High Water, High Stakes: Adapting Historic Homes for Flood Resilience
About this Session
Flooding poses one of the most significant and growing threats to New Jersey’s historic housing stock. As flood events intensify due to climate change, preservation professionals, local officials, and homeowners are increasingly faced with complex questions about how to adapt historic properties while retaining their historic character and fulfilling regulatory compliance.
This session will provide a practical overview of how historic properties can be appropriately adapted to flood conditions. Presenters will examine flood risk assessment, regulatory frameworks, and design strategies that balance safety, resilience, and preservation values. The session will address federal, state, and local regulations, including FEMA floodplain requirements, Section 106 Review, New Jersey Register of Historic Places review, and the application of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Participants will learn about common flood adaptation strategies and design guidelines for historic homes and how these approaches can be implemented in ways that minimize impacts to character-defining features. Through real-world examples from New Jersey, the session will highlight both successful approaches and common challenges, such as reconciling floodplain requirements with preservation standards and guidelines.
Audience: Architects, planners, HPCs, CRM
Speakers:
Scott Gerlica - NJ HPO
Dominique Hawkins - PDP Architects
Christopher Testa - NJ OEM
Presented by
