Preservation Brief 41, The Seismic Retrofit of Historic Buildings: Keeping Preservation in the Forefront

Summary

This is number forty-one of 42 preservation briefs prepared by the Technical Preservation Services of the National Park Service. This brief focuses on keeping preservation in the forefront.

This Preservation Brief provides essential information on how earthquakes affect historic buildings, how a historic preservation ethic can guide responsible decisions, and how various methods of seismic retrofit can protect human lives and historic structures. Because many of the terms used in this Brief are technical, a glossary is provided at the end. The Brief focuses on unreinforced masonry buildings because these are the most vulnerable of our older resources, but the guidance is appropriate for all historic buildings. Damage to non-structural elements such as furnishings and collections is beyond the scope of this Brief, but consideration should be given to securing and protecting these cultural resources as well.

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Cultural Resource Office, Joint Base San Antonio

Contributor(s): Sharon C. Park; Kay D. Weeks; Michael J. Auer

Repository(s): Fort Sam Houston

Prepared By(s): Technical Preservation Services, Heritage Preservation Services Program, National Park Service

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