Wesley Haynes
New York Landmarks Conservancy
Common Bond Spring 1989

Preserving Institutional Memory: The Contents of a Property Archive

A variety of factors can hinder responsible stewardship of religious properties. These can include lack of continuity in membership and/or leadership, a lack of organization in matters relating to building care and repair, as well as missing information and misplaced documents.

One way to anticipate and minimize the effects of such problems is to create a building and property archive that functions as a central repository for all documents and materials relating to the construction, alteration, repair and on-going maintenance of the building. Once a systematic means of collecting, organizing, recording and upgrading information on the physical condition of the building has been implemented, the archive can function as the institution’s "memory." This archive will facilitate the responsible stewardship of the property by enabling the congregation to make sound, informed decisions relating to on-going maintenance, repairs and future restoration.

An institutional archive should contain information on the building’s history, from the time it was built until the present. This includes architectural or engineering drawings; photographs; correspondence, contracts and written documents; and product and service information relating to original, past and existing conditions and work completed on the building. Important documents which have been lost should be re-created and those which have never been generated should be created. A systematic method of information retrieval should be developed, and the archive should be updated as inspections and surveys take place and as maintenance projects are implemented.

Locating the Information

The frst step in creating a central archive is to locate the relevant information. The frst place to go, of course, is to your institution’s own records. Offices and filing cabinets should be carefully examined for materials relating to previous maintenance activities and the upkeep of the building. Closets, attics, basements, and other parts of your building complex, which may have become repositories for older records over the years, should also be carefully checked. Materials stored in this manner may be damp, mildewed, insect infested, rotten, and generally in bad condition. They should be handled with care.

In addition to records which may be located on-site, information available elsewhere should be tracked down. Your city or county Buildings Department and Hall of Records may contain folders of permits, application forms, drawings and other materials that provide valuable information on the building’s design, original construction and subsequent alterations. Local landmarks commissions may have compiled research documenting construction and alteration of designated religious properties. Copies of designation reports are usually available to the public. Many denominational offices contain archives of historical documents on churches or synagogues within their jurisdiction. Local historical societies usually contain a wealth of information on area churches and synagogues, and often possess historic photographs of local buildings not available elsewhere.

Older members of the congregation may recall conditions, decisions, discussions, maintenance activities or renovations for which records have been lost or are incomplete. These members should be interviewed and their comments included in the archive. Family photographs may be copied and included.

Many historic churches and synagogues have been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (habs). Habs has taken photographs and produced measured drawings of over 20,000 historic American buildings in the past fifty-five years, and many historic churches and synagogues are included in the collection. Copies of habs drawings and photographs are available through the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.

Drawings

Architectural drawings of the building are essential documents in organizing maintenance activities and planning for repair and restoration work, so any available drawings should be included in the archive. If no architectural drawings survive, new drawings should be created, as they play an essential role in documenting the construction, configuration and condition of your building. All drawings should be dated and appropriately labeled.

The primary types of architectural drawings are plans, sections and elevations. These are drawn in orthographic projection, that is, all lines and features are drawn in scale as they actually exist, although the building is never really viewed this way. The drawings should be prepared by an architect or other design professional, in a reproducible format so that they may be copied easily and used to record conditions during site inspections.

A plan is a view looking down through a horizontal slice of a building. A heavy line indicates where the plan intersects walls, columns and other significant features. Types of plans include site plans, floor plans, roof plans, and "reflected" ceiling plans (which are actually views up, but reflected as if in a mirror).

A section is a vertical slice through the building. Like plans, a heavy line indicates where the section bisects the floors, ceiling, walls and other major features. Features located beyond the slice are drawn in lighter lines. Sections include longitudinal sections, which cut through the longer dimension of a building; transverse sections, which slice through the shorter dimension of a building; and detail sections, which are taken through a discrete part of a building, such as a gutter, window, or wall.

An elevation is a view of a vertical surface of a building. An elevation is named after the direction it faces. For instances, a north elevation faces north, a street elevation faces the street. Besides being used to depict exterior facades, elevations often are also used to depict such features as the treatment of an interior wall surface.

The archive should include, at a minimum, a floor plan of all floors; a roof plan; and elevations of all exterior facades. In some cases, it is also desirable to include longitudinal and transverse sections, interior elevations, and detail sections. These drawings should be reproduced and used during building inspections to record conditions, such as cracks, areas of efflorescence, deteriorated mortar joints, water damage, etc. They can also be used to generate plans of the mechanical and electrical systems.

Older drawings should also be retained. The original drawings of the building, if they exist, present the designer’s original architectural ideas. They can be an invaluable resource during restoration projects, as well as of great scholarly interest. Working drawings, generated either during the original construction of the building or for major repairs or rehabilitation, convey specific ideas communicated between the design professional and the contractor. These drawings can be especially helpful in determining the causes of a particular building problem. For instance, if the masonry surface of a wall is spalling in a specific location, and the working drawings reveal that an iron or steel beam is embedded in the wall at or near this location, this knowledge will help the architect or engineer diagnose the cause of the spalling.

Photographs

The archive should also contain as many photographs of the building as possible. Historical photographs, taken when the building was new, under construction or during alterations, are an important source of information regarding previous maintenance approaches and the performance of materials used in the building. Photographs of existing conditions, which are accurately dated and labeled, and which are accompanied by written descriptions, are useful in monitoring changes to the building’s features over time. They also identify the locations of recurring maintenance needs. Scale rectified photography, which produces photographic images in which the perspective has been corrected, is often used in addition to or as a substitute for exterior elevations.

Written Documentation

The archive should also contain written documentation relating to the original construction, alterations and on-going maintenance of the building. The minutes and correspondence of the Board of Trustees (or its equivalent) and committee meetings that record information on maintenance activities should be retained as they often reveal the reasoning behind the decisions. Contract documents, written summaries from routine and special inspections, reports on completed work and other historical information can also supply much needed information about your building and maintenance projects over the years.

Company Brochures and Product Information

A file of the names of contractors who have worked on the building in the past or who have worked on other religious properties should be developed and included in the archive. This file should include any company brochures or product information which provide specifications regarding the equipment, materials and supplies used in the building. Receipts and contracts for building related materials and services used in the past should also be retained as they are the basis of estimating future costs, and determining the frequency of needed services.

Summarizing the Contents of the Archive

The contents of the archive should be organized, indexed and summarized. The summary should include what is known about construction and prior maintenance, and the history of all repairs, alterations and restorations. It should also include descriptions and known performance data about building materials, construction and finishes, including what they are as well as how and why they deteriorate or break down.