ABSTRACT
The concept of material agency is central to the narratives told by preservation homeowners because it focuses attention on the perception of physical objects and the development of personal attachments and social relationships with houses. The experience of living in an older house as a child can play an important role in teaching future preservationist homeowners what to expect in terms of material conditions, and how to go about restoring the original qualities. Homeowners’ research on historic identities is the main vehicle for establishing social relationships and potentially activating the material agency of the old house. The main work of preservation homeowners is investigating and recovering the physical characteristics of their houses with the goal of restoring as many of them as possible to their original state. The old house allows people to make new what was old and make it relevant and meaningful to a new generation of homeowners.
