Glossary

Since my experience has been with Armory Park, some of the information below is specific to the APHZAB, but the situation is likely to be similar in other HPZ Advisory Boards.

ALTERATIONS - Some exterior and interior alterations to a historic building are generally needed as part of a rehabilitation project to ensure its continued use, but it is most important that such alterations do not radically change, obscure, or destroy character-defining spaces, materials, features, or finishes. Alterations may include changes to the site or setting, such as the selective removal of buildings or other features of the building site or setting that are intrusive, not character defining, or outside the building’s period of significance.

APHZAB is the abbreviation for the Armory Park Historic Zone Advisory Board, the City board responsible for first level review and recommendation regarding proposed projects in the Armory Park HPZ. HZAB is the collective abbreviation for all five boards with each one having two additional letters in front, e.g WUHZAB for the West University board.

BUILDINGS vs. STRUCTURES - National standards and guidelines for historic preservation distinguish between buildings (constructions principally to shelter human activities such as a guest house, secondary residence, sleeping quarters, and studios) and structures (constructions for purposes other than human shelter such as garages and carports). Tucson Code distinguishes between the primary structure and accessory structures. All of the structures enumerated above might be accessory structures. 

CATEGORIES OF DISTINCTION within a Historic Preservation Zone.

• Historic Landmark - Historic buildings of individual significance for architectural merit, historic personages or events associated with them, unique significance, outstanding examples of individual designs associated with a noted architect or importance in history of development. Note: may or may not adhere to requirements of the HPZ or HD in which it resides.

• Contributing Historic - Historic buildings that meet the criteria for inclusion and eligibility within the parameters of the inclusive HPZ district including age. Note: only category that defines compatibility and precedence in review of new development. 

• Contributing Non-Historic - Those buildings that meet all eligibility standards of the HPZ, except for age and period of significance. Note: these buildings are most likely to have been added to the district between 1945 and 1965 and would now be eligible for consideration based on age if the period of significance were to be extended in future. Some of these buildings may also be eligible for individual landmark status in future. 

• Non-Contributing - All buildings constructed in the district since 1945 which may or may not be compatible. Also, all historic buildings that could be eligible for reconsideration of their significance if restored to their original design features as during the period of significance.

• Intrusion - All buildings//structures that neither meet any eligibility of significance requirements and do not support the historic context or fabric of the HPZ district standards. 

COMPATIBILITY is the visual consistency of development by mirroring prevailing dimensions, spatial relationships, and architectural and design characteristics of the neighborhood overall and the contributing properties within the Development Zone. Compatibility is achieved when a development is designed in a manner that blends in with the character of structures in the Development Zone. Compatibility is the harmonious, sympathetic, and complementary visual relationship of alterations, additions, or new construction to the characters of historic buildings and structures (contributing properties) in the setting of the new work and is evaluated in terms of height, massing, scale, setback, rhythm, materials, roof form and architectural features. 

Accessory structures must be compatible with the primary structure but also with other accessory structures In the Development Zone. 

The term “compatible” does not mean “replication”, “repetition or copy of” or “identical to” existing structures within the neighborhood. New work must be visually differentiated from the old to avoid creating a false sense of history and diluting the integrity and value of historic buildings and structures in the setting.

Setting is considered at multiple scales. For alterations and additions, evaluation of the setting is primarily at the scale of the existing building and secondarily at the scale of that property’s specific Development Zone (approximating the immediate view shed). For new construction, evaluation of the setting is primarily at the scale of the Development Zone and secondarily at the scale of the entire Historic Preservation Zone/National Register Historic District.

Alterations and additions that are compatible and allow historic properties to adapt to new needs are favored. New construction should be compatible with historic buildings and structures in its setting but should also be of its own time and mark the continued development of the historic district. 

CONTINUANCE is an applicant requested postponement of a Board recommendation during a design review to provide time to incorporate feedback into a revised design. 

