30 C O N T E X T 9 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 and technical assistance. This system is administered in cooperation with state historic preservation officers and tribal historic preservation officers.The ‘customers’ for the programmes are private property owners, local governments and non-profit, private organisations. Through this ‘federal’ system of government, the national historic preservation fulfils one of the important mandates of the National Historic Preservation Act, which states: ‘although the major burdens of historic preservation have been borne and major efforts initiated by private agencies and individuals, and both should continue to play a vital role, it is nevertheless necessary and appropriate for the federal government to accelerate its historic preservation programmes and activities, to give maximum encouragement to agencies and individuals undertaking preservation by private means, and to assist state and local governments… to expand and accelerate their historic preservation programmes and activities.’ Thus the limited, but key, role of the federal government defines the national programme. The ‘major burdens’ of preservation continue to be borne by private entities and property owners who elect to participate in historic preservation. For many years the federal, state and local tax codes provided incentives for the demolition of older buildings. Amending the tax code at the federal level was a major priority of those who developed the National Historic Preservation Act. However, not until 1976 was the federal tax code amended, followed in 1981 by the provision of a tax credit for the approved rehabilitation of a qualified historic building used for income-producing purposes. Although the value of the tax credit and some of the provisions have changed over the years, the federal tax credit remains one of the primary tools in the historic preservation toolkit. In fact, the federal tax credit serves as a model for a growing number of state-level and local government tax credits that reward private property owners for rehabilitating historic properties, including those that are owner-occupied. The use of tax credits places the onus of historic preservation on the individual decisions of property owners and real estate developers. Although local planning ordinances may influence the scope of options available to properties, owners ultimately make choices about the future of historic properties. These choices are based on financial return, as well as on pride in heritage. The federal government, state and local governments and private organisations provide a limited number of grants to support the preservation and rehabilitation of historic properties. Many of these grants require cash or in-kind services as a cost-sharing match for the money, usually on a 50/50 basis. Thus one must have access to financial and human resources as a prerequisite for applying for and using government and foundation grants. The playing field for historic rehabilitation is levelled somewhat by the local governments that provide lowinterest loans to assist low- and moderate-income property owners with rehabilitation. In addition, many developers and property owners who utilise the federal historic preservation tax credits combine them with federal low-income housing tax credits to produce affordable housing in historic structures. No other country has provided such a strong foundation for historical significance as a criterion for evaluating the properties as worthy of preservation. This characteristic may be a result of the earliest preservation efforts in the United States that focused on places associated with the RevolutionaryWar. In the first half of the 19th century preservationists worked to save Independence Hall, the Hasbrouck House (George Washington’s headquarters during the Revolutionary War) and Mount Vernon, Washington’s home. These roots may account for the easy acceptance of historical significance as a key criterion for preservation. It was not until the last quarter of the 19th century that architectural values became an important reason for preserving a building. Given the impetus of the nation’s centennial celebration in 1876, many architects, local historians and property owners became interested in the ‘colonial style’ of architecture and sought to record surviving examples in east coast and southern states. The Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia brought many visitors to the former colonial capital city. Some of these centennial visitors continued their travels to Washington, DC, where the monumental core and its classical architecture became a tourist destination. During much of the first half of the 20th century, architects often led preservation activities by studying older buildings and carrying out early restoration projects. Some of these restoration projects included Williamsburg, the colonial capitol of Virginia, and Deerfield Village in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Not only were colonial-era buildings restored and, in some cases, reconstructed, but the historic areas developed as tourist attractions that appealed to Americans who were increasingly mobile in automobiles. The criteria for the National Register of Historic Places, developed shortly after the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, addressed historical events, themes and significant individuals, as well as architectural design and historic districts. Criterion A provides for recognition of properties that are ‘associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history’, while Criterion B addresses those properties that are ‘associated with the lives of persons significant in our past’. The National Register of Historic Places lists places of historical significance at the national, state and local levels. Historical significance is also reflected in designation criteria for many state registers of historic places, as well as the designation criteria of many local governments. The results of this emphasis are seen in the many places throughout the nation that are identified, recognised and preserved that
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