred Places -- Preservation issues relating to religious sites and buildings
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia -- The Athenaeum is a not-for-profit, member-supported library and historic site museum with research collections founded in 1814 to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit. The research library is open to qualified readers without charge, and membership is not required to gain access. The Athenaeum receives no public funding, but it provides the Philadelphia region with a resource of first resort on matters of architecture and interior design history, particularly for the period 1800 to 1945.
Preserve & Protect reflects the rolled-up-sleeves activist attitude with its crisis alerts, news bulletins, meeting announcements, and events calendar. The Web site also incorporates the aesthetics of preservation with an on-line tour of historic houses and a photo album of 19th-century New York Harbor.
PreservationWeb - Mid-Atlantic region --  listings organized by CSI specifications (by trade and product generally) of manufacturers and fabricators who produce preservation related materials and services. Also includes a listing of Architects and other professionals (but is not all-inclusive) who wish to be listed under various specialized headings. Promotional information by and for the professional market.

MUSEUMS

EDISON NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
HOWELL LIVING HISTORY FARM
THE INDIAN KING TAVERN MUSEUM
THE NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM
OLD BARRACKS MUSEUM HOME PAGE
HISTORICAL COLD SPRING VILLAGE
VILLAGE OF WATERLOO
JOHN ROEBLING'S SONS ONLINE HISTORY ARCHIVE
ATLANTIC CITY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

SOCIETIES AND ASSOCIATIONS

LEAGUE OF HISTORICAL SOCIETIES OF NEW JERSEY
HISTORIC BURLINGTON CITY
CAMDEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
CRANFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
GLOUCESTER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HADDONFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PRINCETON
MONMOUTH COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
PRESERVATION SALEM, INC.
WARREN COUNTY CULTURAL & HERITAGE COMMISSION

Links on this page:
National
New Jersey
Academic




NATIONAL

National Trust for Historic Preservation -- The National Trust is a nonprofit organization with more than 260,000 members. As the leader of the national preservation movement, the National Trust is committed to saving America's diverse historic environments and to preserving and revitalizing the livability of communities nationwide. It has seven regional offices, owns 18 historic sites and works with thousands of community groups in all 50 states. Be sure to also visit their Information Series, a complete online catalog of National Trust publications relating to historic preservation.
National Park Service --  The National Park Service is charged with caring for and maintaining America's cultural and natural resources. Their sites are directed toward cultural resources and provide extensive information about the NPS's work.
National Park Service: Links to the Past (the best starting point to find out about everything related to the National Park Service).
Other key NPS sites include:
Preservation Briefs are a series of publications by the NPS which make available information concerning professional methods and techniques for preserving, improving, restoring, and maintaining historic properties.
They are also available at an independently produced site, Historic Home Works, which also has full text search by keyword.
These are technically-detailed, and well-focused reports on significant issues. They are invaluable sources of well-written technical information.
Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record  (HABS/HAER) -- The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) reflect the Federal Government's commitment to preserve important architectural, engineering and industrial sites through programs that document outstanding examples of this country's heritage. Project teams produce measured drawings, large-format photography and written histories that are available to the general public through the HABS/HAER Collections which are house, serviced and maintained by the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
National Historic Landmarks -- Explore the NPS designated sites throughout the country and find out more about the programs associated with them.
National Register of Historic Places -- The National Register of Historic Places is the Nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. The National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources. Properties listed on the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.
This site also includes The National Register Information System (NRIS), a computerized, searchable listing of all the properties in the Register.
The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) is a National Park Service center whose mission is to promote technology and training for historic preservation professionals and conservators. It contains extensive text-based listings of organizations, conferences, job opportunities, training schedules, etc., international exchange of people and information, technical assistance, documentation, advocacy and other activities consistent with the goals of ICOMOS and through collaboration with other organizations.
The National Center for Preservation Technology now includes the Internet Resource Guide for Heritage Conservation, Historic Preservation and Archeology (IRG). It is a searchable database of online electronic resources of interest to the preservation community.
US International Council on Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS) -- The U.S. National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS) fosters heritage conservation and historic preservation at the national and international levels through education and training,
The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), which supports scholarly research on architectural history and promotes the preservation of significant monuments, provides the following at its site: chapter events; extensive links to related sites; membership information; and interesting "homepage projects," including dissertations underway, biographies of American architects, and a list of Historic Structure Reports, which is currently under development.
The Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to "advancing the application of technology to the conservation of the built environment." Members of APT include architects, conservators, consultants, contractors, craftspersons, curators, developers, educators, engineers, historians, landscape architects, managers, planners, preservationists, technicians, tradespeople, and others involved in the systematic application of the knowledge of methods and materials to the conservation of buildings, districts and artifacts.
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) -- "Independent Federal Agency that provides a forum for influencing Federal policy, programs, and activities as they affect historic and archaeological resources in communities and on public lands nationwide"
American Institute of Architects(AIA) -- Site provides press releases, advice on selecting an architect, careers in architecture, K-12 classroom resources, award-winning architecture, (with images and brief descriptions of projects) and information on conferences and professional development.
National Lighthouse Center & Museum -- The seven historic 19th and early 20th century structures on the property will provide an ideal setting for exhibits, research and programs relating to the history of the United States Lighthouse Service. They also provide a nice list of lighthouse related links.

