Michigan State University Extension
Tourism Educational Materials - 33860122
06/06/02
Historic Buildings: Issues in Preservation And Protection
Source: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
Authors: Parrott, Kathleen; D.; Dellenbarger, Ann
ID: NCR369
Year: 1990
North Central Regional Extension Publications are subject
to peer review and prepared as a part of the Cooperative
Extension activities of the thirteen land-grant
universities of the 12 North Central States, in cooperation
with the Extension Service - U.S. Department of
Agriculture, following states cooperated in making this
publication available.
Purdue University
301 S. Second St.
Lafayette, IN 47905-1092
317-494-6795
Iowa State University
112 Printing & Pub. Bldg.
Ames, IA 50011-1050
515-294-5247
Kansas State University
Umberger Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
913-532-5830
University of Wisconsin
Ag. Bulletin, Rm. 245
30 N. Murray St.
Madison, WI 53715
608-262-3346
*University of Nebraska
Dept. of Ag. Communications
Lincoln, NE 68583-0918
402-472-3023
*Publishing state
For copies of this and other North Central Regional
Publications, write to: Publications Office, Cooperative
Extension Service, in care of the University listed above
for your state. If they do not have copies or your state is
not listed above, contract the publishing state as marked
with an asterisk.
Programs and activities of the Cooperative Extension
Service are available to all potential without regard to
race, color, sex, national origin, or handicap.
In cooperation with NCR Educational Materials Project
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts
of Congress of May 8 and June 30,1914, in cooperation with
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cooperative
Extension Services of Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South
Dakota and Wisconsin. Leo E. Lucas, Director, Cooperative
Extension, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583.
March, 1990
Illustrations in this publication were taken from EC 8541,
and A Common Beginning.
Historic Buildings: Issues in Preservation and Protection
This publication is an introduction to the issues of
historic buildings. Historic significance, identifying
historic buildings, tracing and documenting the history of
a building, and protection of historic structures through
political action, certification and property restrictions
are discussed. Sources for further information are
included.
Historic buildings provide a tangible link to our past.
This link allows us to establish a sense of orientation
about our place in time. We can learn from the past, and
through preservation of historic buildings, can continue to
benefit from the accomplishments of our ancestors.
Historic buildings encompass a wide variety of forms,
including homes, farmstead structures, public and
commercial buildings. The landscapes that surround a
building and the contents of a building, such as
furnishings or equipment, may be considered part of the
historic resource.
Historic buildings are an important element in the flow of
our culture through time: a child visits a historic
government building to learn more about what it means to be
an American; a city resident on a historic farm learns
about pride and commitment in working the land. Historic
buildings are studied to tell us about use of materials and
creative solutions in everyday living.
Historic buildings are important for our future. These
resources need protection. We cannot afford to loose the
physical materials, ideas, skills and knowledge of our
past.
What is Historic?
Age is a criteria for a historic resource, but it must be
defined in relative terms. The definition of "old" will
vary with a person's perspective in time and the resource
being considered. A drive-in restaurant that is 25 years
old might be considered historic, while a courthouse might
not be considered historic until it is 50 or 75 years old.
Generally to be considered a historic resource, a building
must also be significant. One or more of the following
criteria are typically used to determine significance:
Age - A resource can become significant simply by the sheer
weight of time. An example is archeological ruins, such as
a building foundation.
Rarity - Sometimes a building is one of a very few that
remain today, and is thus significant for what it
represents. Examples include: buildings of materials, such
as sod, that were not easily preserved; everyday buildings,
such as a school house, that were heavily used until left
in disrepair or destroyed; buildings, such as commercial
storefronts, that were frequently remodeled or changed to
respond to new technology; or buildings, such as one
constructed in a regional architectural style, that were
originally built only in limited quantity
Unique or unusual example - Some historic buildings are
unusual, creative or unique. They may represent innovative
solutions. Examples include: an unusual form, such as a
round barn; a unique material or use of material, such as a
home with prefabricated metal walls; or a "one of a kind"
building.
Outstanding example - A historic building can be
significant because it is a particularly good example of
its type. This designation may come from the design, the
quality of workmanship or materials, or the current
condition or level of preservation. Examples include a
house that is a well-designed example of a period style, or
a community building representative of an ethnic tradition.
Connected to a well-known person - Some buildings are
significant by association if their owners, designers,
builders or users also have a place in history. The farm
that belonged to a government leader, the home designed by
a well-known architect, or the church attended by a
prominent person, all gain greater historic merit with the
link to a famous person.
Associated with a historic event - The places of history
become significant. These can be the places of major events
of wide impact, such as the site of the negotiation of an
Indian peace treaty or the opening of the first public
school in a territory. Or they can be events of local
concern, such as the community center used by the first
settlers in an area.
