Historic Window Preservation

Historic preservation enriches our communities by preserving homes and buildings that tell stories about the past and guide us into the future. It’s pushes back against a cultural ethos that “new is better” and that the old should be scrapped in the name of progress or better living. 

We come at historic preservation through windows. Their design and placement determines the balance and beauty of a home or building. But unfortunately, the window replacement industry has many people mistakenly believing that to make their building energy efficient and do the right thing, they need to replace their windows.  By adding Indow window inserts you may keep the original windows while eliminating drafts, reducing energy use and blocking noise. 

Preserving historic windows is also important for qualifying for historic tax credits. (please see below)

Many Richmond buildings have windows made over 100 years ago from old-growth trees that were
200 to 300 years old at the time they were logged. You cannot find them anymore.

Local architecture standards often restrict property owners and developers from replacing the windows. Or if replacing the windows they need to match the historic
windows, and this can be very costly. By adding Indow inserts you can avoid costly window replacements and the architectural review boards will appreciate that you did not alter the appearance of your historic windows since Indow inserts cannot be seen from the outside.

Building owners and developers applying for a Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit – also known as the Historic Preservation Tax Credit – are urged to retrofit, rebuild and restore historic windows instead of replacing them. They can use Indow inserts to make those original windows perform similar to high-performance double-panes.

Read more about The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Read more about the Historic Preservation Tax Credit.