Laws & Standards

The Pine Building, South Lawn, and other southern gardens on the campus are subject to a conservation easement agreement made with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office in September of 2007.

The Pine Building and gardens are both listed as contributing properties on the Philadelphia Historic District of Society Hill and building permit applications for repair work must be reviewed and approved by the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

The International Existing Building Code encourages the use and reuse of existing buildings. “This code covers repair, alteration, addition and change of occupancy for existing buildings and historic buildings while achieving appropriate levels of safety without requiring full compliance with the new construction requirements contained in the other I-codes.”

All work executed on the Hospital campus should follow the Secretary of Interior (SOI) Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

The Charter emphasizes a broad understanding of cultural significance and recognizes both tangible and intangible heritage values, making it a particularly relevant framework for a place like the Pennsylvania Hospital.

The New Orleans Charter has been officially adopted by both the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI). It is a relevant guiding document for the Hospital in treating historic structures and their collections as integrated elements of a single ecosystem. In its preamble and principles.