OTHER SOCIETIES AND ASSOCIATIONS

AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY
ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL ARCHIVES & RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

Links on this page:
National
New Jersey
Academic


ARCHITECTURE

World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Architecture -- Rodney M. Hoinkes (University of Toronto sponsored)
Center for the Study of Architecture
SPIRO Architecture Image Library -- Over 16,000 images from the Architecture Slide Library searchable by architect, building name, location, subject and period; University of California, Berkeley

ACADEMIC/RESEARCH

Rutgers University Alexander Library and Special Collections and University Archive -- possibly the best historical resource center in New Jersey. While their physical holdings are extensive, the more recently added are listed in the online database through IRIS. (Hint: Be sure to select "SPCOL" under "Library" to limit your search to the Special Collection.)
Preserve/Net -- This is the official website for the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE). The site has extensive listings related to internships, job opportunities, and conferences, as well as links to more than 150 related WWW sites. The site also hosts Preserve/Net Law which is a repository for preservation-related legal issues.
Boston College's "Art on the Web" provides content and links (for surveys & guides, churches, buildings, skyscrapers, architects, world fairs, etc.)
Conservation OnLine (CoOL), managed by the Preservation Department at Stanford University, is a full text database devoted to information about the conservation of library, archival, and museum materials. The site includes reports, conservation topics, guides to resources, and links to many other conservation-related web sites.
Architectural Archives -- The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania preserves the works of more than 250 designers from the 18th century to the present. The Architectural Archives gained its international reputation initially through the Louis I. Kahn Collection whose resources include all drawings, models, photographs, correspondence, and project files from Kahn's office.
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (Library of Congress) -- A huge series of large bound volumes issued annually between 1959 and 1993. Since 1986, entries added have been put into an online database search facility called RLIN. Most New Jersey institutions have reported their holdings in detail.
Digital Librarian - Architecture & Historic Preservation Links (exhaustive!) (Also includes links for Art | Classics & Ancient World | Home & Interior Design | Images | Medieval & Renaissance).
IMMIGRATION HISTORY RESEARCH CENTER -- The Immigration History Research Center (IHRC) at the University of Minnesota is an international resource on American immigration and ethnic history. It maintains archival and library collections, sponsors academic and public programs, and publishes bibliographic and scholarly works.
BALCH INSTITUTE FOR ETHNIC STUDIES -- the nation's only museum, library, and archive dedicated to collecting and interpreting materials reflecting our nation's multicultural heritage.
NEW JERSEY STATE LIBRARY -- affiliated with Thomas Edison State College
NEW JERSEY STATE ARCHIVES -- The state archives is the official repository for all New Jersey colonial and state government records of enduring historical value.
Art & Architecture Thesaurus Browser -- The AAT from the Getty Information Institute is "a comprehensive vocabulary of nearly 120,000 terms for describing objects, textural materials, images, architecture and material culture from antiquity to the present"
ARCHNET - Cultural Resourses Management -- Internet resources related to cultural resource management and historic preservation.
Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities -- Provides information on museum properties.

Links on this page:
National
New Jersey
Academic