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| Montgomery Historic Preservation Commission | |
|---|---|
| Name | Montgomery Historic Preservation Commission |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Local preservation commission |
| Headquarters | Montgomery, Alabama |
| Region served | Montgomery County |
| Parent organization | City of Montgomery |
Montgomery Historic Preservation Commission The Montgomery Historic Preservation Commission is a municipal body charged with identifying, protecting, and promoting historic resources in Montgomery, Alabama. It operates within the legal framework established by the City of Montgomery and interfaces with state and federal programs to oversee designation, review, and stewardship of historic districts, landmarks, and cultural landscapes. The commission's actions intersect with preservation law, urban planning, cultural heritage tourism, and community development.
The commission traces its roots to mid-20th century preservation movements that followed initiatives in Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Boston, Massachusetts and echoed legislative models such as the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and programs administered by the National Park Service. Local precedents include municipal ordinances modeled after efforts in New Orleans, Louisiana and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its formation was influenced by civic organizations like the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery, and national groups including the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Historic American Buildings Survey. Over time the commission has reviewed nominations for the National Register of Historic Places and coordinated with the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Key eras in the commission’s development align with urban renewal debates in the 1950s and 1960s, preservation activism during the 1970s energy crisis, and heritage tourism growth in the 1990s, paralleling trends seen in Richmond, Virginia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Savannah Historic District preservation efforts.
The commission’s mandate reflects statutory frameworks similar to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and state enabling legislation administered by the Alabama Historical Commission. Primary responsibilities include reviewing alteration and demolition permits for properties within designated districts, administering local landmark designations, and advising the City of Montgomery mayoral administration and Montgomery City Council on preservation policy. The commission also participates in grant programs such as those offered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Trust Preservation Fund, and the Historic Preservation Fund. It collaborates with federal agencies like the General Services Administration when historic federal properties are affected, and with regional planning bodies such as the East Alabama Planning Commission on preservation-sensitive zoning and revitalization projects.
The commission is structured as a volunteer-appointed body appointed by the Mayor of Montgomery and ratified by the Montgomery City Council. Members typically include architects, historians, preservationists, and community leaders drawn from institutions such as the Auburn University at Montgomery, the Alabama A&M University, the Pratt Institute, and professional organizations like the American Institute of Architects and the Society of Architectural Historians. Staff support often comes from the Montgomery Planning Department and liaisons coordinate with the Alabama Historical Commission and the National Park Service. Subcommittees may interact with advocacy groups including the Historic Districts Council, local chapters of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and neighborhood associations in areas like the Old Alabama Town and the Garden District (Montgomery).
The commission administers local designation programs akin to those in Charleston Historic District and manages design review processes referencing the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Initiatives include facade improvement programs modeled after grants used in Main Street America communities, tax incentive promotion similar to Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives, and cultural landscape surveys paralleling projects in Piedmont Park and Riverfront Park (Savannah). It also sponsors educational workshops in partnership with the Montgomery Public Library, heritage trails comparable to the Civil Rights Trail, and archaeology partnerships with universities such as Troy University and University of Alabama. The commission engages in easement programs like those advocated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and coordinates disaster resilience planning referencing guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Properties and districts within the commission’s purview include sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places and locally designated landmarks in proximity to the Alabama State Capitol, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, and the Rosa Parks Library and Museum locale. Noteworthy designations echo the significance of places like the Montgomery Bus Boycott route, historic residences comparable to Rosa Parks Museum (Troy), and commercial corridors similar to Beale Street. The commission has reviewed nominations affecting properties akin to the First White House of the Confederacy, courthouses like the Montgomery County Courthouse, and cultural institutions such as the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Rosa Parks Museum. It oversees conservation issues for burial sites and monuments analogous to those in Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta) and battlefield preservation efforts resonant with sites like Fort Sumter.
The commission collaborates with civic partners including the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, the Montgomery Visitors Bureau, and nonprofit organizations such as the Historic Montgomery Foundation and the Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery. Educational partnerships extend to universities such as Auburn University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Alabama State University, and to museums including the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the Rosa Parks Library and Museum. It engages neighborhood associations, business improvement districts, and faith communities including congregations at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church to promote preservation-sensitive economic development and heritage tourism strategies modeled on programs by Main Street America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The commission has navigated debates over demolition reviews, adaptive reuse conflicts, and development pressures similar to controversies in Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Tensions arise around balancing preservation with infrastructure projects funded by entities like the Federal Highway Administration, tax credit allocations under the Internal Revenue Service historic rehabilitation program, and competing interests represented by developers, preservationists, and neighborhood advocates. Legal disputes have referenced case law principles applied in jurisdictions like New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission controversies and administrative appeals adjudicated in state courts under precedents involving the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
Category:Historic preservation organizations in the United States Category:Organizations based in Montgomery, Alabama