Keeper of the National Register

Keeper of the National Register
Post	Keeper of the National Register
Body	National Register of Historic Places
Incumbent	[see Organizational Structure and Office Holders]
Department	National Park Service
Style	Director (informal)
Reports to	Director of the National Park Service
Formation	1966
Inaugural	William J. Murtagh

Keeper of the National Register

The Keeper of the National Register is the principal federal official responsible for administering the National Register of Historic Places, an official list established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 to recognize and protect historic properties across the United States. The Keeper operates within the National Park Service and interacts with federal agencies, state historic preservation offices, tribal governments, and private preservation organizations to evaluate nominations, promulgate criteria, and implement policy affecting landmarks, districts, sites, buildings, and structures.

History and Establishment

The office emerged after passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, shaped by debates involving figures and institutions such as John F. Kennedy's cultural initiatives, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and early preservationists like Harriet Monroe advocates and professionals from Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress. The inaugural Keeper, William J. Murtagh, established procedures for nominations that referenced standards used by the Historic American Buildings Survey, the Historic American Engineering Record, and state-based State Historic Preservation Offices. The Keeper's authority expanded through subsequent legislation and executive actions influenced by cases and events including the Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City decision, the preservation efforts surrounding the Statue of Liberty, and responses to urban renewal controversies exemplified by projects in Boston and New York City.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Keeper adjudicates nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, applies the National Park Service's criteria for evaluation, and determines eligibility for designation programs such as National Historic Landmarks and the Historic Preservation Fund. The Keeper collaborates with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, consults with State Historic Preservation Officers, meets obligations under laws like the National Environmental Policy Act and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, and implements policies that affect properties associated with events such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, interactions with tribal nations recognized in treaties like the Fort Laramie Treaty, and sites related to figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman. The Keeper provides technical guidance to organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and interacts with agencies including the Federal Highway Administration and the General Services Administration on project reviews.

Appointment and Qualifications

The Keeper is appointed by the Secretary of the Interior through delegation to the National Park Service and typically is a professional with experience in architectural history, archaeology, preservation planning, or related fields. Candidates often come from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, universities including Columbia University, University of Virginia, or Johns Hopkins University, or from leadership roles within the National Trust for Historic Preservation or state preservation offices. Qualifications often mirror criteria used by professional societies like the American Institute of Architects and the Society for American Archaeology and may involve familiarity with federal statutes including the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.

Organizational Structure and Office Holders

The Keeper leads a unit within the National Park Service's Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, coordinating with divisions responsible for the Historic American Buildings Survey, the National Register of Historic Places, and the Cultural Resources Stewardship and Partnerships. Notable office holders have included William J. Murtagh, successors from academic and federal backgrounds, and leaders who engaged with preservation cases involving sites such as Monticello, Independence Hall, and Alcatraz Island. The office interacts with state counterparts in offices across California, New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and with tribal historic preservation officers from nations like the Navajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation.

Notable Actions and Controversies

Keepers have overseen contentious listings and delistings, such as debates over urban redevelopment affecting the Pennsylvania Station (New York City) site, controversies tied to battlefield commemoration at places like the Gettysburg Battlefield, and disputes about sites connected to figures like Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee. Decisions have provoked litigation referencing precedents like Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City and policy clashes with agencies including the Federal Highway Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers. The Keeper has also managed responses to heritage claims involving Native American sites subject to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and controversies over interpreting sites related to slavery and civil rights history involving locales associated with Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks.

Impact on Historic Preservation Policy

Through determinations, guidance, and program administration, the Keeper influences preservation trends affecting federal undertakings under laws like the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The office shapes collaboration among institutions such as the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and state agencies, affecting landmark designations for places like Statue of Liberty National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, and Ellis Island. Keeper decisions inform scholarship from universities like Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley and professional practice guided by organizations including the American Institute for Conservation and the Association for Preservation Technology International.

Category:Historic preservation in the United States Category:United States Department of the Interior offices