Department of Historic Resources

Department of Historic Resources
Agency name	Department of Historic Resources

Department of Historic Resources is a state-level cultural agency charged with identifying, evaluating, and protecting historic preservation assets, administering historic tax credit programs, maintaining historic registers, and advising on architectural conservation and archaeological resources within its jurisdiction. The agency interacts with federal entities such as the National Park Service, engages with nonprofit organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and state-level counterparts including State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) affiliates, and collaborates with municipal governments such as the City of Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia, and Alexandria, Virginia on landmark designation, adaptive reuse, and heritage tourism initiatives.

History

The agency traces institutional lineage to early preservation movements linked to figures such as John Marshall and organizations like the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, with legislative precursors including the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and state statutes modeled after Historic Sites Act of 1935 frameworks. Its development reflects interactions with federal programs administered by the National Register of Historic Places, policy shifts influenced by crises such as the Great Depression rehabilitation efforts and postwar urban renewal debates exemplified by controversies in Newport News and Norfolk, Virginia. Over decades the agency coordinated surveys akin to the Historic American Buildings Survey and collaborated on conservation standards paralleling the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, addressing sites comparable to Monticello, Mount Vernon, and battlefield landscapes like First Battle of Bull Run and Battle of Williamsburg. Notable milestones include administering state-level versions of the Certified Local Government program and implementing tax incentives modeled after the Enterprise Zone and New Markets Tax Credit models to foster rehabilitation in districts similar to Scott's Addition (Richmond) and Old Town Alexandria.

Organization and Governance

The agency is structured into divisions comparable to preservation offices in state governments, with leadership roles analogous to a director reporting to a governor-appointed historic resources board, mirroring governance seen in entities like the Virginia Board of Historic Resources and advisory commissions patterned after the National Trust Advisory Council. Operational units include survey and inventory teams, compliance and review sections working with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, grants administration offices interfacing with programs like the Historic Preservation Fund, and archaeology programs coordinating with academic institutions such as the College of William & Mary, University of Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth University. The legal framework references statutes similar to state preservation laws and regulatory processes involving agencies like the Department of Transportation (Virginia) for Section 106-type reviews, and planning collaborations with municipal bodies including the Richmond City Council and county boards such as Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Programs and Services

Core programs mirror offerings by peer agencies: administration of state and federal rehabilitation tax credits akin to those used in projects at Richmond Main Street Station and Old City Hall (Richmond), management of a state historic register comparable to the Virginia Landmarks Register, and oversight of archaeological permitting and curation similar to practices at the Jamestown Rediscovery project. Services include technical assistance for preservation projects at landmarks such as Bacon's Castle, grant programs modeled after the Save America's Treasures initiative, and certification programs paralleling National Historic Landmarks processes. The agency also oversees heritage tourism initiatives linked to trails like the American Revolutionary War Trails and collaborates with museums such as the Science Museum of Virginia and historic sites like Shirley Plantation and Berkeley Plantation.

Preservation Activities and Projects

Preservation activities encompass survey and inventory projects comparable to the Historic American Landscapes Survey, rehabilitation projects in downtown commercial corridors similar to Hampton Roads revitalization efforts, battlefield preservation in concert with organizations like the American Battlefield Trust, and architectural conservation projects akin to work at St. John's Church (Richmond). Major projects have included facade restoration grants used in districts like Petersburg Old Towne Historic District and structural stabilization at archaeological sites comparable to Colonial Williamsburg Archaeological Field School excavations. The agency collaborates on easements and covenants modeled after practices by the Open Space Institute and partners with preservation foundations including the Historic Richmond Foundation and Alexandria Historical Society.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources parallel multi-stream models combining state appropriations, federal grants such as the Historic Preservation Fund, program income from tax credit processing, and philanthropic contributions from entities like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities. The agency forms partnerships with federal agencies including the National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration for compliance and mitigation, works with nonprofit partners like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local preservation trusts, and leverages public-private partnerships seen in projects with developers who utilized Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives for adaptive reuse in neighborhoods such as Shockoe Bottom and Manchester, Richmond. Collaborative grantmaking has involved foundations like the Gilbert Fund and corporate sponsors similar to preservation philanthropy by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

Public Outreach and Education

Outreach programs reflect education models used by museums and historic sites such as Colonial Williamsburg, Montpelier, and Mount Vernon and include workshops, publications, and online resources for professionals and homeowners. Educational initiatives partner with higher education institutions like the University of Mary Washington and Old Dominion University to offer field schools, internships, and continuing education comparable to programs at the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Virginia. Public-facing projects include walking tours, interpretive signage aligned with National Scenic Byways concepts, and collaborative events with organizations such as Preservation Virginia, Historic Alexandria, and the Virginia Historical Society to promote stewardship of properties including Shenandoah National Park gateway communities and historic districts like Carytown (Richmond).

Category:State historic preservation offices