martinhouseclr

202 DARWIN D. MARTIN HOUSE // CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT The purpose of the Darwin D. Martin House CLR Treatment Plan is to define the preservation (and implementation) strategy of the designed cultural landscape based on its significance, existing conditions, and current use. The plan serves to guide the Martin House Restoration Corporation and other property stewards in making future decisions on implementing projects that may alter the character of the cultural landscape. As discussed in the CLR Analysis and Evaluation, the designed landscape of the Darwin D. Martin House maintained nearly three decades of both design and ownership continuity during the Period of Significance. The Martins stayed in the house and maintained the designed landscape throughout this period, wherein though individual plants were sometimes altered or modified by the owner at the small scale, the overall spatial relationships of the design remained intact. This is an important part of the property’s significance as well as a key interpretive theme – and it plays a guiding role in the proposed treatment strategy. These recommendations include several components. First is the Treatment Framework, consisting of a brief overview of the basis and standards behind the recommendations and a review of property-specific issues influencing treatment. Next, a ‘Primary Treatment’ has been proposed that will ensure consistency in treatment activities and establish one philosophical approach towards alterations to the entire cultural landscape. The ‘Treatment Philosophies and Site-Wide Guidelines’ section includes overarching approaches to decision making on various thematic treatment issues. Lastly, the ‘Landscape Rehabilitation Tasks and Prioritization’ section describes the specific recommended physical treatment tasks and prioritizes them based on factors such as feasibility and interpretive value. Treatment Framework The treatment framework for the landscape of the Darwin D. Martin House is based on three key sources: (A) Material examined and documented during the CLR Historic Research, Existing Conditions, Analysis and Evaluation, and; (B) Recognized historic preservation standards, and; (C) The Martin House Restoration Corporation’s (MHRC) management, programming and interpretive goals for the property. In addition to these primary sources, several other property-specific issues and contextual realities serve to guide the recommended treatment and have been described below. Treatment Standards The specific preservation standards applied to the treatment of the property are The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes (1996). These Standards define four appropriate treatment alternatives that are recognized by the Secretary of the Interior for all historic buildings and sites, including historic designed landscapes. These four treatment alternatives are identified as preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction. Preservation: Preservation is defined as the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property. Work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. New 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. Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation is defined as the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical or cultural values. Restoration: Restoration is defined as 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 Treatment Recommendations 5