HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Housing & Community Development Dept.
Chief Jim Lowrie, Historic District Zoning

OFFICE ADDRESS:
City Hall Municipal Offices
525 High Street
Burlington NJ 08016

OFFICE HOURS:
M–F 8:30am–4:30pm

MAP: Historic District
MAP: City Hall Location
MAP: Keegan Center Location
TEL: 609-386-0200 ext. 140
FAX: 609-386-0214
CELL:
E-MAIL: dburns@burlingtonnj.us

OTHER HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISIONS:
Construction Division
Land Use Division
Zoning Officer
Landlord Registration Division
Nuisance Inspection Division
Historic Preservation Commission
Recycling

Location, City Hall, High Street

Location, Keegan Center, Wood St.

Historic Preservation Commission Offers These Informative Links

These links are provided for the public convenience. The websites thus linked are not the property of the City of Burlington, which cannot be held responsible for the content, policies or information therein. Inclusion in this list does not intend or imply an endorsement from, or an association with, the City, its employees or agents.

Technical Preservation Services for Historic Buildings
By the National Park Service. Focuses on practical insights for "...Work on a Historic Building" including "Using the Standards and Guidelines...", "Planning..." and "Beginning..."

The National Trust for Historic Preservation
Founded in 1949, The Trust provides leadership, education and advocacy to help save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize communities.

National Building Museum
Museum in Wash. DC offers notes, topical news, lectures, exhibits, etc.

Athenaeum
Library and museum founded 1814 focuses on the history of American architecture and building technology. Architectural Archives, library, exhibits, etc. in Philadelphia. Widely used by architects, designers and owners of historic properties.

Great Buildings Dot Com
Architectural types and styles in online encyclopedia of more than 750 buildings worldwide and across history with photos, text, and live 3D models. See especially the sections under American Architecture Timeline, including 1700s, 1800s, and by decades, 1900s.

Old House Journal
Magazine, articles, exhibitions and conferences, chat, and a great resource, the National Park Service Technical Preservation Services for Historic Buildings – Writers working under contract with the federal government have assembled more than 40 booklets designed to help owners and developers of historic buildings recognize and resolve common preservation and repair problems. They've collected and published the whole set online.

HABS Drawings
Historic Architecture and Buildings Survey drawings undertaken in the 1930s by the WPA. Excellent reference source of downloadable drawings (renderings, plans, elevations, photos) of period American buildings.

The New Jersey Historic Trust
advances the preservation of the state's historic properties through financial, educational and stewardship programs.

The New Jersey Historic Preservation Office
Of the Div. of Parks and Forestry, Dept. of Environmental Protection, an excellent reference for preserving historic resources in this state.

NJ State DEP Historic Preservation Office
State of New Jersey Certified Local Governments community links page

This Old House
Formerly on PBS, This Old House TV programs, magazines, books and reference for know-how. Norm!

08016
Hobby site by former resident bears concise textual profiles of historical properties and people of City of Burlington.

Tour Burlington
The official City of Burlington tourism site. Depicts 330 year-old City’s historical aspects including New Jersey's oldest fire company, pharmacy, library and more. Notes, photos of 44 old homes and sites, maps, legends, calendar.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION
COMMISSION

ON THIS PAGE:
Introduction
Who Are the Commissioners
What Does the Commission Do
Apply for Certificate of Appropriateness
Research Assistance
Do It By the Book
Ask the Experts for Assistance

Jump to Planning & Zoning Review Board

PUBLIC MEETINGS:

Historic Preservation Commission
1st Wed. each month starting 7:00pm
City Hall, 525 High Street, Burlington NJ 08016

To be considered for agenda, submit a complete Application at least two (2) weeks in advance of the scheduled meeting date, to:

Diane Burns, Board Secretary
City Hall, 525 High Street
Burlington, NJ 08016.

MATERIALS AVAILABLE:

Procedural Guidelines – Application, Procedure, Forms, Ordinance, etc. on paper

Applications Forms – Certificate of Appropriateness (download and print Application, Instructions in Acrobat® PDF forma)

U.S. Dept. of the Interior Technical information publications – see Get the Facts

Who Are the Commissioners | top of page

What Does the Commission Do | top of page

The Historic Preservation Commission is primarily charged with safeguarding the important architecture and historic heritage of the City. The Planning & Zoning Board relies on Commission advice on these matters.

City residents may benefit from historic preservation through:

• improving property values
• beautification
• encouraging private reinvestment
• leveraging educational resources
• promoting tourism and commercial opportunities

The benefits are achieved by preserving elements of cultural, political, social, economic and especially architectural history which fall within specially-designated individual sites, areas and the Historic District. See Map of Historic District for an indication of whether your property lies within its authority.

Map of Extent of Historic District

Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® is free software that lets you view and print Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files such as the one above. You can download the software for FREE from the Adobe Web site by following the steps on this site... http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

EXTERIORS of historic sites, structures and sections of the City are protected from demolition, permanent damage and ill-advised alterations. Before commencing work, seek advice from the City of Burlington Construction Official or the Historic Commission Secretary. If necessary, residents or property owners will be directed to seek Commission approval in the form of a review of proposed exterior work, and issuance of a “Certificate of Appropriateness”.

