How do I start the process of putting my building on the National Register of Historic Places?
The first place to start is contacting the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) through their website. The SHPO website contains a wealth of information on nominating a building for the National Register of Historic Places.
There are four areas of criteria for nomination of a building to the National Register of Historic Places:
A. That the building is associated with a major historical event that occurred. It does not have to be of national significance, but have significance to the cultural history of the area it is located.
B. The building is associated with the lives of significant people.
C. The building embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, represent the work of a master, possess a high artistic value, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.
D. Has yield or could yield information important to history.
The building only needs to meet one of the four criteria to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The building must be old enough (generally 50 years old) and should not have lost its historic character.
Anyone may submit a nomination to the State Historic Nominations Committee unless the nomination is being paid for by State or Federal funds in which a Certified Historian will need to be hired to develop the nomination.
The SHPO website has a nomination guide that gives you a complete checklist of everything that needs to be included in the nomination. The National Park Service that also has specific criteria when it comes to maps and photography and those requirements can be accessed through links available on the SHPO website.
Also on the SHPO website is links to National Park bulletins that can detail any changes that have taken place in the process recently and other helpful information in preparing your nomination.
The State Nomination Review Committee (SNRC) meets three times per year and the applications are due about two months before the meeting. SHPO is willing to review your application before the filing deadline. You can see the deadlines for those reviews on their website. Before being submitted to the SNRC the nomination will need to be brought before the City of Waterloo Historic Preservation Commission for a recommendation. That recommendation is sent to the Waterloo City Council for approval and signed resolution from the
mayor needs to be submitted with the paperwork.
After the nomination is approved by the SNRC the nomination is then submitted to the National Park Service for review. The National Park Service will generally make a decision in 45 days from accepting the application. The owner of the property and the city will be notified whether the applicant is approved, needs additional information or is rejected.
For more information about The National Register of Historic Places and the benefits please visit the National Park Service Website.
