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Determining Eligibility for the National Register of Historical Places

This article was originally published prior to the founding of Eocene and the information included here represents events and news that occurred under our company subsidiaries. 

March 09, 2021

Have you ever wondered if your house or business is eligible for listing to the National Register of Historic Place? Founded in 1966, the National Register of Historic Places helps preserve America’s significant properties and maintain associations to our shared past.

The National Register of Historic Places List

Identifying and evaluating properties for historical significance can be a difficult and nuanced task. The first requirement for a National Register listing is that the property be at least 50 years old. Then, the property must be associated with a historical event, a significant person, an example of notable architecture, or provide information important to understanding history and prehistory. Throughout the United States, standing buildings (houses, factories, commercial properties, churches, etc.) are the most common type of property placed on the National Register. Not only does it have to be associated with something noteworthy, but the property must also retain “historic integrity,” meaning it must maintain certain characteristics in location, design, materials, workmanship, setting, feeling and historical association.

What Happens During the Historical Evaluation?

Evaluations of standing buildings start with a field visit by our team to document the property. They photograph the building, note key elements, and identify the overall design. From there, they compare the property to similar properties at the local, state and national levels. Documenting a property’s history focuses on construction, use and changes over time. Changes to a property are common, and the key to evaluating “historic integrity” is determining if changes are so drastic that the property no longer conveys its history.

There are many reasons why properties are evaluated for their National Register eligibility. The most common reason this evaluation occurs is because it is associated with a project that requires federal money or permitting. Federal regulations require that certain projects consider affects to historic properties and avoid National Register eligible properties if possible. Landowners might also wish to look at a property’s history to mark their building as significant, often taking advantage of historic tax credits that apply to historic properties in the process.