This course introduces students to the role of historic property documentation in preservation practice, and to methods of gathering information about historic buildings and sites useful in both preservation decision-making and research into the built environment. Through class presentations and discussions, as well as through field research and hands-on exercises, students learn how to conduct chain of title and other archival research, gather and interpret physical evidence, conduct oral histories, and document a building with photographs, inventory forms, and measured drawings.

This course introduces students to the role of historic property documentation in preservation practice, and to methods of gathering information about historic buildings and sites useful in both preservation decision-making and research into the built environment. Through class presentations and discussions, as well as through field research and hands-on exercises, students learn how to conduct chain of title and other archival research, gather and interpret physical evidence, conduct oral histories, and document a building with photographs, inventory forms, and measured drawings.