Nadine Miller Preservation Project Reviewer NH Division of Historical Resources

What’s in your Town? Celebrating your Community’s Historic Resources.

Historic buildings, structures, sites, and objects define a community

Identifying and locating these resources assists in good local and regional planning and decision-making

Helps promote economic development and tourism

Builds citizen awareness and engagement

Why Should We Care about Historical Resources?

What Is a Historical Resource?A district, site, building,structure or object that issignificant in the history,architecture, engineering,archaeology or culture ofthis state, its communities, or the nation.

Typically resources are 50+years old

HISTORIC BUILDINGSSTRUCTURES AND SITES

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

What’s the distinctive story of your community?

Trends: industry, agriculture, immigration Events: fires, floods, new buildings or roads What are the major chronological periods or historical themes? Consider the full range of resources – local history is far more

than a handful of icons This history will provide a context for evaluating historic

resources

Survey is defined as the formal process of identifying and gathering information about historic resources.

A survey of historic properties should look beyond buildings to include all visible aspects of the built environment

Four basic steps apply to the process of architectural survey:

establish the purpose for the survey

conduct research

conduct fieldwork

prepare a written report.

Historic Resources SurveyStone walls

Fences or Fence PostsField Patterns

OrchardsCellar Holes

WellsVisible Archaeological Features

Why is the survey being undertaken?

Local or Regional Planning

RSA 227-C:9 State Mandate

Section 106 Federal Mandate

Define the scope of work. What information and analysis must result?

DHR files search

Mapping

Brief background narrative

Inventory forms

Establish the Purpose for the Survey

227-C:9 Directive for Cooperation in the Protection of Historic Resources.

I. All state agencies, departments, commissions, and institutions shall fully

cooperate with the division in the location, identification, evaluation and management of

historic resources, and to that end shall provide the division with appropriate

information on all state licensed, assisted, or contracted projects, activities, or programs so that the division may determine the effect of

such undertakings on historic resources.

Section 106 of the NationalHistoric Preservation Act requiresFederal agencies to take into account theeffects of their undertakings on historicproperties and afford the Council areasonable opportunity to comment onsuch undertakings.

Who Does A Survey?

Typically, a preservation consultant is hired to carry out a survey for municipal use.

Volunteers sometimes help a consultant.

Some individual property owners may wish to complete an inventory form on their own.

Conduct Research

Background research is geared to the survey purpose.

Research can relate to a broad overview of many properties (as in a published county history) or to a single property (as in deed research).

Materials may include historic photographs and maps, census information, oral histories, etc.

Conduct Fieldwork

Field work is a systematic identification of resources through mapping, field notes, and documentary photography.

Fieldwork looks for Integrity

Does the property convey its significance through its physical appearance?

What changes have been made to the entireproperty: buildings, structures, landscape, and larger setting?

The National Register looks at: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.

Fieldwork and Research help determine Significance

To qualify for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, a property must be significant

It must represent a significant historic context in the history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture of an area.

It must have the characteristics that make it a good representative of properties associated with that context.

Compile Written Report

New Hampshire has standardized forms which are used to record research and fieldwork through text, illustrations, and photographs. This form is also used to nominate a property to the State Register of Historic Places.

Four standard survey formats

Town- and City-wide area forms: provide an overview of a town or city, its geography, history and architectural patterns of development, creating the framework for individual survey efforts to follow.

Individual Inventory forms: used to record and understand the appearance, history and significance of a building, structure, site or object prior to listing on the State or National Registers of Historic Places, for a historic resources survey or planning project, or for review and compliance purposes.

Project area forms: most often completed as part of the environmental planning that proceeds a publicly-funded, licensed or permitted project that can affect historical resources.

Historic district area forms: summarize the history, architecture and significance of a group of resources that could be designated as a local historic district or listed in the National or New Hampshire State Registers of Historic Places.

How do we fund this work?

Section 106 projects

Certified Local Government program

Municipal appropriation

Heritage Commission can accept private donations

Other grants

HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD?

