National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States' official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. As of December 2005, the list includes approximately 79,000 entries, including many icons of American culture, history, engineering, and architecture.

Administered by the National Park Service, the Register was authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Its goals are to coordinate and help property owners and groups such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation identify and protect historic sites in the United States.

The Register automatically includes all National Historic Landmarks as well as all historic areas administered by the National Park Service. Occasionally historic sites outside the country but associated with the United States (such as an embassy) are also listed.

Effects of being listed on the National Register
The National Register of Historic Places is primarily a tool to recognize the historical significance of a building, structure, object, district, or site. Listing in the National Register does not restrict private property owners from the use of their property. Some states, however, might have state or local laws that become effective when a place is listed on the National Register. If federal money or a federal permitting process is involved, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 is invoked which requires the federal agency involved to assess the impact of its actions on historic resources. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) advises and assists the federal agency, but has no regulatory authority.

In cases where the federal action will have an "adverse effect" on historic properties, mitigation must be sought. Typically, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in which the parties involved agree to a particular plan is created. An MOA might address the adverse effect in a variety of ways, often recommending "document and destroy" in which the historic resource is first documented and then demolished as the most prudent and feasible alternative. Many states have laws equivalent to Section 106.

In contrast to a National Register Historic District, a local historic district often has enabling ordinances at the municipal level that restrict certain kinds of changes to properties and thereby encourages those changes that are sensitive to the historic character of an area.

Process for listing a building, site or district
Any individual can prepare a National Register nomination although historians and historic preservation consultants are often employed for this work. The nomination contains basic information on the type of significance embodied in the building, district, or site:

The State Historic Preservation Office receives National Register nominations and supplies feedback to the individual preparing the nomination. The SHPO schedules each nomination to the state's historic preservation advisory board which then recommends whether the State Historic Preservation Officer should forward it to the Keeper of the Register. Only the State Historic Preservation Officer can officially nominate a property to the National Register. The nomination is sent to the National Park Service which then approves or denies the nomination. If approved it is officially entered by the Keeper into the National Register of Historic Places.

Eligibility for inclusion
In Federal law, the term eligible for inclusion in the National Register includes both properties formally determined as such in accordance with regulations of the Secretary of the Interior and all other properties that meet the National Register criteria.

Criteria for eligibility
Information on architectural styles, association with various aspects of social history and commerce, and ownership is part of the nomination. A narrative section describes the site or building in detail and justifies why it is historically significant.
 * National Register Criterion A: Event - made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history
 * National Register Criterion B: Person - associated with the lives of persons significant in our past
 * National Register Criterion C: Design/Construction - distinctive characteristics of a building type, period, or method of construction, represent the work of a master, possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction
 * National Register Criterion D: Information potential - have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.