Historic places – buildings and structures, neighborhoods, archeological sites, and landscapes – add great pride and economic benefits for communities, as they form the backbone of community pride. Communities take care in protecting them against threats.
Maintaining historic properties requires public and private efforts from both sides, including funding, grants, scholarships, volunteerism, professional architects, engineers, lawyers, and construction workers willing to donate their services.
Historic Places are a Cultural Asset
Historic places possess unique cultural value that distinguishes them from other structures. They reflect past lives and share tales we must remember so as to understand our past.
They serve as sources of pride and draw tourists, creating economic benefits for local businesses who provide tourism-based services such as hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and transport companies.
Preservation advocates fight to save a place from demolition, neglect or an unnecessary renovation project. They attempt to influence officials or private developers through appeals for support, lobbying efforts or public campaigns.
Financial assistance, training or expertise may be provided to a developer looking to save a property, while encouraging community participation and informing the public on heritage preservation issues. They may work with government bodies to change regulations or private entities to provide tax incentives for preserving historical properties.
They Are a Resource
Historic properties can be considered one of the greatest cultural assets for a community. They contribute to its identity and can serve as resources for education and recreation as well as economic vitality. Historic properties also can serve as focal points for tourism development projects.
Historic places and structures, neighborhoods, districts, archaeological sites, buildings, objects and landscapes all contribute to a community’s quality of life and are treasured as tangible reminders of its past. Many communities encourage preservation efforts for such resources by offering incentives, imposing regulations or offering support and help for those involved in preservation as well as advocating advocacy or providing public education about preservation efforts.
To qualify as historic, a property should have had some level of significance in the past. Buildings typically must be 50 years old in order to qualify for listing on the National Register of Historic Places; some younger structures can still be considered historically important. Furthermore, objects and landscapes modified by human activity qualify as historic properties.
They Are a Community Asset
Historic places give communities a sense of shared pride by serving as iconic landmarks and providing points of orientation. Furthermore, historic places provide meeting spots where individuals with similar interests in history and heritage come together.
An engaged community cares deeply about its historic places and can take steps to safeguard them. Individuals and groups can offer their expertise, research skills or labor for preservation projects. Furthermore, they can support efforts by local groups seeking historic designation for buildings or neighborhoods within their boundaries as well as educate people about its benefits.
The National Park Service offers funding to State, Territorial, and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices so they may survey properties for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, NPS offers grant programs designed to assist communities with protecting and preserving historic resources.
They Are a Way of Life
Residents living in communities with an established history of historic preservation have many ways to get involved – they can provide financial support, volunteer their professional expertise or simply spread awareness.
Community involvement can protect historic places from being demolished by misguided renovation projects or simply being left to decay over time. Neighborhood associations and service clubs, for instance, often include programs of historical interest as part of their meetings, encouraging their members to assist with preservation initiatives.
Education of the public is one of the primary focuses of preservationists. Newspaper and newsletter articles, radio/TV stories, school/community group presentations and newspaper/blog stories all can spread the message of why historic preservation matters – the more people committed to preservation efforts the easier it will be for local government officials, businesses/property owners etc to make preservation a top priority.