Write a Historical Resources Chapter for your municipal Master Plan. Include a list of significant historical structures or sites and use these to outline a narrative history.

Hold community discussions to build support for preservation planning and demonstrate its benefits.

Create a Heritage Commission and work with natural resource conservation efforts toward parallelawareness of historic preservation.

Examples

Build public awareness of local historical resources Put the historic survey on municipal web site Walking tours Interpretive signage Strengthen Village Center Village District Ordinance Adopt RSA 79-E incentive Reduce loss of historical resources Establish demolition review ordinance

State Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places Locally-designated Historic Districts Neighborhood Heritage Districts

Consider designating important properties and areas:

RECOGNITION FOR SIGNIFICANT PROPERTIES

LOCALLY-DESIGNATED HISTORIC DISTRICTS

One of the most effective and comprehensive tools for managing change in a historic area;Ensure that new construction and significant alterations are respectful of existing character;It is estimated there are more than 2,500 local historic districts nationwide.

NEIGHBORHOOD HERITAGE DISTRICTS

THE MASTER PLAN

Can be done by citizens, local planners and/or Heritage Commission

Ideal to work with team of community volunteers and local historical society

Best to have a consultant to help with overview and establishing your town’s important assets and contexts

MASTER PLAN BASICSWhile not required, a historical resources chapter is recommended by state statute

Used as a means of organizing local preservation activities and integrating preservation into broader land use and planning efforts

Forms the basis for policies and ordinances that the community develops to manage growth, development, and change

WHAT THE MASTER PLAN CHAPTER INCLUDES

Brief history of the community Historic resources identified through survey

and other meansMap of identified historic resources Summary of past preservation activities Goals and implementation strategiesMake survey one of your goals and identify

funding sources.

PRESERVATION ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

GOALS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES Ensure town-wide improvements respect historic

character Articulate the character of town Develop design guidelines Integrate preservation goals into municipal planning Ensure site plan applications include

historical/archaeological resources Review zoning ordinance to remove any impediments

to preservation or sensitive reuse of historical resources

HAZARD MITIGATION PLANS

Hazard mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. It is most effective when implemented under a comprehensive, long-term mitigation plan. State, tribal, and local governments engage in hazard mitigation planning to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters, and develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events. Mitigation plans are key to breaking the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage.

HERITAGE COMMISSION

“for the proper recognition, use, and protection of resources, tangible or intangible, primarily man-made, that are valued for their historic, cultural, aesthetic, or community significance within their natural, built, or cultural contexts.”

RSA 674:44-b

POWERS AND DUTIES OF HERITAGE COMMISSIONS: Advise and assist other local boards and

commissions on matters related to historic resources

Survey and inventory historic resources Assist Planning Board in writing or updating

historic resources chapter in Master Plan Propose and implement preservation

planning strategies

HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSIONS

Preserving districts in the municipality which reflect elements of its cultural, social, economic, political, community and architectural history;

Conserving property values in such districts

Fostering civic beauty

Strengthening the local economy; and

Promoting the use of historic districts for the education, pleasure and welfare of the citizens of the municipality.

The preservation of cultural resources, and particularly of structures and places of historic, architectural and community value is hereby declared to be a public purpose.

Section 674:45

CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

The Certified Local Government (CLG) program is designed to provide an opportunity for local governments to become more directly involved in identifying, evaluating, protecting, promoting and enhancing the educational economic value of local properties of historic, architectural and archeological significance.

Matching grants available to municipalities that have become Certified Local Governments can be used to fund community preservation activities such as survey, National Register, preservation planning and educational projects. In some years, grants are also available for architectural plans and specifications, engineering reports, and even “bricks and mortar” work on National Register properties.

“These old buildings do not belong to us only, they belong to our forefathers and they will belong to our descendants unless we play them false…

They are not in any sense our own property to do with as we like with them. We are only trustees for those that come after us.“ William Morris