The United States is one of the few countries in the world that still uses the term “Historic Preservation.” Today the preferred term is “Heritage Conservation.” I also prefer the term because heritage conservation reflects the reality that houses are not set in stone, never to change to accommodate modern lives. Preservation is defined in this context as a focus on ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials, rather than extensive replacement or new construction. The reality for today’s owners of historic homes, the goal of “preservation” is to conserve the portions or features which convey the house’s historic, cultural or architectural values while allowing repairs, alterations and additions necessary to make it useable.
Note: If you see a recently built home, don't be confused. Massively remodeled homes will retain a "historic" year built and, unfortunately, the database filters may not delete the properties from search results.