Mount Vernon's Restoration Department is responsible for all maintenance and repairs to every historic structure on the estate. Because of the unique and historic nature of the Mansion and all outbuildings, special expertise in historic building methods and structures is necessary to complete all of the necessary restoration work done to Mount Vernon's historic property. While there has always been staff dedicated to these tasks, the goals and demands of the profession have evolved and increased the need for highly skilled experts in the field of restoration. A structural survey of the Mansion was conducted in 1989 and recommended the completion of a historic structures report before any other major renovations were completed. The architectural firm Mesick-Cohen-Waite was hired to compile this report which was finished in 1993. Extensive historic documentation was necessary to complete the report and these Restoration Files are the final product of that work. Mount Vernon Library staff, restoration staff, and volunteers worked for months to collect this information that was vital for the success of the report. Later studies and reports, dated into the 2000s, were added to these files in order to keep the files up-to-date and complete. According to the 1992 Minutes of the MVLA, the Historic Structures Report is invaluable and "presents for the first time a comprehensive chronology and various interpretations of the development of the Mansion house. It offers a systematic arrangement of the measured drawings collection, condition reports of all Mansion spaces, hardware analysis, recommended repairs, etc."