Michigan State Historic Preservation Office

Michigan State Historic Preservation Office
Name	Michigan State Historic Preservation Office
Formation	1966
Headquarters	Lansing, Michigan
Region served	Michigan
Parent organization	Michigan State Historic Preservation Office

Michigan State Historic Preservation Office The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office operates as the primary state-level agency coordinating historic preservation in Michigan, interfacing with National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, National Register of Historic Places, Historic American Buildings Survey, and other preservation entities. It advises on matters relating to State Historic Preservation Officer responsibilities, compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and consultations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The office collaborates with local bodies such as Detroit Historic District Commission, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Marquette County, and tribal governments including the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

History

The office traces its statutory roots to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, mirroring early preservation efforts exemplified by listings like the Mackinac Island State Park and projects such as the Historic American Engineering Record surveys of the Pere Marquette Railway and Great Lakes freighters. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it worked alongside the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Michigan Historical Commission, and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to document resources including Fort Michilimackinac, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald wreck site studies, and the restoration of Fisher Building in Detroit. In the 1990s and 2000s the office expanded consultations involving Federal Highway Administration projects along US Route 12, I-75, and US Route 23, and participated in thematic nominations such as Automobile Alley (Detroit) and Copper Country historic districts.

Organization and Administration

Administratively, the office sits within state structures linked to the Michigan State Historic Preservation Officer role and coordinates with agencies including the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Michigan Department of Transportation, and the Michigan Historical Center. Leadership has included professionals with backgrounds in institutions like Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Kalamazoo College, and the Wayne State University Department of Architecture, and it regularly staffs positions such as architectural historians, archaeologists, and preservation planners who liaise with organizations like Society of Architectural Historians and American Institute for Conservation. Its records interact with repositories such as the Bentley Historical Library, the Library of Congress, and the Michigan State Archives.

Programs and Activities

The office administers the nomination process to the National Register of Historic Places, oversees state historic preservation tax incentives akin to programs administered in New York (state), Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania (state), and manages surveys of building types from Lighthouses in the United States to Automotive factories associated with Henry Ford and General Motors. It conducts archaeological reviews related to sites like Fort St. Joseph and Manitou Island, supervises compliance for undertakings by Federal Emergency Management Agency and Federal Highway Administration, and runs educational initiatives with partners such as the Historic Preservation Education Foundation and the Michigan History Center. The office also coordinates easement programs paralleling efforts by National Trust for Historic Preservation and technical assistance for rehabilitations in districts including Old Town (Kalamazoo, Michigan), Greektown (Detroit), and the Holland Historic District.

Grants and Funding

Grant administration includes management of federal funds from the Historic Preservation Fund and matching state grants comparable to programs in Minnesota and Ohio (state), disbursing support for preservation projects at sites like Pickle Barrel House and Cup and Saucer–type structures, and underwriting surveys, National Register nominations, and rehabilitation projects. The office allocates Certified Local Government grants to local commissions such as the Traverse City Historic District Commission and leverages tax credits similar to the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program to enable projects at properties like the J.L. Hudson Department Store redevelopment and the Fisher Theatre preservation. It administers emergency stabilization funding in response to events involving partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michigan State Police, and municipal preservation groups.

State and Federal Partnerships

The office maintains formal consultation relationships with the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Federal Highway Administration, and federal agencies executing undertakings under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. It partners with state entities including the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and local governments such as City of Detroit, City of Grand Rapids, and City of Lansing. Collaboration extends to tribal historic preservation offices like the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and educational partnerships with Western Michigan University, Central Michigan University, and community organizations including the Detroit Historical Society and Grand Rapids Historical Commission.

Notable Projects and Listings

Notable National Register listings facilitated by the office encompass properties and districts such as Mackinac Island, Fort Michilimackinac, the Fisher Building, the J.L. Hudson Department Store, Copper Harbor Historic District, and the Detroit Industrial Historic District. High-profile preservation projects include rehabilitation efforts at Michigan Central Station in coordination with private developers and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, lighthouse restorations on Lake Huron and Lake Superior, and archaeological investigations at Fort St. Joseph and Fort Detroit. The office has supported thematic nominations and studies of Automobile industry heritage sites, Copper Country mining landscapes, and maritime resources linked to the Great Lakes shipping history.

Category:Historic preservation in Michigan Category:State historic preservation offices of the United States