FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What methodology do you follow for assessing my property?

  We follow methodology and recommendations laid out by The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (to learn what those are click HERE). Midwest Preservation Group’s focus is primarily on the preservation standard.

• What are the benefits of listing my property on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)?

  A listing on the NRHP opens the door to millions of dollars of grant money that can be used to protect the property. Also, properties listed on the NRHP tend to have their property values increase between 5% and 30% depending on the region.

• Am I restricted on what I can do with my property after it is on the NRHP?

  There’s a great deal of misunderstanding regarding what you can and cannot do with your property once it’s listed on the NRHP. The short answer is: No. You are NOT restricted in any way by the federal government. You may do with it as you please, as long as your local municipality does not have regulations/laws governing what you do. Of course, the government and us history buffs would prefer you don’t ruin its historical integrity, but as long as no local laws exist, you can do as you please.

• Can I or my organization do the application or do we need a professional?

  You can absolutely do it yourself. If you choose that route, it would be a good idea to hire a consultant to review it for you and offer feedback about what else needs to be done to improve the chances of the property being placed on the Register.

• How do we know if our property is eligible for the NRHP?

  If an Eligibility Assessment (EA) has NOT been done, that is our first step. Midwest Preservation Group, LLC will submit an EA application for you for FREE. If the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determines the property has maintained its “historical integrity” (which is judged by the idea that, “If the builder returned after 50 years would they recognized the building?“) it will be noted as “individually eligible”. That designation means the property is qualified for an application.

• Can entire areas be on the Register?

  Absolutely. Districts and individual properties are all able to be placed on the Register.

• How do I know if my property might be eligible?

  The primary way to know is to look over the Secretary of Interior’s Standards. This section is the most important part when determining possible eligibility:

  “…identifying, retaining, and preserving the form and detail of those architectural materials and features that are important in defining the historic character.”

  Simply put, this means: If the builder of the property can’t recognize it now—inside and outside—then it’s probably not eligible.

• How long does the process take?

  Once the property has been determined to be individually eligible, the process takes a minimum of six (6) months. This does NOT include the research phase prior to the submission which could be months depending on what records the property owner has and what the State Historical Preservation Office wants in each section. In general, the process includes two draft deadlines, a formal hearing, and a possible draft revision after the hearing if your property is approved. If the application clears all of those hurdles, then it’s sent for final federal approval. Approval from that entity could take a couple weeks or months.

• Is my property guaranteed to get on the NRHP?

  No. Unfortunately, nothing is guaranteed. There’s always a chance that the application will be refused for some reason. **IF** that happens, if you’ve hired us, we will redo the application for free one more time to see if the property can get on the NRHP.

• What historical integrity criteria must my property meet to be individually eligible?

  Historic integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance and is defined as the “authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s prehistoric or historic period.” The requirements for being individually eligible are:

  • Location
    
  • Design
  • Setting
  • Materials
  • Workmanship
  • Feeling
  • Association

  Essentially, all of that means: Could the builder of the property come back today, look at it, and say ‘Yes, I built it, and it’s still in the same place with all (or most) of my material still intact.”

• If a famous person lived in town, can we list the entire town?

  As a general rule, no. Only the most relevant place(s) directly related to the individual (such as their childhood home) can be listed on the Register. For example, a museum that contains information relevant to an individual, but is not located on or in a property directly associated with the individual is not eligible for a NRHP listing.

• What categories can we apply under?

  The NRHP has four Criterion to use when applying for the Register. Since a property may qualify under more than one of these criterion. We like to do applications with at least two criterion in order to improve our client’s chances of approval. However, normally, in order to proceed, then property has to already be individually eligible under Criterion C (Architecture). Those Criterion are:

  • CRITERION A: Properties that are “associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history”;
  • CRITERION B: Properties that are “associated with the lives of significant persons in or past”;
  • CRITERION C: Properties that “embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction” (its architectural significance); and/or
  • CRITERION D: Properties “that have yielded or may be likely to yield, information important in history or prehistory”.