Significance in History of Architecture: Eric Hirsch's Hermeneutics

As a branch of history, history of architecture is a cognitive quest for understanding the meaning of architectural monuments. Such a question history and historiography is essentially an effort in interpretation, which—by its very nature—becomes an exercise in hermeneutics.
Employing the theories of the American philosopher, Eric Donald Hirsch (1928- ), this paper questions the typologies of architectural significance. As an advocate of objectivity of meaning versus semantic autonomy, Hirsch distinguishes between the verbal meaning of a text and its historic significance. On this basis, this paper further differentiates between the significance of a work of architecture per se, and its architectural significance. The former notion refers to the ultimate purpose of creating a work of architecture, and as such, is closely related to its functions, intentions of its patrons, architect, etc. The latter however, denotes the role a certain work of architecture potentially plays in the evolution of architecture in its respective historic period.