A historic house generally meets several criteria before being listed by an official body as "historic." Generally the building is at least a certain age, depending on the rules for the individual list. A second factor is that the building be in recognizably the same form as when it became historic. Third is a requirement that either an event of historical importance happened at the site, or that a person of historical significance was associated with the site, or that the building itself is important for its architecture or interior. Many historic houses are also considered museums and retain permanent collections that help tell the story of their house and the era.
4-505: The François Bâby House is a historic residence located in Windsor, Ontario , Canada which was owned by the prominent local politician François Baby . The house is a two-storey, Georgian style, red brick house once known as La Ferme locally, and was a French-Canadian ribbon farm which was a long narrow tract fronting endwise on the Detroit River . The home itself has historical ties to
8-710: The War of 1812 where it was used as a headquarters by both the American and British forces. Today, the François Baby House has been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada and serves as the current home of Windsor's Community Museum , a historical museum which displays the city's rich and colourful past. 42°19′07″N 83°02′33″W / 42.3185°N 83.0424°W / 42.3185; -83.0424 Historic home Houses were first thought of as historic rather than just old or interesting , during
12-448: The early nineteenth century. Government protection was first given during the late nineteenth century. Historic homes are often eligible for special grant awards for preservation. What makes a historic home significant is often its architecture or its importance to the culture or history of the area. There are some organizations that offer services to research the history of a home and others that provide repositories for users to document
16-458: The history of their homes. Historic homes may still be inhabited, and thus should not be confused with historic house museums . Houses are increasingly being designated as historic in the United States as a way to resuscitate neighbourhoods and increase the economic health of surrounding urban areas. Designating a house as historic tends to increase the value of the house as well as others in
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