The 1950s building boom and push for urban renewal paved the way for the most comprehensive and influential piece of legislation on preservation. The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), enacted in 1966, established the framework in which much of historic preservation works today. 

NHPA Enactment

By the early 1960s, concerns about the adverse impacts of urban renewal and highway development led to a backlash against “destructive construction.” One result of this backlash was the 1965 publication of "With Heritage So Rich," a report that called for four key preservation initiatives:

• A national historic preservation program
• A comprehensive survey of historically significant properties
• A listing or register of historically significant properties
• Partnership on preservation issues at all levels of government

Just one year later, Congress enacted the NHPA. The Act's major impact was to establish a National Register system that is executed on both state and national levels and that uses standard criteria for determining the importance of a property. These standards serve as guidelines to individuals, organizations, and governments. As a result, the process of historic preservation is more efficient, effective, and accessible.

Government Role Confirmed

The NHPA confirmed the government's role in historic preservation by authorizing federal funding for preservation programs in the National Park Service, the National Trust, and state governments. It also established historic preservation as a concern in all government endeavors through Section 106 of the NHPA. Section 106 requires that any federal agency or federally funded operation assess the impact of undertakings on historic resources.

The NHPA remains the primary legislation affecting historic preservation. The standards, concepts, and procedures that it implemented are the framework for much of our historic preservation activities.

Economic Incentives for Preservation

During the 1980s, the NHPA was amended to initiate the Certified Local Government (CLG) program, which encourages historic preservation by local governments. Local governments that obtain CLG status become eligible to apply for federal grants set aside for CLGs.

Around this same time, a program of federal investment tax credits to owners of income-producing historic buildings was launched.

Also in 1980, the National Trust for Historic Preservation launched the Main Street Program, which promotes preservation-based economic development and grassroots revitalization efforts in historic downtown areas.

National Historic Preservation Timeline

• 1853 – Mount Vernon Ladies Association is formed to preserve Mount Vernon.
• 1906 – Congress passes the Antiquities Act.
• 1916 – The National Park Service is established.
• 1931 – Charleston, South Carolina, establishes the first historic district in the nation and enacts the first zoning legislation for preservation.
• 1935 – Congress passes the Historic Sites Act.
• 1949 – The National Trust for Historic Preservation is created.
• 1949 – The Housing Act establishes use of federal monies for the purchase and clearance of urban areas; subsequently, many historic neighborhoods and downtown areas are destroyed.
• 1965 – "With Heritage So Rich" published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• 1966 – The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) becomes law.
• 1980 – The National Trust initiates the Certified Local Government Program and the Main Street Program.

• Government Role in Preservation
• Wisconsin Historic Preservation Developments