Article 19 — Historic Preservation, Chapter 19-1 — DEFINITIONS

Alteration. A visible change to the exterior of a structure, or work which impacts any exterior architectural feature. Alteration includes construction, reconstruction, introduction or removal of any building or building element, landscape feature, or other element of the site which contributes to the historic character or context or natural, cultural or aesthetic significance of the site.

Certificate of appropriateness. A document that is evidence of the approval by the Historic Preservation Commission (or in the case of minor projects, by the Director of Community and Economic Development) for a person to make a material change in the appearance of a designated historic property or property located within a designated historic district.

Character-defining. An element whose design and material is associated with the age and style of a building and helps define its architectural style; parts of a structure that make it distinctive.

Commission. The Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Gainesville, Georgia.

Design guidelines. Standards (not laws) that are an extension of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation used for evaluating proposed changes to locally designated historic landmarks or buildings, structures, site features, and other exterior elements of properties located within a locally designated historic district.

Designation. A decision by the Gainesville City Council to designate an individual landmark or district as “historic” and thereafter prohibit all exterior material changes in appearance prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness.

Exterior architectural features. The architectural style and general arrangement or design of the exterior of a building or other structure including, but not limited to, the kind or texture of the building material, the type and style of all windows, doors, signs, and any other appurtenant architectural fixtures, features, details or elements relative to the foregoing.

Exterior environmental features. All those aspects of the landscape or the development of a site which affect the historical character of the property, including but not limited to significant trees, landscape features, walls, fences, signs or other appurtenant elements thereof including any improvement, grading or alteration of the land.

Georgia Historic Preservation Act. The state enabling legislation which authorizes communities in Georgia to establish a local historic preservation commission and establishes minimum standards for local jurisdiction historic resources protection that is not tied to the exercise of zoning power. The Georgia Historic Preservation Act provides a benchmark against which each local governing jurisdiction may either evaluate existing preservation policy or formulate a preservation policy tailored to local needs.

Historic district. A geographically definable area designated by the Governing Body which contains structures, sites, works of art or a combination thereof which:

Historic fabric. Materials original to a building or structure.

Historic landmark. An individual structure, site, or work of art, including the adjacent area necessary for the proper appreciation or use thereof, designated by the Governing Body as worthy of preservation due to its value to the city, county, state or region for one or more of the following reasons:

In-kind. Using the exact same material when replacing a damaged architectural element.

Integrity. The state of being unimpaired – both a building and its setting. Authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics (i.e. location, setting, design, materials and workmanship) that existed during the property’s historic period.

Major work project. Unless further clarified in the approved design and construction guidelines, this involves a change in the appearance of a structure or site and is more substantial in nature than routine maintenance or minor work projects.

Material change in appearance. A change that will affect either the exterior architectural features or exterior environmental features of an historic property or any structure, site or work of art within an historic district, and may include any one or more of the following:

Minor work project. Unless further clarified in the approved design and construction guidelines, this involves a change that goes beyond ordinary maintenance but does not constitute a significant or character-altering change in the appearance of a structure or site.

Ordinary or routine maintenance. Any action performed in order to preserve historic materials and other elements – including minor replacement of materials in-kind provided that no change in the design or general appearance is made to a structure or site.

Preservation. The sustaining of the existing form, integrity and material of a building or structure; and the existing form and landscaping of a site.

Rehabilitation or renovation. Returning a structure or property to a state of utility through repair or alteration which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those components that are significant to the historical, architectural and cultural values.

Remodel. To alter a structure in a way that may or may not be sensitive to the preservation of its significant architectural forms and features.

Restoration. Accurately recovering the form and details of a structure and its setting as it appeared at a particular time in history by removing recent work and/or replacing missing earlier work.

Work project. Any work performed to maintain and repair an existing structure or site and landscape feature; or any work performed to replace an existing structure or site and landscape feature, or component of such; or any work to build new construction (additions, infill, outbuildings, fences, etc.).