CONTRIBUTING PROPERTY - Properties that are deemed "contributing" properties to the historic district are considered designated historic properties. They are also eligible for the State Historic Property Tax Reclassification (SPT) for owner-occupied homes. Properties within historic districts that are shown as Contributing are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It should be noted that the original building is contributing but new additions and modifications, while sympathetic and approved, are not contributing elements and cannot be used as precedent. The City of Tucson categorizes properties by parcel and address in TSM 9-02.8.3. (From the City of Tucson UDC)

DESIGN REVIEW PROCESS involves neighborhood HPZ Advisory Boards (for example, APHZAB), the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission, city staff, and the Director of the Planning and Development Services Department. Appeals and proposed demolitions of historic buildings within these zones require additional reviews and approvals by the Mayor & Council during public hearings.

DEVELOPMENT ZONE – A little historical context first. Armory Park was developed over a long period of time as reflected in the extended period of significance (now 1860s – 1945). This is a key reference timeframe for the transition of numerous architectural styles just before and after the arrival of the railroad in Tucson in 1880. That is why each street has a different character. Certain house styles that may be present on one street may not be present or appropriate on other streets. The use of Development Zone concept is meant to provide direction for new construction appropriate to the street and immediate area of the parcel rather than using the broader Armory Park historic neighborhood.

The use of borrowed elements to inform an existing historic house is not appropriate. It creates a false sense of history. While there may be similar homes within the Development Zone, it does not mean that they had all the same decorative elements that the subject house had originally. Historic houses and the restoration of their associated decorative elements should be based on documentation such as forensic evidence or photo documentation. An easy example would be having a simply designed Folk Victorian with few decorative elements that uses a high style Victorian as an example to add decorative elements. Adding these elements would likely have the cumulative impact of making the property a non contributor. 

Zones are primarily used for new construction. Public and institutional structures within the Development Zone are not considered to be part of the Development Zone when evaluating proposed development on an adjacent property, except for public and institutional structures listed, or eligible for listing, in the National Register of Historic Places. See the IMPORTANT TO KNOW section to learn how to determine your Development Zone. (From the National Park Service, and from the Sustainable Historic Preservation section of the Whole Building Design Guide of the National Institute of Building Sciences)

GREENING HISTORIC BUILDINGS, or GREEN RETROFITTING, includes treatments -traditional as well as new technological innovations - that may be used to upgrade a historic building to help it operate even more efficiently and sustainably. Increasingly stricter energy standards and code requirements may dictate that at least some of these treatments be implemented as part of a rehabilitation project of any size or type of building.

Most historic buildings were traditionally designed with many sustainable features that responded to climate and site. When effectively restored and reused, these features can bring about substantial energy savings and water conservation. Whether a historic building is rehabilitated for a new or a continuing use, it is important to utilize the building’s inherently sustainable qualities as they were intended. It is equally important that they function effectively together with any new measures undertaken to further improve energy and water efficiency. Considering historic buildings' original climatic adaptations, today's sustainable technology can supplement inherent sustainable features without compromising unique historic character. (Adapted from Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings published in 2011 by the Secretary of the Interior. This type of overlay requires compliance with specific development standards and design guidelines for exterior alterations to existing historic and non-historic buildings and for new construction, including work that does not require a building permit.) 

HISTORIC PRESERVATION ZONE (HPZ) is a City of Tucson zoning overlay enabled by a 1972 ordinance. There are five designated HPZs within the City. Most of these areas are set within nationally designated Historic Districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT is an area that meets the criteria for, and has been listed in, the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). A NRHP historic district is composed of multiple contributing properties that were built during the period of significance defined for the district, and as a collective whole convey significance in terms of one or more of the following aspects of American history: (A) Association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; (B) Association with the lives of significant persons in our past; (C) Embodies distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represents the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values or that represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or (D) That  have yielded or may be likely to yield, information about prehistory or history. Each contributing property in a NRHP historic district must also maintain sufficient integrity (enough of its historic qualities) to visibly convey its significance. These qualities of integrity include: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Properties within the district boundaries that do not meet these combined criteria of age, significance, and integrity are non- contributing properties. A NRHP must contain a minimum of 51 percent contributing properties within its boundaries to retain its designation.

