Historic Districts: What They Mean For Homeowners

A bronze plaque on the front of a building declaring its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places is impressive. An official recognition of a building’s architectural and historical worth secures its future- doesn’t it? No. Contrary to what most people think, national and state historic designations offer no protection against the hazards of commercial development, overactive bulldozers or irresponsible owners.

Instead of prohibiting demolition, state and national designations offer incentives for rehabbing a historic building in terms of historic rehabilitation tax credits. It’s the local historic districts that offer the strictest protection of historic resources, typically requiring review board approval before an owner can tear down his property. Also, local historic districts typically have design guidelines which mean proposed changes to a building must be approved. So before you paint your house or plan an addition, familiarize yourself with state, federal and local dos and don’ts. You want to make sure to take advantage of tax credits, if they’re available. And you want to avoid making neighbors angry with alterations that you could be required - at your own expense - to undo.

National and State Historic Districts

Administered by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. There are more than 85,000 places listed on the National Register. To locate historic Places by State and County, visit the nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/state.html. This site lists almost 14,000 designated districts. Check there to see if you’re in one of them.

Local Historic Districts

Check with your local city or county government as well as local historic preservation organizations.