Determined Eligable: How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places

This is the letter acknowledging our eligibility for apply for Coldwater Post Office to be nominated.

Acknowledgement of Receipt: How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places

This is the acknowledgement of receipt we got from the State Historic Preservation Office.

Architectural Description: How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places

Following the advice on Sarah Marsom’s wonderful blog post written for Heritage Ohio, here is my attempt at architectural description.
The Coldwater Post Office has a built-up tar and gravel roof.  There is a narrow, plain cornice with a deep frieze.  It has United States Post Office, Coldwater, Ohio carved into the stone and picked out with gilt.  The zip code: 45828, in raised numerals, was added at a later date.
The metal and glass panel, double door entrance is surmounted by a large gilt eagle sculpture, symbolic of the USPS.  It forms the centrepiece of a large wrought iron transom.
On either side of the entrance there are two windows, making four in total.  These windows are made up of 3 glass panes with horizontal metal muntin bars.  The windows and doors are original in form but have been replaced.   The windows have deep sills that match the material used for the frieze.
There are six stone steps which lead up to the entrance, these are flanked on either side by two stone pedestals of equal height that support cast iron lamp posts (which have been replaced).  The cast iron handrails for the steps are original.
There is a foundation / cornerstone laid in the lower right hand corner of the brick facade.  The base of the building is made with the same stone as the frieze and the steps.
Here are some of the terms that I needed to look up on Wikipedia to make sure I got them right:

Frieze / Entablature

An entablature (/ɛnˈtæblətʃər/; nativization of Italian intavolatura, from in “in” and tavola “table”) is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave (the supporting member immediately above; equivalent to the lintel in post and lintel construction), the frieze (an unmolded strip that may or may not be ornamented), and the cornice (the projecting member below the pediment). The Greek and Roman temples are believed to be based on wooden structures, the design transition from wooden to stone structures being called petrification.

Muntin

A muntin (US), muntin bar, glazing bar (UK) or sash bar is a strip of wood or metal separating and holding panes of glass in a window.^[1] Muntins can be found in doors, windows and furniture, typically in western styles of architecture. Muntins divide a single window sash or casement into a grid system of small panes of glass, called “lights”.

Terrazzo

Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical binding), polymeric (for physical binding), or a combination of both. Metal strips divide sections, or changes in color or material in a pattern. Additional chips may be sprinkled atop the mix before it sets. After it is cured it is ground and polished smooth or otherwise finished to produce a uniformly textured surface.

Built-up roof

A continuous, semi-flexible roof membrane, consisting of multiple plies of saturated felts, coated felts, fabrics or mats assembled in place with alternate layers of bitumen, and surfaced with mineral aggregate, bituminous materials, a liquid-applied coating or a granule-surfaced cap sheet.

Wainscot panelling

The term wainscot originally applied to high quality riven oak boards.
Wainscot oak came from large, slow-grown forest trees, and produced boards that were knot-free, low in tannin, light in weight, and easy to work with. It was preferred to home-grown oak, especially in Holland and Great Britain, because it was a far superior product and dimensionally stable.
The Oxford English Dictionary states that it derives from the medieval German wagenschot as well as wageschot or ‘wall-board’^[2]. Johnson’s Dictionary defined it thus:
Wainscot [wageschot, Dutch], the inner wooden covering of a wall.
To wainscot [waegenschotten, Dutch], to line the walls with boards
A ‘wainscot’ was therefore a board of riven (and later quarter-sawn) oak, and wainscoting was the panelling made from it. During the 18th century, oak wainscot was almost entirely superseded for panelling in Europe by softwoods (mainly Scots pine and Norway spruce), but the name stuck:
“The term wainscoting, as applied to the lining of walls, originated in a species of foreign oak of the same name, used for that purpose; and although that has long been superseded by the introduction of fir timber, the term has been continued notwithstanding the change of material”.^[3]
Also in the 18th century, the style of panelling changed from a floor-to-ceiling covering to one in which only the lower part of the wall was covered. Hence wainscot or wainscoting became a panelling style applied to the lower 90 to 150 cm (3 to 5 ft) of an interior wall, below the dado rail or chair rail, and above the baseboard or skirting board.^{[citation needed]} It is traditionally constructed from tongue-and-groove boards, though bead-board or decorative panels, such as a wooden door might have, are also common. New manufacturing techniques are capable of milling large panels from one sheet, reducing seams, caulking, and expansion/contraction cracks that have plagued traditional construction. Wainscoting may also refer to other materials used in a similar fashion.
The original purpose of wainscoting was to cover the lower part of walls, which, in houses constructed with poor or non-existent damp-proof courses, are often affected by rising dampness.^{[citation needed]} Its purpose is now decorative.