Applying for a Certificate of Appropriateness | top of page

Click to download an Application for Certificate of Appropriateness

Your application for a Certificate of Appropriateness will be reviewed by the Burlington City Historic Preservation Commission. You must provide sufficient information for us to properly review your Application.

Please complete the Application. Also, please submit any plans required by the City Construction Official showing conformance with the code, along with your application for a Certificate of Appropriateness.

Picture It

Much of the criteria for review is based on visual appearance. A current facade (front) photograph of your building is required with your application. The Commission also needs to receive photographs of the specific building portion the application will address. If you have historic photos they would also be helpful. In addition, brochures and other printed material showing intended types of doors, windows and fencing are important in the evaluation process. These items are generally available from suppliers and manufacturers of these products. Samples of proposed siding and roof material are also needed. Finally, color charts indicating planned colors or color schemes are necessary. The Historic Preservation Commission may be able to assist you in the area of historical design and color planning, see Technical Assistance below.

Submit Your Application | top of page

Your Application and all related materials must be submitted to Ms. Burns by the appropriate deadline date, that is, at least two (2) weeks before the scheduled meetings. Interested persons will be scheduled accordingly after the submission of the Applications / proposals. If the deadline is not met, your Application will be heard at the following monthly meeting.

Attend the Meeting

You are normally required to attend the meeting to present your proposal. You may also send a representative such as a contractor or attorney with written authorization. Meetings are generally held:

1st Wed. each month
starting 7:00pm
City Hall 525 High St. Burlington NJ 08016

Historic Preservation Commission Research Assistance | top

Get the Facts

* Old House Journal magazine ( http://www.oldhousejournal.com/index.shtml )
offers, as a great FREE resource, the National Park Service Technical Preservation Services for Historic Buildings Preservation Briefs, at:
( http://www.oldhousejournal.com/notebook/npsbriefs/index.shtml )
Writers working under contract with the federal government assembled more than 40 booklets to help owners and developers of historic buildings recognize and resolve common preservation and repair problems. OHJ collected and published the whole set online.

* Paper copies of these Briefs, with original pictures, can be ordered from the U. S. Government Printing Office. To order, use this page from the GPO’s Web site. Search the Sales Product Catalog for “Preservation Briefs.” ( http://bookstore.gpo.gov/ )

Do It By the Book | top of page

The Historic Preservation Commission has established a shelf of Reference literature and materials, to aid citizens interested in historic architecture, period designs, colors and schemes, preservation and techniques. These sources are available with the assistance of the:

Library Company of Burlington
23 West Union Street
Burlington NJ 08016
TEL: 609-386-1273

Historic Restoration and Preservation resources at the Library include:

City of Burlington Historic District Zoning and Historic Preservation Commission Ordinance - defines boundaries of the City Historic District and describes classifications of buildings within, as key, contributing and non-contributing. Provides specific criteria for review of applications from each class.

City of Burlington Historic Designation Survey - contains certain information about each property within the bounds of the Historic District: date of construction, presence on N.J. and National Historic Registers, and building classification (key, contributing and non-contributing).

Design Standards for Historic Landscape Restoration - 1977 project of Rutgers University and the City of Burlington describes 11 different architectural styles present in the City in terms of landscape and garden features and design, with appropriate plants listed for each. The document also contains an indexed record of the architectural style and street address of each Historic District property.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation - are ten basic principles to use in preserving the distinct character of a historic building and site, allowing for reasonable changes to accommodate changing needs.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties - defines treatment approaches: Presevation, Rehabilitation, Restoration and Reconstruction. Includes standards for each approach and guidelines for selecting your method.

National Park Service Technical Preservation Briefs - As the stewards of many National Monuments, the Park Service experts have assembled a series of 42 topical booklets to guide the preservation, rehabilitation and restoration of historic buildings. Topics include masonry, mortar, roofing, wood windows, architectural cast iron, landscapes, lead paint abatement and more.

Preservation Services Directories - Publicatons from Preservation NJ and old House Journal contain listings and information on products and services of interest to owners of historic properties.

Brochures and color charts from the providers to many National Park Service properties, Finnaren & Haley. Contains color and combinations deemed appropriate to the Philadelphia area for period architectural styles.

Miscellaneous spec sheets and “white papers” detailing available windows, shutters, doors, wood doors, wood restoration systems, chimney liners, lead paint abatement and encasement products, roofing, flooring, coatings and sealant products.

Need More Help? Ask the Experts | top of page

The City of Burlington Historic Preservation Commission may assist property owners in our Historic Districts regarding the exterior rehabilitation or restoration of their properties. Such assistance may be of value, especially in the areas of:

• Aesthetic appearance
• Architectural period and design
• Choosing historically-appropriate:

Materials

Colors and combinations

Construction Methods, etc.

• Alteration and replacement of:

Doors

Windows

Shutters

Fencing

Porches

Siding

Trim & Moulding, etc.

How to Request Technical Assistance | top of page

Access to Technical Assistance is offered through appointment, only.
Please call 609-386-0200, Extension 140 and ask Diane Burns for information on how to obtain such assistance from the Commission’s Consultant.

< RETURN TO TOP >