Historic interiors are an integral component to the historic fabric of our communities, yet the protection of interiors is fodder for debate among preservationists as to whether interiors are afforded equal protection as exteriors. This debate arises because interiors present unique challenges, namely, issues of public access, designation of publicly versus privately owned interiors,and infringement on Fifth Amendment rights. This thesis will examine federal, state, and local government policies, organizations, and laws, and discuss their impact on the protection of historic interiors. Five seminal court cases that examine legal precedents for designating interiors will also be addressed. Finally, case studies provide examples of how two communities have used local preservation laws to preserve and protect significant interiors in their cities. This thesis will show that historic interiors are subject to controls that ensure their preservation and designation. / Historic preservation in the United States -- Legal precedents -- Case analyses. / Department of Architecture

Li, Ho Fai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-117). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.i / English and Chinese Abstracts --- p.ii / List of Contents --- p.iv / "Index of tables, figures, and diagrams" --- p.vi / Lists of abbreviations and acronyms --- p.vii / Notes --- p.ix / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Research Background and Research Question --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Methodology --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Research Significance --- p.5 / Chapter 1.4 --- "Theoretical Frameworks, Central Arguments and Organization of the Thesis" --- p.6 / Chapter 2. --- Theoretical Frameworks and Literature Review --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1 --- Historical Institutionalism --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2 --- The Study of Heritage Conservation --- p.10 / Chapter 2.3 --- The Study of Civil Society --- p.12 / Chapter 2.4 --- Political Economy of Built Heritage Conservation --- p.14 / Chapter 2.5 --- State-Civil Society Relations in Post-Independence Malaysia --- p.16 / Chapter 3. --- "Case Study of George Town in Penang, Malaysia (1957-2008)" --- p.24 / Chapter 3.1 --- Genesis of George Town as a British Colonial Town --- p.24 / Chapter 3.2 --- Development of George Town in 1950s-1970s --- p.25 / Chapter 3.3 --- Development of George Town in 1980s-2008 --- p.32 / Chapter 3.4 --- Updates of Development of George Town since 2008 --- p.60 / Chapter 4. --- "Analysis of the case of George Town in Penang, Malaysia" --- p.66 / Chapter 4.1 --- A Path of Institutional Change towards Heritage Conservation --- p.67 / Chapter 4.2 --- Structural Basis for Civil Society-state Synergy --- p.69 / Chapter 4.3 --- Conceptualizing the Constructability of Civil society-state Synergy --- p.77 / Chapter 4.4 --- "Identification of ""Critical Juncture"" in the Developmental Path" --- p.82 / Chapter 4.5 --- Sustainability of Civil society-state Synergy --- p.83 / Chapter 5. --- Conclusion and Discussion --- p.88 / Chapter 5.1 --- Brief Review of the Heritage Movement in Penang --- p.88 / Chapter 5.2 --- Summary of Arguments --- p.89