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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIndiana Landmarks Primer on the National Register of Historic PlacesTHE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC Places recognizes properties the federal govern- ment considers worthy of preservation because of their significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture. In Indiana, National Register listings range from the prehistoric Angel Mounds in Vanderburgh County to a mid-twentieth-century neighborhood in Carmel. The list includes private homes and courthouses, commercial buildings and factories— to date nearly 2,000 individual sites and more than 270 historic districts. A program of the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Register is administered on the state level by the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The primary benefit of listing in the National Register is the honor conferred by official federal recognition. When a site is added, the listing appears in the Federal Register, and the owner receives a let- ter and certificate. Owners of income-producing National Register properties may be entitled to tax credits for restora- tion, and not-for-profit owners may be eligible for grants awarded in a competitive annual process. National Register status does NOT limit a private owner’s freedom to alter the property nor impose an approval process. Limitations occur only if a project involving federal funding or licensing would in any way affect a National Register site. In such a case, DHPA acting as an agent of the National Register conducts an analysis—a process called Section 106 review—that can result in measures protective of the site. Common Misconceptions THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS ON WHAT A private owner can do with or to a National Register property, providing no federal or state money is be- ing used. Listing does not mean the federal govern- ment wants to buy the property, nor does it allow the public access to the property. Using strictly private funds, an owner can alter a National Register site—including demolishing it without permission or notification. Restrictions on the treatment of landmarks come from local or city ordinances, not as a result of National Register status. Is the Property Eligible? ANYONE WILLING TO UNDERTAKE THE research and fill out the forms can nominate a struc- ture to the National Register. However, the site must meet demanding criteria, and preparing a nomina- tion is complex and requires specialized knowledge that can be difficult for a novice to master. Among other elements, the nomination must substantiate that the property possesses significance, integrity, and age. Indiana Landmarks teamed up with the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archeaology (DHPA) to nominate 16 previ- ously unlisted courthouses to the National Register, including the Vermillion County Courthouse in Newport. Though listing does not offer complete protection, it brings practical benefits: publicly-owned properties become eligible for preservation grants, and owners of private properties may qualify for tax credits for restoration. LEE LEWELLEN 1 Indiana Landmarks / National Register / June 2016 www.indianalandmarks.org The National Register of Historic Places MISCONCEPTIONS ELIGIBILITY NOMINATING RESOURCES 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. Resources The National Park Service includes a search- able database of properties listed in the National Register and a wealth of other information on its website: www.nps.gov/nr/ The Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology offers a variety of resources online, including: Application forms and instructions Research guidelines Sample nominations Definitions of architectural styles A list of consultants qualified to research and prepare National Register nominations Visit www.in.gov/dnr/historic/3654.htm or contact DHPA: Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology Indiana Department of Natural Resources 402 West Washington Street, W274 Indianapolis, IN 46204 317-232-1646 www.in.gov/dnr/historic/ 3 Indiana Landmarks / National Register / June 2016 www.indianalandmarks.org Central Regional Office Indianapolis 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534 central@indianalandmarks.org Eastern Regional Office Cambridge City 765-478-3172 east@indianalandmarks.org Northeast Field Office Wabash 260-563-7094 northeast@indianalandmarks.org Northern Regional Office South Bend 574-232-4534 north@indianalandmarks.org Northwest Field Office Gary-Miller Beach 219-947-2657 northwest@indianalandmarks.org Southeast Field Office Aurora 812-926-0983 southeast@indianalandmarks.org Southern Regional Office Jeffersonville 812-284-4534 south@indianalandmarks.org Southwest Field Office Evansville 812-423-2988 southwest@indianalandmarks.org Western Regional Office Terre Haute 812-232-4534 west@indianalandmarks.org INDIANA LANDMARKS Indiana Landmarks provides free professional advice to anyone consider- ing rehabbing or nominating a historic building to the National Register. Call the regional office nearest you, or our state headquarters, to enlist Indiana Landmarks’ help: