Abstract

Authenticity refers not only to the physical characteristics of cultural properties, but also to the ways in which collective memories connect with particular environments. Each historic site presents a unique interpretation of authenticity, rooted in a combination of the material, contextual, and cultural realms. Preservation standards have emerged to answer a number of questions regarding the need to develop guidelines for conservation of historic properties. This thesis addresses 90 years of cultural preservation policy through international standard-setting instruments, including the Athens Charter of 1931, the Venice Charter of 1964, UNESCO72, the World Heritage Operational Guidelines, the 1994 Nara Recommendation on Authenticity, and the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, as well as core United States federal preservation legislation, including the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the Secretary of Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties. These documents are examined for the specific framing of reconstruction actions, and the ways in which major interventions may simultaneously bolster and compromise authenticity of a historic property. Four case studies, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in Manhattan, New York; the Ise Temple complex in Japan; the rebuilt Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany; and the Abu Simbel temple complex located near Aswan, Egypt, contribute to the discussions surrounding authenticity. Each site explored in this paper further illustrates the difficulties emerging from attempts to establish a uniform method of preservation interventions across a range of heritage sites. Modern, flexible preservation tools will establish the groundwork for new approaches to authenticity that accurately reflect the multifaceted significance of the global cultural environment and contribute to contemporary discussions on sustainable development.