Building-Knowledge
Providing owners of historic
property with a full range of
preservation management
services
Building-Knowledge, a certified
Massachusetts Women Business Enterprise,
specializes in historic property consulting,
planning and management.
Founded by Andrea Mones, an American
Institute of Conservation professional, the
firm provides a wide range of skills in historic
preservation planning, project management,
property management, architectural and art
conservation management, and museum
development.
During her federal career, she identified,
repaired, and rehabilitated 70 historic properties,
totaling more than six million square feet. Along
the way, Ms. Mones was granted the American
Chair for a UNESCO postgraduate program
in Rome, Italy where she studied architectural
conservation. Her professional training also
includes a Bachelor of Arts in architecture and
art history from the University of Pennsylvania and
a Masters in Business Administration in real estate
finance from George Washington University.
Ms. Mones created and managed a federal
fine arts program that restored 57 Works Progress
Administration (WPA) murals painted during the
1930s in many Washington, D.C. federal buildings
as well as commissioned new works of art.
Recent work includes interior restoration design
services for the Salem Five Cents Savings Bank
in Salem, MA; condition assessment of the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s 1904
Cheney estate, Dover, MA; building analysis
of a du Pont ‘cottage’ on Peach’s Point in
Marblehead, MA; and restoration budgeting
for the 1910 Townsend mansion (Cosmos Club)
in Washington, D.C.
Prior to forming this consulting firm,
Ms. Mones acted as owner’s representative
for historic federal buildings in Washington, D.C.,
creating, developing, and managing
an historic preservation program for the
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
Ms. Mones played a major role in several
significant federal building preservation initiatives,
including identification and assessment of
150 government-owned historic properties,
restoration of the 1899 Old Post Office Building,
preservation of the 1842 President’s Guest House
(Blair House) complex, restoration and conversion
of the 1852 U.S. General Post Office Building into
a hotel, and creation of the National Building
Museum within the 1886 U.S. Pension Building.
Mural Conservation at the
U.S. Department of Justice Building,
Washington DC
A unique GSA project headed by Ms. Mones
is the newly established Clara Barton Civil War
Museum in Washington, D.C. Between 19982005, Ms. Mones was the museum’s director
as well as its creator and developer.
Miss Barton’s apartment, where she lived
between 1863-1868, was discovered in 1997
within federally-owned property, 129 years after
Miss Barton’s departure. It was not known
that the site housed her apartment until that
discovery, and the space remains in near-original
condition, lacking heating and electricity. The
museum’s stabilization and conservation was
accomplished under Ms. Mones’ leadership.
U.S. General Post Office Building, Washington DC,
north facade
Ms. Mones is presently collaborating on the
restoration of an1896 summer cottage on
Peach’s Point, Marblehead, MA, that was originally
owned by the du Ponts of Wilmington, Delaware.
The home has had few changes but requires
restoration and preservation of its original
architectural finishes and the introduction of
contemporary systems, including heating,
ventilating, and cooling.
The 1997 pre-restoration condition of
Miss Clara Barton’s 1863 office and apartment
Ms. Mones’ thoroughness and understanding of
appropriate preservation planning, design, and
construction, as well as art conservation and art
commissioning, have earned her 16 national
design awards as well as professional
membership in both Lambda Alpha,
International, the Honorary Society for the
Advancement of Land Economics, and the
American Institute for Conservation.
Drawing on her career in the public sector,
Ms. Mones knows the complexity of historic
property ownership. Building-Knowledge can
work with multiple owners and multi-disciplinary
project teams. Ms. Mones’ knowledge is most
beneficial during budgeting and project
execution to ensure the project’s appropriate
funding and its completion as designed.
Ms. Mones has extensive experience evaluating
a property’s condition and knowing when and
how to retain historic construction. Her
consultation and guidance can ensure that
value-added can be gained by avoiding costly
approaches to materials replacement rather
than repair. Many historic building materials are
more durable than today’s alternatives.
Historic image of the du Pont cottage,
Peach’s Point, Marblehead, MA, courtesy of the
Hagley Museum, Wilmington, Delaware
Establishing significance, surveying and
assessing building components, and finding
the appropriate craftspeople to accomplish
the project, are some of the benefits of
working with Building-Knowledge.
Building-Knowledge can help clients realize
the best value for their property and the best
procedures for its renovation and preservation.
Building-Knowledge offers
an unusual breadth of services
to support all phases of historic
property ownership.
This depth of knowledge will
ensure your project’s success.
Contact Andrea Mones
781-631-0210
Townsend mansion ballroom (Cosmos Club),
Washington, D.C
andreamones@building-knowledge.com