Definitions of Preservation Terms

Download PDF versions of the Heritage Notes at the Community Development website:

Heritage Notes #3 (pdf)

Gary DuGuay

The increased activity in the field of heritage resource preservation has given rise to a number of terms, which must be understood in order to be able to make use of the technical literature on the topic. While some of these terms may differ from country to country and with time, those discussed in this Heritage Note have been derived from current North American publications in the preservation field.

You’ll find the definitions for these terms:

• Heritage resources
• Preservation (historic or architectural)
• Conservation
• Preservation strategies: (ranked by degree of alteration) restoration, renovation, rehabilitation, adaptive re-use, remodeling, reconstitution, reconstruction
• Preventative maintenance: conservation, routine maintenance, emergency maintenance
• Repair – stabilization, interim stabilization, long-term stabilization, consolidation, repointing
• Replacement
• Retrofitting

Provided in this Heritage Note are real-life examples of each term in practice:

• Preservation – using the Mine Manager’s House at Leitch Collieries in Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass as an example.
• Restoration – using Rutherford House in Edmonton, Stephansson House near Markerville, and The Home Grain Co. elevator at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village near Edmonton as examples.
• Renovation – (or recycling) using the LeMarchand Mansion in Edmonton as an example.
• Reconstitution – using the Rideau Convent Chapel, in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa as an example.
• "The preservationist’s rule of thumb is: ‘It is better to preserve than to repair, better to repair than restore and better to restore than reconstruct’."