Historic districts in the United States
[7] The first U.S. historic district was established in Charleston, South Carolina in 1931, predating the U.S. federal government designation by more than three decades.
[9] Charleston city government designated an "Old and Historic District" by local ordinance and created a board of architectural review to oversee it.
[9] New Orleans followed in 1937, establishing the Vieux Carré Commission and authorizing it to act to maintain the historic character of the city's French Quarter.
[10] The regulatory authority of local commissions and historic districts has been consistently upheld as a legitimate use of government police power, most notably in Penn Central Transportation Co. v. City of New York (1978).
"[11] In 1966, the federal government created the National Register of Historic Places, soon after a report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors had stated Americans suffered from "rootlessness.
[17] According to the Register definition, a historic district is: a geographically definable area, urban or rural, possessing a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united by past events or aesthetically by plan or physical development.
[17]Districts established under U.S. federal guidelines generally begin the designation process through a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
[20] While designation through the National Register does offer a district or property some protections, it is only in cases where the threatening action involves the federal government.
However, if a property falls into one of those categories and are "integral parts of districts that do meet the criteria", then an exception allowing their listing will be made.
[17] This provision is controversial because of the presumption that owners who do not file a formal objection support the designation, placing the burden on opponents.
[26] Local historic districts can be administered at the county or the municipal level; both entities are involved in land use decisions.
For most minor changes, homeowners can consult with local preservation staff at the municipal office and receive guidance and permission.
Significant changes, however, require homeowners to apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA), and the historic commission or architectural review board may decide upon the changes.
"[34] For example, homeowners may be prevented from upgrading poorly insulated windows unless they spend tens of thousands of dollars on identical styles.
The effects have been extensively studied using multiple methodologies, including before-and-after analysis and evaluating comparable neighborhoods with and without local designation status.
Independent researchers have conducted factual analysis in several states, including New Jersey, Texas, Indiana, Georgia, Colorado, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and elsewhere.
That year the U.S. Conference of Mayors penned an influential report which concluded, in part, that Americans suffered from a sense of "rootlessness.
The creation of the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, on the heels of the report, helped instill that sense of orientation the mayors sought.
[12] The mayors also recommended that any historic preservation program not focus solely on individual properties but also on "areas and districts which contain special meaning for the community."
