Historic Districts Chapter 8 ARCH 5324

A Historic District is: – A geographically definable area—urban or rural, large or small—possessing a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, and/or objects united by past events or aesthetically by plan or physical development (NPS—National Register of Historic Places) – Can be called a neighborhood where there is commonality among the structures, either by age, style, attractiveness, or history – DOES NOT HAVE TO BE CONTIGUOUS or in one area, can be dispersed ARCH 5324

In 1931, Charleston, SC passed the first U.S. historic district zoning ordinance that restricted property owners from doing whatever they wanted to their own homes in order to maintain the appearance of the neighborhood (The Battery Historic District) ARCH 5324

Thus, appearance became the motivation for a preservation ordinance—in addition to history In order to do any work—repairs or renovations— particularly to the exterior façade of a building, Charleston created a board to review plans for any construction in the district ARCH 5324

Important needs for a city to pass such an ordinance – a local government (city or county) that is sympathetic to such an ordinance (particularly a strong mayor who is willing to push for it) – strong private leadership – financial means to achieve the goal – legislative tools which are provided by the federal/state government – citizen buy-in ARCH 5324

Other cities that established similar zoning ordinances not long after Charleston include: – New Orleans—Vieux Carré ARCH 5324

– San Antonio—King William neighborhood and La Villita – Alexandria, Virginia ARCH 5324

Later came: – Boston, Massachusetts – Santa Fe, New Mexico – Savannah, Georgia ARCH 5324

The creation of a historic district usually requires: Guidelines for design A board of review Of course, the zoning ordinance itself If the city is a Certified Local Government then these are all required as well as a survey of historic properties in the proposed district To fit the context of the neighborhood—scale and composition, the zoning ordinance usually specifies the heights of buildings, their width, their materials, their roof types and shapes, window openings and setback ARCH 5324

The significance of a district depends on a collection of sites, buildings, objects, structures and spaces older than 50 years that have a cohesiveness Thus, the district has a sense of locality and place They can be historic on a national, state or local level More than 50% of the structures should have this similarity in common Structures that are dissimilar are considered non- conforming Generally, the borders should be logical and defined ARCH 5324

Historic districts tend to stratify the neighborhood economically and socially—this process is called gentrification in the worst situations What is gentrification? ARCH 5324

In 1976 U.S. tax laws were changed to make preservation and rehabilitation attractive to developers—tax incentives In 1981, this law was replaced by the Economic Recovery Tax Act which provided for a 25% investment tax credit for historic properties, either individually or in a historic district 1986 the 1981 law was replaced with the Tax Reform Act which reduced the credit to 20% for properties at least 45 years old and 10% for non- residential buildings built before 1936 ARCH 5324

The Secretary of the Interior developed Standards for Rehabilitation against which a certified rehabilitation may be judged To use the tax incentives, the building must be certified by the Secretary of the Interior The standards are: – 1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment. – 2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided. – 3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken. – 4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved. ARCH 5324

– 5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved. – 6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence. – 7. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. ARCH 5324

– 8. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken. – 9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. – 10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. ARCH 5324

The Main Street Program is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Administered by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)—in Texas this is the Texas Historical Commission Their office works with communities to set up the program management They must apply to be a Main Street City The program brings together the city government, the chamber of commerce and downtown businessmen to pay the salary for a Main Street Manager ARCH 5324

Four areas of the Main Street Program – Design—buildings, signage, lighting, window displays – Promotion—advertising – Cooperation—among members of the city – Economics—diversity of the economy, lofts, new businesses The goal is to restore and rehabilitate the historic buildings and the reestablishment of appropriately designed street furnishings ARCH 5324

Texas cities that have been Main Street cities are: – Fredericksburg – Georgetown ARCH 5324