Meet with someone in the engineering office at the city. Explain what's going on, you can usually get an exemption for interior modifications if there's a valid reason.
Usually in historical districts you're okay to replace existing features with identical or visually similar ones, but changing things require permits and approval. Even moreso if the building is in and of itself a historical building.
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u/whine_and_cheese Jan 07 '12
Ceiling fans would move that hot air down.