Indiana Landmarks Primer on the National Register of Historic Places

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Significance: The nomination must show that a property has been associ- ated with important national, state, or local events or people, or displays the distinctive characteristics of an architectural type, period or method of construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses artistic value. Sites that promise to help in the discovery of important informa- tion about prehistory or history— mainly archaeological sites—also hold significance. Integrity: To possess historical and architectural value, a property must still display the qualities that make it significant. From the National Register perspective, this visual connection to the sources of significance is called integrity. Integrity relies on the presence of original design, building materials, context and other factors. Age: As a rule, a building must be more than 50 years old for National Register consideration, or the events that lend a structure its significance must have occurred more than 50 years ago. However, there are exceptions to this rule for modern struc- tures of pre-eminent importance. Warning: Some places are more difficult to list than others. Cemeteries, birthplaces and graves of historical figures, structures that have been moved, historic buildings that have been substantially rebuilt (as opposed to restored), and commemora- tive properties are generally—but not always—ineli- gible for the National Register. If you’re interested in landmark status for a site that falls into one of these categories, check with DHPA before pursuing a nomination. Nominating a Property to the National Register A single-site National Register nomination involves six steps: Submit a request to DHPA for a preliminary de- termination of eligibility. This will save you and DHPA time and possibly expense. In the request, include the property’s street address, city, town- ship, and county; the site number if it appears in your county’s Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory; approximately 10 jpeg images of the building(s); a sketched site plan of the property; historical background on the site. Response from DHPA to requests for determina- tion of eligibility may take several weeks. If DHPA determines that the property is eligible, decide if you will attempt to prepare the nomina- tion yourself or hire a professional for the task. Indiana Landmarks’ regional office staff (see “Resources” on following page) can provide ad- vice, and we have a grant program for hiring pros to write nominations. Complete the nomination forms obtained from DHPA. The form requires a detailed architectural description of the property in its current state and a digest of alterations from its original appearance, a boundary description using USGS coordinates, digital photographs of the property, and a narra- tive substantiating the property’s significance. DHPA also provides instruction sheets on com- pleting the forms. If the do-it-yourself approach does not interest you, you can hire a consultant to do research and/or prepare the entire nomination (see “Resources” on following page). Return the completed form to DHPA. DHPA reviews the nomination for complete- ness and accuracy, communicating questions and deficiencies and giving the preparer the opportunity to revise. At the conclusion of this process, DHPA forwards the nomination with a staff recommendation to the Indiana Historic Preservation Review Board, which meets quar- terly. Owners of properties under consideration are notified of the meeting, which is open to the public. In cases where someone other than the property owner nominates a site, the owner can attend the meeting to offer support or to object. If an owner formally objects, DHPA may forward the nomination to the National Register staff at the federal level for a determination of eligibility, rather than an official listing. The State Review Board approves or denies the nomination. Approval triggers automatic listing in the State Register and submission to the fed- eral level for National Register consideration. Federal officials who administer the National Register approve or deny the nomination. Single-site nominations can take up to a year to achieve listing, while complex nominations involv- ing multiple sites can take longer. NOMINATING MORE THAN ONE PROPERTY The National Register accepts two kinds of nominations: individual structures, a house for example; and multiple properties that are related to each other. Multiple-site listings can be grouped by geographic boundaries—most historic districts fall into this category—or by property type, such as the covered bridges of Rush County. 2 Indiana Landmarks / National Register / June 2016 www.indianalandmarks.org Residents sought National Register listing for the Traders Point Rural Historic District in Marion County to recog- nize and protect the area’s agrarian char- acter from destruc- tive thoroughfare development.