D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board

D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board
Name	D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region served	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	Chair
Parent organization	District of Columbia Office of Planning

D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board is the appointed body that evaluates nominations, reviews projects, and advises on cultural resource decisions for historic landmarks and historic districts in Washington, D.C.. It operates within a framework shaped by municipal legislation, federal statutes, and national preservation practice, interacting with agencies, commissions, and advocacy groups across local and national levels. The board's reviews affect properties associated with figures, events, and institutions central to American political, social, and architectural history.

Overview and Purpose

The board reviews nominations for individual landmarks and historic districts such as Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, and Anacostia, balancing preservation interests with projects proposed by entities including National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, Nationals Park developers, Olympic National Heritage Area proponents, and representatives of institutions like Howard University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University, and Catholic University of America. It advises the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office, the Office of Planning, the D.C. Council, and federal agencies including the General Services Administration and the National Capital Planning Commission. The board’s purpose connects to broader programs such as the National Register of Historic Places, the National Historic Landmarks Program, the Historic American Buildings Survey, and tax incentives like those administered under the Internal Revenue Code rehabilitation credits.

History and Legal Authority

Established under local statutes and ordinances, the board’s legal authority derives from the Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection Act of 1978 (D.C.), municipal codes, and precedent involving interactions with federal law such as the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and consultation requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act. Its institutional history intersects with pivotal D.C. events and figures including redevelopment projects around Pennsylvania Avenue, preservation fights over sites linked to Marian Anderson, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Mary McLeod Bethune, Langston Hughes, and neighborhoods affected by policies advocated by Robert Moses-era planners and Lyndon B. Johnson-era urban programs. The board adjudicated controversies during rehabilitation of landmarks like Old Post Office Building, Washington Monument, Franklin School, Eastern Market, and Union Station.

Membership and Organization

Membership typically comprises appointed experts and citizens drawn from professional communities of architecture, history, archaeology, and preservation, nominated or confirmed through processes involving the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the D.C. Council. Members have included practitioners affiliated with institutions such as National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Institute of Architects, Society of Architectural Historians, Association for Preservation Technology International, and universities including Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, Yale University, and University of Pennsylvania. Organizationally the board coordinates with the Historic Preservation Office, the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, the State Historic Preservation Officer functions, and community stakeholders like Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, neighborhood civic associations in Foggy Bottom, Shaw (Washington, D.C.), Petworth, and nonprofit partners such as DC Preservation League.

Responsibilities and Procedures

The board evaluates landmark nominations, designation reports, and Certificate of Appropriateness applications for alterations, demolitions, and new construction in designated districts; it conducts public meetings, hearings, and determinations influenced by criteria comparable to those used by the National Park Service for the National Register of Historic Places. Procedures require filings from property owners, developers like those who worked on CityCenterDC or The Wharf (Washington, D.C.), and agencies proposing projects at sites including Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Reagan National Airport, and Anacostia Naval Station. The board’s review considers documentation standards practiced by the Historic American Buildings Survey, archaeological protocols consistent with Society for American Archaeology guidelines, and conservation principles promoted by organizations such as ICOMOS and UNESCO when World Heritage-related matters arise. Decisions often lead to mitigation agreements, conditions, or appeals to bodies like the D.C. Court of Appeals.

Notable Decisions and Designations

The board has designated properties tied to prominent Americans and institutions: residences associated with Duke Ellington, Marian Anderson, Dred Scott, Harriet Tubman-era sites, churches like Shiloh Baptist Church (Washington, D.C.), synagogues such as Adas Israel Congregation (Washington, D.C.), and civic structures like Benning Road Metro Station adjacent sites and historic campuses including Howard Theatre, Lincoln Theatre, and corridors near the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. It played roles in preserving segments of Anacostia Historic District, U Street Historic District, Mount Pleasant Historic District, Kalorama Triangle Historic District, and portions of Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site while reviewing large proposals for changes near landmarks like The Pentagon, White House, Capitol Building, Supreme Court of the United States, and Library of Congress.

Impact and Criticism

Advocates such as National Trust for Historic Preservation and local preservationists credit the board with protecting architectural resources linked to cultural heritage exemplified by figures like Duke Ellington, Mary McLeod Bethune, Langston Hughes, and Paul Laurence Dunbar, and places like Eastern Market and Georgetown Waterfront. Critics including developers, urbanists aligned with concepts from Jane Jacobs, and proponents of transit-oriented development argue board decisions can constrain redevelopment tied to projects such as Union Station Redevelopment, NoMa expansion, and waterfront revitalization at The Yards (Washington, D.C.). Legal challenges have involved parties represented before the D.C. Court of Appeals and interventions by federal agencies including the General Services Administration and the National Park Service. Debates continue over balancing preservation with affordable housing initiatives advocated by organizations like Enterprise Community Partners and Habitat for Humanity, infrastructure investments related to WMATA, and climate resilience planning influenced by Federal Emergency Management Agency guidance.

Category:Historic preservation in Washington, D.C.