What is National Register of Historic Places?
Briefly, the National Register is the Nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. It is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archaeological resources. The National Register is administered at the Federal level by the National Park Service, and at the state level by your State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), your state governmental preservation agency.
What are the benefits of National Register Listing?
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 assigns the National Register of Historic Places a central role in recognizing buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects significant in American history, archeology, architecture, engineering, or culture, and identifying them as worthy of preservation.
There are currently over 80,000 listings in the Register, each of those listings can represent multiple properties, as is the case with historic districts or multiple property submissions.
Listing in the Register is largely an honorary designation that imposes few restrictions on private property owners. However, some States and communities have enacted preservation laws or ordinances that apply to National Register listed properties. To find out about historic preservation laws that may apply to National Registered listed properties in your community contact your State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).
In addition to honorific recognition, listing in the National Register provides owners and stewards consideration in planning for Federal, federally licensed, and federally assisted projects. For example, if you National Register listed or eligible Lustron were in the proposed right-of-way of a federally funded highway project, there would be a mandated review of the impact of the proposed activity (highway construction) on your Lustron home. This is the a very brief description of what is usually a long and complex process, but if you would like to know more about the National Historic Preservation Act, click here.
In addition to providing some measure of protection against federally funded activities, listing can also provide financial incentives in the form of tax credits, property tax freezes or rebates. These benefits occur at the state level and vary from state to state. There is a federal historic preservation tax credit but it is only available to income producing properties. To learn if your state has a historic preservation tax credit, rebate or property tax abetment, contact your SHPO.
Yeah, but won’t the Federal Government tell me what color I can paint my Lustron.
No. Besides, you shouldn’t paint your Lustron anyway.
No, really, doesn’t it mean that the Feds will tell me what I can or cannot do with my Lustron?
The most important thing to remember about National Register listing is that it does not protect properties from privately funded activities undertaken by private individuals.
In other words, so long as you are using your own money, not using any federal funding, permits or tax credits and there are no state or local laws in place which govern National Register properties, you can do what ever you want to your Lustron. National Register is proscriptive rather than restrictive.
Remember, National Register listing was created as an honorific program to protect historically significant properties from federally funded activities, like highway construction and urban renewal.
If you do something like paint your Lustron or cover it in vinyl siding you could negatively impact its eligibility for the Register and its possible that it could be de-designated or removed from the Register. Whether or not your Lustron is listed on the National Register, you should follow the Lustron Guidelines.
How do I find out if my Lustron is already listed on the National Register?
If your property is in Alabama, Georgia, New Jersey, South Dakota or Tennessee it is possible that your property has been listed on or determined eligible for the National Register as part of a Multiple Property Submission form. If you are in one of those states contact your SHPO to find out the status of your Lustron.
A few Lustrons have been individually listed on the National Register. You can search the National Register Information System using the keyword “Lustron,” in the field for “nationwide resource name” to get an up-to-date list of National Register listed Lustron’s in your state.
If you are still unsure about the status of your Lustron, contact your SHPO.
My Lustron is not already listed on the National Register, how do I find out if my Lustron is eligible?
Begin by assessing the integrity of the Lustron using the following checklist:
- Windows-are the original windows still intact?
- Exterior panels-are the exterior panels free of paint, have they been covered with another cladding material, such as vinyl siding?
- Exterior-is the original roof still intact?
- Exterior-has an addition been added to the original Lustron.
- Exterior-free from other major alterations?
- Exterior-is your porch still open? The trellis intact? Original door still intact?
- Interior panels-are the interior panels intact? Are they largely free of paint and wall paper and other coverings such as sheet rock?
- Interior-free from other major alterations and reconfiguring of interior spaces?
- Interior-are the original built in closets, vanities and kitchen cupboards still intact?
- Site-the Lustron is in its original location (it has not been moved) and the configuration of the lot has not changed significantly.
If you answered yes to most of these questions, it is possible that you Lustron could be eligible for Listing on the National Register of Historic Places. For information on the process of getting your property listed on the National Register, visit the What is the Process section of the National Register Web site.
To further assist in your efforts to pursue National Register listing we have created the Nominator which can be used to create a draft National Register form.
Before completing the form, or pursuing National Register Listing, make sure to contact your SHPO, who will help determine if your property is potentially eligible for listing and if so, guide you through the nomination process.
Now that my property is listed on the National Register it means that no one can tear it down right?
Wrong. Unless your property is threatened by a federally funded project like road building it can be demolished by the owner as long as no federal funding or permits or local laws in place that protect the property.
Speaking of local laws, the only thing that can protect your property from alteration and demolition is designation as part of a local landmark designation or through a historic preservation easement. Local landmark designation programs vary wildly in their powers and duties, some ordinances are very strong and can prevent demolition or alteration, while other ordinances are more advisory. Visit Local Landmark Designation for more information.
Where can I find more information?
About the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places, Property Owner Information
National Park Service, My Property is Important to America’s Heritage, What Does that Mean?
See listings of Lustrons included in the National Register Information System (NRIS)
