Stewardship at Historic New England
Connecticut | Maine | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | Vermont
A Partnership with Property Owners
Living with the Past, Planning for the Future.
New England enjoys a rich legacy of architecture and landscapes that reflects the region's distinctive character as it has evolved over the past 350 years. Many historic property owners value the meaning embodied in the historic features of their homes. But what happens when a property changes hands? Will the new owners understand the significance of these features? Or will they unknowingly make changes that erode the historic character? The craftsmanship and time-worn details that are the marks of history are fragile -- once removed or altered they can never again be returned to their original state. Through its Stewardship Program, Historic New England helps property owners who share these concerns to ensure that their historic houses and landscapes will be preserved for future generations.
Historic New England’s Stewardship Program is a partnership between the property owner and organization with a shared goal of preserving a property's historic character. The mechanism used to accomplish this goal is known as a preservation restriction, a perpetual legal agreement that is recorded in the local land records. By releasing certain property rights, owners entrust Historic New England with the responsibility to protect the property's historic features from alteration, demolition, or neglect. If an owner needs to make changes to the property, Historic New England will review plans to ensure that the work is carried out sensitively and without damage to significant features.
Historic New England is the region’s oldest and largest holder of preservation restrictions. Protecting over seventy properties across New England, the Stewardship Program demonstrates that preservation restrictions are a powerful and effective means of permanently preserving historic buildings and landscapes. Additionally, the organization is one of the few in the country to protect not just exterior architectural features, but interior details and finishes, including staircases, fireplaces, moldings, historic wallpaper, decorative painting and early hardware. Site features such as stone walls and fences can also be preserved, and subdivision of the land upon which an historic building exists can be prohibited, thereby preserving the context and views of the historic structure.
Properties protected by Historic New England reflect a range of architectural styles and time periods in rural, suburban and urban locations.
Property owners who are concerned for the future of their historic homes are encouraged to contact the Stewardship Program at (781) 891-4882, ext. 227 to obtain an application form and schedule an initial site visit. Payment of a non-refundable application fee is required and administration of the preservation restrictions is supported through an endowment contribution made by direct or installment payments.
Discover more about the Stewardship Program in the Historic
New England magazine archives:
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page to get answers to many of the inquiries received by our preservation experts.
Historic New England is presented by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities.
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