Deb,

There are different standards of practice and ethics in the different fields
of preservation. Is removing the circa 1900 additions on Montpelier any
different from the past practice of taking down period buildings and re-erecting
them on another site - sometimes in re-creating villages that never were?

Is adding electric service, HVAC, security, fire alarm and suppression, and
phone systems in keeping with a historic structure? Of course it is.

There are also examples of period buildings that have been turned into
stores, condos, or just bulldozed down. And as long as a building is privately owned
the owner has the right to do as they will to the structure (interesting as
this is also very much the story of architecture). Even if a building is on the
National Register there is still considerable leeway as to it's use and
restoration, especially on the building interiors.

The standard of practice and ethics in architectural restoration if far
different from that of a fine arts or anthropological discipline. I would think
that as long as the component architectural parts are documented and preserved
that those standards and ethics in architecture are well met.

Another important thing to consider: Is Montpelier important as a period
building or is it important because it was the home of James Madison? Should the
interpretation focus on the history of the building and how it changed or on
the Madison's?

In conservation we often face the issue of old repairs on an object and
whether that is something that alters original intent or reflects the history of
the artifact. There is no one answer and there are different standards in
different specialties. What is considered overpaint from a later restoration to be
removed in a fine arts painting might be considered an important history to be
left intact in a Folk Art work on canvas. What is considered appropriate to
remove replaced feet and hardware on period furniture to return it to it's
"period" appearance would usually not be done on a historic rifle or musket.

These ethics and standards change from generation to generation, we
constantly are reinterpreting and altering our material past through the lenses of our
perspectives about the past and the stories that we ultimately want these
artifacts to tell.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Artifacts
2930 South Birch Street
Denver, CO  80222
303-300-5257
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