evaluating historic significance
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Evaluating Historic Significance
Western MA Conference on the Community
Preservation Act
Northampton, MA - May 8, 2010
Michael SteinitzMichael Steinitz
Massachusetts Historical CommissionMassachusetts Historical Commission
MicheleMichele PlourdePlourde--BarkerBarker
Preservation Massachusetts &Preservation Massachusetts &
National Trust for HistoricNational Trust for Historic
PreservationPreservation
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The Massachusetts Historical Commission Established in 1963 as the Commonwealths
historic preservation agency
Partners with local historical commissions andlocal historic district commissions
Maintains the statewide inventory of historic andarchaeological resources (~185K properties andsites)
Administers the National Register of HistoricPlaces program in Massachusetts (65K+ properties
and sites - #2 in the country!) Maintains the State Register of Historic Places
(~75K properties)
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The Massachusetts Historical Commission
Under state and federal laws, reviews the effectsof public projects on historic resources and sites.
Provides matching grants for both planning andbricks-and-mortar preservation.
Administers state and federal tax incentiveprograms for historic preservation.
Staff reviews thousands of projects every year andevaluates the historical significance of hundreds of
properties every year.
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A Primer for CPCs
What are historic resources? What is historical significance?
What properties qualify as historicresources under CPA?
How can you CPA projects affect the
historical significance of properties?
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Historic Resources and TheCommunity Preservation Act
M.G.L. Chapter 44B, section 2, defines HistoricResources as:
a building, structure, vessel, real property,
document or artifact that is listed or eligible for listing on the stateregister of historic places
or has been determined by the local historicpreservation commission to be significantinthe history, archeology, architecture or cultureof a city or town.
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Listed in the State
Register of Historic
Places
The State Register of
Historic Places wasestablished in 1982 as
a comprehensive
listing of properties
and sites that have
received local, state or
national designations
based on theirhistorical or
archaeological
significance.
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Designations included in theState Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places Districts
National Historic Landmarks
Massachusetts Historic or Archaeological
Landmarks
Local Historic Districts
Local Landmarks
Preservation Restrictions (MGL Ch 184, s 31-33)
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CPA Historic Resources
Listed in the State Registerof Historic Places
Buildings
Structures (Objects)
Real Property
(Archaeological Sites)
(Landscapes)
(Cemeteries)
(Districts)
Vessels
Documents
Moveable Artifacts
Not discussing these
today
CPA Historic Resources
Not Listed in the State
Register of Historic Places
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Inventory vs. State Register
The Inventory of Historic and ArchaeologicalAssets of the Commonwealth MHC inventoryforms fully completed and filed with the MHC.
State Register of Historic Places only propertieswith official designations.
The Inventory and the State Register are not thesame.
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AN MHC INVENTORY FORM
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A page from the State Register of Historic Places
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www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc
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What does eligible for Listing
on the State Register of Historic
Places mean? The State Register of Historic Places is a
compendium of specified local, state and federal
designations.
Properties are only included in the State Register
when they receive one of these designations.
There are no criteria for establishing whether or
not a property is eligible for listing in the State
Register of Historic Places.
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Whats best established means of
evaluating the significance of
Historic Resources?
The standards foreligibility for listing in
the National Register
of Historic Places.
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The National Register of Historic
Places
Established in 1966 as part of the National Historic Preservation Act.
MA has more than 65,000 properties on the National Register,including over 900 National Register districts.
The official national list of significant historic places.
Maintained in MA by the MHC for the National Park Service.
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The National Register includes a variety of properties
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Structures and Objects
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Parks and Landscapes
Boston Common
Topsfield
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Individual Properties and Districts
Shirley Eustis HouseBoston
Westport Point HistoricDistrict
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The NR Evaluation Process
An evaluation of a property for eligibility forlisting in the National Register considers:
1. The Four National Register significance criteria
2. The Seven Aspects of Integrity
3. The Period of Significance
4. The Level of Significance 5. The Boundaries
6. Contributing and Non-contributing Resources
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http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15
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There are 4 criteria for evaluatingNational Register eligibility:
A: Association with broad patterns ofhistory.
B: Association with the lives of significant
individuals in the past. C: Examples of representative or
outstanding architecture or design.
D: Potential to yield information archaeology.
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NATIONAL REGISTER
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATIONCriterion A: Properties
associated with events
that have made a
significant
contribution to the
broad patterns of ourhistory. Shirley Center School
Providence St Three Deckers, Worcester
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Patterns of History
Princeton Center HD
Fish Flake HillHD - Beverly
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NATIONAL REGISTER
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATIONCriterion B: Properties
that are associated
with the lives of
significant persons in
our past.
Longfellow House - Cambridge
Fitz Henry (Hugh) Lane House - Gloucester
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NATIONAL REGISTER
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATIONCriterion C: Properties that
embody the distinctive
characteristics of a type,period, or method ofconstruction, or thatrepresent the work of amaster, or that possesshigh artistic values, or thatrepresent a significant anddistinguishable entitywhose components maylack individual distinction.
H.H. Richardson Ames Gatehouse, Easton
Fletcher Steele Unity Close Garden, Easton
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Representative Examples of a Type or Period
Chestnut Hill HD -Newton
Machine Shop Village
HD North Andover
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NATIONAL REGISTER
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATIONCriterion D: Properties
that have yielded ormay be likely to yield,
information important
in history or
prehistory.Barn Ruins Shaker Village HD, Harvard
Richmond Furnace Historic & Archaeological
District
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The Seven Aspects of IntegrityDistricts, sites, buildings, structures, and
objects should possess integrity of
Location
Design
SettingMaterials
Workmanship
Feeling
Association
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The evaluation should consider the
Period of Significance
Construction date Role in community
history over time
Physical evolution ofthe building
Early and later history
50 years old - 1960
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Consider the Level of Significance
Most Properties are eligible for
their significance in local history
State Significance National Significance
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Consider Boundaries
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Consider Contributing and Non-contributing Resources
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Get help! Contact the MHC for aNational Register Eligibility Opinion
Could require CPA applicants to provide aneligibility opinion from MHC, or
The Local Historical Commission could
request an eligibility opinion from the MHC
Need to provide documentation: inventory
form, parcel map, current photos Allow time
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MHC Evaluation Group staff meets
every other week to evaluate
properties.
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MHC Responses
1. Eligible
2. Not-eligible
3. More information needed
MHCs staff opinion is advisory
Under CPA the decision onsignificance is made by thelocal historic preservationcommission.
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Questions?