Historic Denver's offices have moved.
We are now in the Tattered Cover Building
1628 16th Street, Suite 200
Denver, CO 80202
303-534-5288
Fax: 303-534-5296

Help preserve Denver's unique heritage.
Become a Member of Historic Denver.

If you are investing your heart and soul - and probably a sizable chunk of your net worth - into your renovation project, you will want the best outcome possible. If you faithfully obey The Ten Commandments of Historic Renovation, your project has the best chance of becoming a success that you and others enjoy for decades (maybe centuries!) rather than a well-intentioned failure.

The principles behind the Commandments are explained in detail on the Secretary of the Interior's web site and on handouts available at the Sacred Landmarks Preservation office.

The Ten Commandments have been carefully formulated to help you avoid embarrassing mistakes and to protect your historic building from well-meaning but misguided efforts. Refer to them and obey them whenever you need to make a decision about your renovation project.

I. Thou shalt repair damaged materials whenever possible. When not possible, thou shalt replace them with materials that match the original as closely as possible. Vinyl siding, aluminum windows, mass produced doors with fan lights are cardinal sins.

II. Thou shalt honor the scale and proportion of thy building, maintaining the heights of windows and doors, the number of panes of glass in the windows, the dimensions of columns. Replacing existing windows with smaller ones and removing the transoms over exterior doors are mortal sins.

III. Thou shalt replace architectural elements such as brackets or turned balustrades that have been lost or stolen by thieves. Thou shalt not place Victorian millwork on a Greek Revival building or otherwise apply stylistically appropriate elements to thy house.

IV. Thou shalt honor signature elements that express a particular building type and architectural style.

V. Thou shalt not convert thy historic building to a new use that requires dramatic changes to the building's defining characteristics.

VI. Thou shalt not embellish thy building with conjectural features.

VII. Thou shalt not inflict harsh physical or chemical treatments to thy historic structure, but shall employ the gentlest methods available for the surface cleaning of thy structure. Sandblasting pits bricks and using it is a mortal sin.

VIII. Thou shalt not disturb sites of archeological interest, but shalt notify authorities should you unearth something of interest.

IX. Thou shalt not erect enormous dormers, gargantuan rear wings or other plus-sized additions that dwarf the original building, or otherwise construct additions that are not compatible with the original building in terms of massing, size, scale and architectural features.

X. Thou shalt not alter the slope of the roof of thy building or otherwise impair the essential form and integrity of they historic property so that the additions and new construction cannot be removed in future years.