DISPELLING MYTHS ABOUT HISTORICAL PRESERVATION
DISPELLING MYTHS ABOUT HISTORICAL PRESERVATION
In major cities, too often historic properties are razed to make way for “progress”. However, rehabbing a historic property is more cost-effective and fiscally better for the community than tearing it down and building a modern monstrosity.
This time, I’m dispelling myths about historic preservation:
Myth #1: “Preserving doesn’t do anything for the community. It just saves an old building.” FALSE. There are several fiscal benefits to preserving historic resources.
First, tourism will increase when the community has historic status. Heritage tourism is the fastest growing and most profitable sector of the tourism industry. While Walt Disney and General Pershing are certainly attractions in Linn County, they don’t keep tourists in town. But beautiful old buildings with stories do.
Heritage tourists spend roughly $150 more per day in the community than other tourists. This is because they tend to walk around the city and shop at businesses while looking at the property’s interior. Other tourists tend to not do this.
Revitalizing historic resources also equates to more jobs in the community. Several studies show that rural communities that revitalize their historic resources employ 5-10 more LOCAL people per property. That means residents are getting jobs and their earnings go back into the community.
When a resource is designated as historic, either by the local government or the state and/or federal government, property values increase by as much as 25%. Studies show that non-historic properties in the immediate surrounding area of the historic property increase on average of 5%.
But there’s more: Revitalizing makes the community more attractive to businesses and new homeowners.
MYTH #2: “Having your property listed on the National Register of Historic Places means you lose control over your building and the government can tell you what to do.” Inaccurate. The only thing the Register indicates is that your property is a national landmark. While the government would prefer you maintain the historical integrity of the property, there are no regulations about what you can do to the building. None.
MYTH #3: “Local historical ordinances will limit what I can do with my property.” This is partially true. It all depends on what the ordinance says. Some ordinances simply state something to the effect of, “Before making changes to your façade, the plans must be inspected” or “No non-historic awnings are allowed.” Others are more in-depth. Not all ordinances are the same.
MYTH #4: “It’s too expensive to do a Register nomination application.” For some it is expensive; some of my colleagues charge $20,000 for one building regardless of size. Others charge $3000. Every preservation consultant I know takes payment plans and works within your budget. The upfront costs can be off-putting, but here’s the reality: The owner can invest no additional money and let their historical property continue to crumble, thus losing out on all the financial benefits, or they can invest a minimal amount of money to get on the Register. Once they’ve invested that money, they become eligible for funds to fix the property, have increased their property value, will reap significant tax benefits (upwards of 20% in some areas) and have something tourists marvel at. In other words, shortsightedness hurts everyone.
MYTH #5: “I lose full control of my property forever if I sign a historical easement.” Generally incorrect. Signing over a preservation easement or covenant does mean you lose some control. But depending on the easement, you may retain full control over the internal aspects of your property and get full control after a couple of years, though most are perpetual. A preservation easement is designed to hand over some modicum of control to a third party who will inspect and approve alterations. Normally, these easements are part of a grant. For example, if you are awarded a $40,000 grant, it might stipulate that to get that free money, you must sign a preservation easement over to a qualified nonprofit like the Midwest Historical Preservation Foundation. During this time, depending on how the easement is structured, you’ll need to ask permission to do certain types of work to your property. This does not include actions like general maintenance like mowing and painting. It governs such things as installing a non-historic theater marquee, putting up non-historic awnings, or patching the façade with non-historic material.