Architectural Description: How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places

How to Describe Architecture for your application to the National Register of Historic Places

A Step by Step Guide to Describing Architecture

You are looking at a building, but you are unsure how to describe the roof or windows or that funky little detail. How do you find the vocabulary to properly describe that architectural element? Well, with this post you will walk away with a few tips and resources to help you describe a building.

Tip 1:

Understanding what style a building is can help your description immensely. Whether you are talking about an Italianate structure, Queen Anne, Richardsonian Romanesque or something else, knowing a style will help you discuss the whole and allow you to more easily search for the elements.

These books are immensely helpful in learning architectural styles:

–A Field Guide to American Houses: The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America’s Domestic Architecture by Virginia Savage Mclester offers an in-depth look into residential styles of architecture.

– Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 by John J. G. Blumenson is a small visually driven guidebook to help you quickly ascertain a style. This is a great volume to keep in your glove box.

– American Vernacular Design, 1970-1940: An Illustrated Glossary by Herbert Gottfried and Jan Jennings will help you understand commercial architectural styles in addition to residential.

You can also find a myriad of architectural style guides online. Take these with a grain of salt, because some terminology popularized by television is not the terminology you should utilize when working on a historic designation.

For example, did you know that Victorian is not a style? Victorian is an era and there are a myriad of styles associated with this time period with the most common being Queen Anne style homes. The ones to trust come from the state and local historic preservation offices. The Pennsylvania architectural field guide website is incredibly helpful.

Tip 2:

At this point you’ve learned the difference between Art Moderne and Prairie style, but you aren’t sure what that thing is above the window. Knowing a style will help you narrow down what you are looking for.

These books are great guides to building elements:

– Old House Dictionary: An Illustrated Guide To American Domestic Architecture 1600-1940 by Steven J. Phillips dives deep into the components of a window or different brick patterns. It is a great beginners (or expert) resource for knowing how to describe practical and decorative building elements.

You’ll find in the previously mentioned resources terminology for building elements. For example: the Pennsylvania architectural field guide website lists “identifiable features.” If you are able to use the guides to identify the style you can then learn that the architectural element that kind of looks like teeth below toward the top of a teeth are called dentils (I remember this term, because a dentist looks at teeth and dentist and dentil sound kind of similar).

Tip 3:

Once you know how to find the words to describe the building, you can start your verbal illustration. Begin with the primary facade (front) of the building and describe it’s style first and then focus on the architectural details.

Here is an example: “ This two story residential property is in the Greek Revival style. The structure has a pediment roof and is wood construction; the primary facade has a raking cornice below the eaves creating a decorative element for the pediment.” The description would go on to describe the remainder of the facade followed by each elevation (indicate which elevation with direction north, south, east, or west).

If you have any uncertainty for your style of writing as you develop this architectural description, you can reach out to the Ohio Historic Preservation Office for strong examples of National Register of Historic Places nominations or visit the National Parks Service website and read the examples they have posted online. As you develop your architectural style vocabulary you will be able to hone in on key elements that help define the structure: roof style, window shape, building materials, and decorative details to assist with a description.

Good luck!

Step 4: How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places

Step 4:  Tell Us About The Property’s History

1. How many structures are there on the property?  When, to the best of your knowledge, was each on built.
To answer this question, we can again use the property record card.  This states that the main post office was built in 1940 and the back extention was built in 1970
2. What changes have been made to the buidling(s), and, if you know, when did they occur? 
The rear addition was added in 1970.  As far as we know, there have not be any further changes made to the building.
3. What are the names of the original and subsequent people or business(es) that occupied the property?  Include the dates when they occupied the property, if you know.  
The property record card confirms that the post office has never been sold or occupied by anyone other than the USPS.
4.  If the property represents the work of an architect, builder, designer, or artist, whose work is it.
So far, our investigations show that William Wilson Cook and Samuel Plato were involved in the construction and design of this building.  There is no record of the architect on the property record.  For more information, it will be essential to visit the State Historic Preservation Office and see what records the have there.
5.  Where have you found historical information about this property!
County Records:  Mercer County property records
Newspapers:  The Indiana Historical Bureau indicates that the Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Ky holds newspaper articles about this
“Newspaper articles confirm that Plato was awarded contracts to build post offices in Coldwater, Ohio”
Books:  African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945 – this book has sections on both Samuel Plato and William Wilson Cook.

Step 4: How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places

Step 3: How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places

In Step 3 of the application process, we are invited to pick one reason why the chosen property should be listed on the National Register.  I knew that the Coldwater Post Office didn’t qualify as C (distinctive architecture) or D (Prehistorical significance).  That left Criterions A and B.  I could see that the instructions state the one reason should be chosen.  I decided that if i filled in both reasons, it was very likely that the Preservation Office would determine which one was best.

Step 3: How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places