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 basic research methods and techniques for gathering, recording, and interpreting information about historic buildings and sites. Class discussions and practical exercises on focus on the National Register system's documentation requirements, HABS conventions for drawing, and recording for survey and compliance purposes (e.g., Section 106). While engaging in field research to investigate historic buildings and sites, students will learn how, when, and why to apply the everyday research and recording techniques used by preservation professionals including fundamental methods for conducting archival research; evaluating physical evidence; developing building descriptions and historical narratives; producing measured drawings archival purposes; and organizing results.