Any building that is relatively old should be looked at for
historic significance before it is modified, destroyed or
changed in any way. Determining historic significance can
be a complex, value-laden process. Objective criteria are
used, but the building must also be considered in its
physical, social and cultural context. Expert assistance
from a knowledgeable preservationist, architect, designer
or contractor is recommended.
Documenting Historic Buildings
When historic buildings are known and documented, planning
for appropriate protection and preservation can begin. An
effort must be made to systematically locate and identify
potential historic resources, whether a total community, a
neighborhood, an individual farmstead, or a single
building.
The first step in documenting historic buildings is to take
an inventory. The inventory is a record of potential
historic buildings within a definable area, such as a
farmstead, neighborhood, village or county. An inventory is
usually conducted by someone knowledgeable about historic
buildings and the history of the area being surveyed.
Contact your State Historic Preservation Office to find out
if an inventory has already been conducted in your area.
The inventory may begin with available documents, such as a
Sanborn insurance map, plat of a neighborhood,
topographical or soils map, or architectural blueprints of
a building. The historical inventory is usually recorded on
a map or plan. Specific information on style, design, age,
condition or state of repair, improvements or changes, and
current uses of buildings may be included.
A final factor in taking a historic inventory is to
consider the context of the buildings. What features or
elements are important to include to protect the integrity
of the historic building? If something were lost, would it
reduce the historic significance or value? For example, a
house might need to be considered in total with its lot and
landscaping, or with adjacent buildings that comprise the
street scape. Or a farmstead might need to include the
patterns of fields that surround it.
Tracing History
After potential historic buildings in an area have been
identified in an inventory, the next step is tracing and
documenting the history. A history provides evidence of the
significance of the buildings and leads to greater
appreciation of their value. The history of a building
includes the record of ownership; a description of the
original style, design, condition or situation; a record of
modifications, changes or improvements; details on the
people and events associated with it; and general
information about the original development or construction.
A documented history is necessary to carry out the
techniques of protection and preservation discussed later
in this publication.
To be successful in tracing a history, you must be
knowledgeable about the type of buildings you are studying.
For example, you need to know terminology about property
ownership and transfer, and architectural styles. Or if you
are working on a history of a farm, you need to know
something about farm operations and agricultural practices.
A professional historic preservation consultant can be of
assistance in documenting a building's history,
particularly if documents are needed for a certification or
recognition program, as discussed later in this
publication. Agencies and organizations can also provide
assistance, such as those listed at the end of this
publication.
To trace the history of ownership of property, begin with
the correct legal description. This can be obtained from
the deed or the tax assessor's office. An abstract of the
property, which is a summary of the ownership history, is
an excellent place to begin the search for further
information.
The county or city courthouse is likely to contain
documents of assistance to the historic searcher, such as
deed records, building permits, plat maps, land surveys,
wills and tax receipts. These records can be helpful in
documenting ownership and property transfers, and in adding
information about use and modification.
Local libraries, museums and historical societies can be
valuable sources of information. Among the documents that
can be of help are city directories, insurance maps,
newspaper files, street maps, community histories, historic
periodicals and magazines, biographies, and archives of
original documents, such as letters, diaries, and
photographs.
There are private sources of information, such as family
bibles, letters, diaries, photographs, or household
inventories. Personal remembrances, or oral histories, can
also be of value, particularly in giving leads to
additional information or in making the historic facts come
alive.
Finally, look for physical evidence at the historic
building. Evidence of activity or change of use involving
the building can provide further documentation. For
example, layers of different color paints, different
finishes or patterns of wear that give evidence of walls
that were removed, patterns of tree planting, or creosote
stains from fires can all tell stories about how the
historic place was used.
Protecting Historic Resources
Available historic buildings today need protection if they
are to survive in the future. Physical protection is needed
to preserve and maintain the structure. Physical protection
can involve preservation of a building "as is", restoration
to the form and detail of an earlier period, or
rehabilitation to allow a contemporary use while preserving
significant features. The appropriate techniques of
physical protection of a historic building depend on many
factors, including its current state of repair, historic
significance, location, potential use, and the availability
of resources, such as money, materials and skilled labor.
Social Protection
Social protection is also needed for historic buildings.
Social techniques to protect historic buildings tend to
fall into three categories: political action, certification
and property restrictions. These techniques are employed to
protect the historic resource from modification that would
threaten the historic significance of a structure or its
environment, or from destruction.
Political Action.
The first step in political action is to document historic
buildings and to make their value known. This includes
educating the public, property owners and decision makers.
Many public and private organizations, such as those listed
in this publication, are involved in education and
political action to protect historic buildings. Political
action also involves legislation for legal controls to
protect historic buildings. Commonly used techniques
include the community comprehensive plan, zoning and local
historic preservation ordinances.
