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CULTURAL RESOURCES
AKRF’s Cultural Resources
department includes expert historians, archaeologists,
and planners who have close working relationships with
the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic
Preservation, the New York City Landmarks Preservation
Commission, and state and local preservation organizations
and groups. Whether researching a building or neighborhood,
conducting a statewide inventory of historic bridges,
collecting oral histories, or performing archaeological
surveys, our staff has the expertise to do the job right.
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our Cultural Resources services. |
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Our Cultural Resources team
is skilled in identifying, researching, and evaluating
potential historic resources. For projects involving
construction near historic buildings, we also
prepare construction protection plans that detail
protective measures to avoid such physical impacts
as settlement or cracking during construction. |
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This process involves documentary
research to prepare a narrative description and
statement of significance for a property, as well
as the preparation of photographs and maps to
accompany the narrative. |
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We document a property’s
history to identify its construction date, architect,
alterations, historical use, association with
significant events, and its place in a larger
historical context. Research is typically undertaken
at both public and on-line repositories. |
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Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires federal
agencies to assess the effects of their projects
on historic properties. We help project sponsors
identify historic structures in a project’s
study area, assess the project’s potential
to cause adverse effects on historic resources,
and, if adverse effects are expected, consult
with the federal agency, the project sponsor,
the State Historic Preservation Office, and other
interested parties to resolve the adverse effect
and develop mitigation, if necessary. |
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HABS documentation is typically
prepared if a proposed project would cause a significant
adverse impact on a historic resource, such as
through demolition or significant alteration of
the property. HABS documentation, which serves
as partial mitigation for the impact, includes
collecting archival black-and-white photographs
and large-format negatives and writing a narrative
describing the resource’s significance. |
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To determine whether intact
archaeological resources might exist on a project
site and what they may tell us about the past,
we prepare Phase 1A archaeological documentary
studies in-house. These findings provide a basis
for determining whether archaeological fieldwork
is needed. AKRF also prepares protocols for and
performs Phase 1B archaeological field testing
investigations. |
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Under Section 4(f) of the U.S.
Department of Transportation Act, a federal transportation
agency cannot approve the use of any Section 4(f)
resource for transportation unless it determines
that there is no feasible and prudent alternative,
and that harm to the resource is minimized. AKRF’s
Cultural Resources department prepares Section
4(f) evaluations, which require a thorough assessment
of alternatives, including avoidance alternatives
and the development of mitigation measures. |
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A preliminary documentation
of a property’s historic significance, these
forms are usually prepared so that the State Historic
Preservation Office can make an official determination
of a property’s eligibility for listing
on the State and National Registers of Historic
Places. Each form requires a visual description,
photographs, location map, and a description of
a property’s historic and architectural
significance. Our Cultural Resources team has
prepared several hundred of these forms for many
projects. |
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Coming soon. |
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