National Register of Historic Places Nominations

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.

According to the National Park Service, The more than 80,000 properties listed in the National Register represent 1.4 million individual resources including buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects. Almost every county in the United States has at least one place listed in the National Register. Listing in the National Register is the first step towards eligibility for National Park Service-administered federal preservation tax credits that have leveraged more than $45 billion in private investment and National Park Service grant programs like Save America's Treasures and Preserve America.

The process of nominating an individual property to the National Register of Historic Places can be complex. Decades ago, somewhat brief descriptions of the physical and historical characteristics of a property were all that was required for listing in the Register. Over the years, however, there has been a marked increase in the sophistication of research methods and sources as well as our understanding of individual properties’ impact on events of local, statewide, or national importance combined with the skyrocketing value of National Register listing (primarily due to state and federal preservation tax credits).

Because of this, the research, architectural evaluation, photography, mapping, and architectural survey requirements on National Register nominations have, for better or worse, become something that is often better managed by a professional.

The Nomination Process

Nominating a property to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) can be a somewhat involved and time-intensive process. In Virginia, it is recommended that a Preliminary Information Form (PIF) be first submitted so that Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) staff and board members may determine whether or not a property is potentially eligible for listing in the NRHP. In most cases, we strongly suggest submitting a PIF, and this is typically included in our scope of services for a nomination project. The PIF includes brief physical and historical descriptions of the historic resource, descriptions of the proposed boundaries, and representative photographs of the resource.

Once a property has been determined to be potentially eligible for listing, the nomination process begins. Key initial determinations will be to determine the boundaries for the property or district being nominated, the period of significance, and the National Register Criterion or Criteria that the property or district is being nominated under. This framework will guide the subsequent research and evaluation of the property, which included in the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. Quality, accurate photography and mapping are also a key element of the process (HistoryTech has the in-house capability of producing the archival black and white photographs required by DHR and the National Park Service). The Virginia Department of Historic Resources also requires reconnaissance level survey files (containing a Data Sharing System survey form, photographs, a site map, and a topographic map) for each property being nominated.

The Virginia Historic Resources Board and State Review Board consider PIFs and National Register nominations four times a year in March, June, September, and December. Depending on the type and location of the resource(s) being nominated, complete NRHP nomination packets must be delivered to DHR between 75 and 90 days prior to the meetings of the aforementioned boards. If the boards take favorable action, the property is immediately listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register. 30 to 45 days later, the National Park Service typically lists the property in the National Register of Historic Places.

Tuesday, 17 August 2010 18:45 Last Updated on Tuesday, 18 January 2011 23:07 Written by W. Scott Smith