Historic District Design Guidelines

The Town of Chestertown Historic District Design Guidelines were written by John L. Seidel and Kees de Mooy. All photographs by Kees de Mooy.

More than two thousand towns and cities in the United States have adopted historic preservation ordinances and design guidelines for protecting and rehabilitating historic structures. They have done so out of a concern for the public appearance of their communities, and in order to preserve their heritage, protect property values, and encourage civic pride. In these jurisdictions, historic preservation commissions or similar governmental entities are charged with reviewing construction applications. They strive to protect the unique qualities of their historic district and to ensure that buildings do not fall into decay. In Chestertown, this review entity is the Chestertown Historic District Commission.

These guidelines provide the Historic District Commission (HDC) and property owners
with guidance on appropriate methods for the upkeep and rehabilitation of the town’s historic buildings. They also assist in the design of new construction in the historic district, whether these are additions to existing structures or entirely new buildings. The guidelines do not seek to prevent change. Change is inevitable in any living town, and these guidelines are aimed at ensuring that change is appropriate to Chestertown’s unique character. The HDC uses the guidelines and applies the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation to evaluate the appropriateness of changes to a building and to the Historic District as a whole. Property owners can use these guidelines to identify what kinds of treatments are effective and appropriate, and to better understand what will be approved by the HDC.

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