A comprehensive plan is a "blueprint" the growth and
development of a community, such as a town or county. The
plan covers issues such as the use land, housing,
transportation, economic development and growth, and is the
foundation for the decisions about the future of the
community. The comprehensive plan should recognize historic
buildings in the community and include plans for their
protection.
Zoning is essentially the regulations that carry out the
community's comprehensive plan. Zoning divides the
community into a number of districts, or zones, and
prescribes appropriate uses for the property within the
zones. Example of zoning requirements are minimum lot
sizes, types and sizes of buildings, land use, and
population density.
Zoning can be used to protect historic buildings by
controlling land use around the structure and keeping the
uses compatible. Examples include minimum lot sizes in
agricultural areas to prevent intensive development or a
single family residential zone in an area of historic
houses.
While zoning can be a useful tool, it is not foolproof.
Variances to zoning regulations are possible. Typically,
these variances are given when the use of the land fulfills
the "spirit" of the zoning regulations, if not the "letter
of the law". Also, as with any local ordinance, zoning laws
can be changed by the community.
Local historic preservation ordinances can be passed to
protect specific historic buildings of historic districts
from unacceptable modification. An ordinance of this type
might specify design guidelines and appropriate materials
for rehabilitation of historic buildings. Most historic
preservation ordinances require certain types of public
review or designated permits before historic resources can
be altered or demolished or new buildings can be
constructed in a historic district. A historic preservation
ordinance usually establishes a local designation or
certification program to register historic resources, as
further described below.
Historic preservation ordinances are similar to zoning in
that they attempt to control land use to protect the
historic value of the resource. A historic preservation
ordinance can be a strong tool as it is tied to the
specific historic resource, such as a landmark building or
a historic district.
Certification. An important method in protecting historic
buildings is to achieve an official recognition or
certification as historic. This is achieved through a
local, state or national program. Depending on the program,
certification as a historic building may include
protections or restrictions on the use and modification of
the building and incentives to preserve its historic value.
The National Register of Historic Places is the largest and
probably the best known certification program. Many local
and state programs are modeled after the National Register.
The National Register is maintained by the National Park
Service of the Department of the Interior and includes
districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects of
local, state or national historic significance. Historic
resources can be nominated to the National Register by
individuals, organizations or government agencies. In
addition, historic areas in the National Park System and
National Historic Landmarks (historic sites of exceptional
historic significance) are included in the National
Register.
Listing in the National Register makes an owner of a
building eligible for federal tax incentives for
rehabilitation. In addition, protection is provided by
requiring review by the National Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation before certain federally funded or
licensed projects affecting the building can take place.
The National Register of Historic Places works through
individual State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO).
These offices are responsible for preparing and reviewing
nominations to the National Register. The SHPO provides
initial evaluation of the historic resource as to
eligibility for the National Register, and may provide
assistance with the nomination preparation. A listing of
the SHPO for each state in the North Central Region is
included at the end of this publication.
Nominations to the National Register are screened for
historic significance. Nominated resources should possess
local, state or national significance in history,
architecture, archeology or culture, and possess integrity
of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and
feeling.
Property Restrictions. An owner of a historic structure
also can build protection into the deed of the property.
Protection is achieved by restricting the use of the
property or by giving another group, such as a historic
preservation agency, certain rights to the property.
Property restrictions in the deed are legally binding on
future owners. Typically property restrictions are achieved
by easements or restrictive covenants.
A piece of property can be thought of as a group of
property rights. Property owned in "fee simple" includes
all legal rights to the property. The owners are free to do
what ever they want with the property within the limit of
the law. When an easement is created, the owner sells or
donates one or more property rights to another person or
organization.
A historic preservation easement might limit the type of
activities that take place on the property, such as
alteration of the building exterior, or obligate the owner
to certain activities, such as continued maintenance. The
holder of the easement is responsible for enforcement. For
example, the holder of the easement might give approval for
renovation work, or monitor the property to insure the
conditions of the easement are met.
Historic easements are commonly held by non-profit historic
preservation organizations or government agencies. An
easement can be donated or sold. A donated easement can
entitle the property owner to certain tax benefits. An
easement affects the value of the property. The value may
increase because the historic resource is protected. Or the
value of the property may decrease because the use of the
property is restricted. In all cases, planning an easement
requires appropriate legal and financial advice, and
careful evaluation of the consequences.
A restrictive covenant can also be included in a deed to
protect a historic building. A covenant is a binding
limitation on the use of the property which is accepted by
the owner. A covenant is different from an easement in that
property rights are not relinquished to someone other than
the property owner. As with easements, the effect of the
covenant on property values must be considered.