NON-CONTRIBUTING PROPERTY - Properties deemed "non-contributing" are not considered historic properties and are not eligible for tax credits. The City of Tucson categorizes properties by parcel and address in the TSM 9-02.8.3. (From the City of Tucson UDC)

PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE - The period of significance is a key reference timeframe for the prominent architectural styles of the historic area. Applicants must use this timeframe when determining compatibility of proposed external changes or new construction today. The period of significance for Armory Park is 1860s – 1945. The Armory Park Historic District is architecturally significant as a neighborhood illustrating the transition in architectural styles just before and after the arrival of the railroad in Tucson in 1880. The major architectural styles identified in this district include: “Sonoran, Anglo-Territorial, Late Victorian, late 19th and early 20th Century Revival Styles, and late 19th and early 20th Century (prewar) American Movements. For detailed descriptions of these styles, see submittal of the Expansion to Armory Park Historic District Pima County for Entry into the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1996.
https://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/preservation/ArmoryParkHRD1996_Amend_.pdf

PRESERVATION is the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property. Work generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. New exterior additions are not within the scope of this treatment; however, the limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a preservation project. (From the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Preservation)

RECONSTRUCTION is the process of reproducing, by new construction, the exact form and detail of a vanished structure, or part thereof, as it appeared at a specific period of time. Reconstruction should be undertaken only when the property to be reconstructed is essential for understanding and interpreting the value of a historic district and sufficient documentation exists to ensure an exact reproduction of the original. (From the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Reconstruction)

REHABILITATION is the act or process of making possible a compatible new use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which conveys its historical, cultural, or architectural values.

In rehabilitation, historic building materials and character-defining features are protected and maintained as they are in the treatment Preservation. However, greater latitude is given to replace extensively deteriorated, damaged, or missing features using either the same material or compatible substitute materials. Of the four treatments of preservation, rehabilitation, reconstruction and restoration, only rehabilitation allows alterations and the construction of a new addition, if necessary, for a continuing or new use for the historic building. (From the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation)

REPAIR - When the physical condition of restoration-period features requires additional work, repairing by stabilizing, consolidating, and conserving is recommended. Restoration guidance focuses on the preservation of those materials and features that are significant to the period. In restoration, repair may include the limited replacement in kind or with a compatible substitute material of extensively deteriorated or missing components of existing restoration-period features when there are surviving prototypes to use as a model. (From the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation)

RESTORATION is the act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project. (From the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Restoration)

RHYTHM in architecture is simply the repetition of the same elements or forms across a group of buildings. It is the subjective impression created by the continuity of height, massing, scale, setback, materials, and architectural features repeated among the surrounding buildings. As in music, a break in rhythm is immediately noticed and detracts from impression of the whole. 

SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR’S STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES are developed by the National Park Service as principles intended to promote responsible preservation practices that help protect our irreplaceable historic resources. The City of Tucson Technical Standards for HPZs stipulate that, in addition to Technical Standards and Design Guidelines, the Secretary’s Standards are applied during HPZ design reviews.

SUSTAINABILITY should be addressed as part of a preservation project. Good preservation practice is often synonymous with sustainability. Existing energy-efficient features should be retained and repaired. New sustainability treatments should generally be limited to updating existing features and systems so as to have the least impact on the historic character of the building. (From the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Preservation)

VERGE (BOARDS), also called bargeboards or gingerbread trim, are often ornately carved or pierced boards that are fixed to the projecting edge of a gable roof. Decorative verge boards are one of the key features of Gothic Revival and Queen Anne homes.

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