The Design Standards, in two volumes, may be downloaded here. Volume One contains an overview of Fort Monroe’s historic context, significance, and resources; summaries of legally binding agreements for the property management, plans, and project review standards; Design Standards for Historic Properties; and Design Standards for New Construction. Volume Two contains the historic resources inventory.
Fort Monroe Authority (FMA) developed the Fort Monroe Historic Preservation Manual and Design Standards (“Design Standards”) following an agreement between the United States Army, Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Commonwealth of Virginia, FMA, and the National Park Service. FMA and consulting architecture firm Hanbury Evans Wright + Vlattas were advised by a working group including the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) and NPS personnel along with expert volunteer architects, architectural historians, and planners. FMA published drafts and requested comments from stakeholders, interested parties, and the general public that were then used to refine the Design Standards.
The Design Standards are based upon accepted preservation standards and practices described in National Park Standards (NPS) publications and guidance documents, such as NPS Preservation Briefs and Preservation Tech Notes series, and other appropriate source materials including, for example, The Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes, Preservation Bulletin 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes (Planning, Treatment, and Management of Historic Landscapes), and the Historic Fortification Preservation Handbook. The Fort Monroe Historic Preservation Manual and Design Standards are specific to Fort Monroe, addressing the following:
- Treatment options for existing historic buildings, structures, objects, and landscapes
- Routine maintenance and repair activities
- Appropriate design, massing, height, scale, materials, location, spatial relationships, density, etc. for new construction and additions to existing buildings or structures within each Management Zone
- Significant historic viewsheds and cultural landscapes identified by the US Army in the viewsheds and landscapes reports
- Potential to affect archaeological sites resulting from proposed ground disturbing activities
DHR and NPS had review and approval authority over the Design Standards. Their approval was executed June 9, 2016. DHR has approval authority over proposed amendments, with procedures specified in the agreement for involving the Commonwealth of Virginia, FMA, NPS, and the public.
The Design Standards are referenced in Commonwealth legislation, NPS documents, and FMA leases. They will be referenced in these and future deeds, leases, and other legal documents governing Fort Monroe.