Economics of History
The cost of protecting a historic building can be high. By
their very nature, "old things" can be expensive to repair
and maintain. However, historic buildings can often be
modified to be economically productive while maintaining
their historic value and significance.
In order to promote protection of historic resources,
certain government programs exist to provide economic
benefits to those who try to preserve and protect historic
buildings. These programs may not make historic
preservation a profitable activity, but can make it
economically feasible.
Tax incentives are available to support rehabilitation of
historic structures. A "substantial rehabilitation" of a
certified historic structure (such as one listed on the
National Register of Historic Places) qualifies for a
federal income tax credit, if certain guidelines are met.
For example, the structures must be income-producing, such
as a barn or an inn. Older, non-certified structures (50
years or more), can qualify for lesser tax credits. Some
states offer income tax credits or property tax freezes for
rehabilitation of historic buildings.
Donations of historic easements can qualify for income tax
deductions. Contributions of property to non-profit
charitable historic preservation organizations may also
qualify for income tax benefits.
The decision to preserve and protect historic buildings
cannot be made on economics alone. The value of the
history, the link to the past, must also be considered. The
first step in the process is to become informed, to know
what are the historic resources in your area, and what
options exist for preservation and protection.
State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO)
Illinois: Department of Conservation, State Office
Building, 400 South Spring Street, Springfield, IL 62706.
Indiana: Department of Natural Resources, Division of
Preservation and Archeology, 608 State Office Building,
Indianapolis, IN 46204.
Iowa: Iowa State Historical Department, Office of Historic
Preservation, East 12th and Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA
50319.
Kansas: Kansas State Historical Society, 120 West 10th,
Topeka, KS 66612.
Michigan: Michigan History Division, Department of State,
208 North Capitol, Lansing, MI 48918.
Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society, 690 Cedar Street,
St. Paul, MN 55101.
Missouri: State Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box
176, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
Nebraska: Nebraska State Historical Society, Historic
Preservation Office, 1500 R Street, P.O. Box 82554,
Lincoln, NE 68501.
North Dakota: State Historical Society of North Dakota,
Liberty Memorial Building, Bismarck, ND 58501.
Ohio: State Historic Preservation Office, Ohio Historical
Society, Interstate 71 at 17th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211.
South Dakota: State Historic Preservation Officer,
Historical Preservation Center, University of South Dakota,
Alumni House, Vermillion, SD 57069.
Wisconsin: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 816 State
Street, Madison, WI 63706.
Historic Preservation Organizations and Agencies
American Association for State and Local History, 1400
Eighth Avenue, South Nashville, TN 37203.
American Farmland Trust,1717 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20036.
The Archeological Conservancy, 415 Orchard Drive, Santa Fe,
NM 87501.
The Association for Living Historical Farms and
Agricultural Museums, Room 5035, National Museum of
American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
25060.
Land Trust Exchange, Box 364, Bar Harbor, ME 04609.
National Park Service, Mid Atlantic Region, 600 Arch
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio).
National Park Service, Rocky Mountain Region, 655 Parfet
Street, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, CO 80225 (Illinois, Iowa,
Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Wisconsin).
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Headquarters,
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.,Washington, DC 20036.
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Midwest Regional
Office, 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1135, Chicago, IL
60650 (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin).
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Mountain/Plains
Regional Office, Kittredge Building, 511 16th Street, Suite
700, Denver, CO 80202 (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota,
South Dakota).
The Nature Conservancy, Suite 800, 1800 North Kent Street,
Arlington, VA 22209.
The Trust for Public Land, 82 Second Street, San Francisco,
CA 94105; 245 West 31st Street, New York, NY. 10001.
This project has been funded in part by a grant from the
National Trust for Historic Preservation. Acknowledgment is
given to Mary Humstone and Michael Matts of the National
Trust for Historic Preservation, Robert Puschendorf of the
Nebraska State Historical Society, Larry Reed of the State
Historical Society of Wisconsin, Sharon Skipton and Sandra
Hatter of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, and Keith Sawyers
and Shirley Niemeyer of the University of Nebraska for
their critical review of this publication.
Dr. Parrott is the Extension Housing and Interior Design
Specialist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University and Dr. Dellenbarger is the Extension Housing
Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
This information is for educational purposes only. References
to commercial products or trade names does not imply
endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not
mentioned. This information becomes public property upon
publication and may be printed verbatim with credit to MSU
Extension. Reprinting cannot be used to endorse or advertise
a commercial product or company.
This file was generated from data base TD on 09/30/03.
Data base TD was last revised on 06/06/02.
For more information about this data base or its contents please contact
alexande@msue.msu.edu . Please read our
disclaimer for important
information about using our site.