National Register Criteria for Evaluation

National Register Criteria for Evaluation
Name	National Register Criteria for Evaluation
Caption	Logo of the National Register of Historic Places
Established	1966
Jurisdiction	United States
Administered by	National_Park_Service

National Register Criteria for Evaluation

The National Register Criteria for Evaluation guide designation of historic districts, buildings, sites, structures, and objects for the National Register of Historic Places under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Developed and administered by the National Park Service, the Criteria frame assessments used by State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, and preservation professionals in projects involving the Historic American Buildings Survey, Historic American Engineering Record, and Historic American Landscapes Survey.

Overview

The Criteria articulate significance in relation to four principal themes and establish the concept of historic significance as applied to properties associated with persons, events, design, and information potential. They operate alongside the legal framework created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and guidance from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and federal agencies implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Major case law such as Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City and programs like the National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form have influenced interpretation. The Criteria are applied in contexts involving Historic districts, National Historic Landmarks, New Deal-era properties, Civil War battlefields, Lewis and Clark Expedition sites, and Route 66 corridors.

Criteria for Evaluation (Criteria A–D)

Criteria are organized into A–D. Criterion A addresses properties associated with events that have made a significant contribution to broad patterns of history, relevant to themes like Industrial Revolution, American Revolution, Great Depression, Civil Rights Movement, westward expansion and Transportation innovations. Criterion B covers properties associated with the lives of significant persons such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Harriet Tubman. Criterion C pertains to design and construction, encompassing works by architects and builders like Thomas Jefferson, Richard Morris Hunt, Louis Sullivan, I. M. Pei, Frank Gehry, and examples of styles such as Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Art Deco, and Modernism. Criterion D concerns properties that have yielded or may yield information important in prehistory or history, including archaeological sites linked to cultures like the Ancestral Puebloans, Mississippian culture, Hopewell tradition, and studies by researchers at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and American Antiquity scholars.

Integrity and Aspects of Integrity

Eligibility requires both significance and integrity. The seven aspects of integrity—location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association—are assessed in relation to comparable examples documented by entities like the Library of Congress and the Historic American Buildings Survey. Integrity evaluations often reference standards from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and guidance from the National Park Service Technical Preservation Services. Integrity considerations influence determinations for properties connected to events such as the Battle of Gettysburg or persons like Susan B. Anthony and inform evaluations in contexts like urban renewal districts, plantation landscapes, and industrial complexes.

Applying the Criteria: Procedures and Documentation

Application follows procedures established by the National Park Service and implemented by State Historic Preservation Offices and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. Nominations use the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form and often rely on Multiple Property Documentation Forms tied to themes such as New Deal, Railroad development, Immigration history, and African American heritage. Documentation includes historical research in archives like the Library of Congress, mapping with the United States Geological Survey, architectural analysis referencing figures like A. H. Davenport Company, and archaeological survey methods endorsed by the Society for American Archaeology. Review processes involve State Review Boards, public notice, and concurrence by the National Park Service.

Exceptions and Special Considerations

Certain property types require special consideration or meet separate guidelines: moved properties, reconstructed properties, cemeteries, birthplaces, ruins, commemorative properties, and properties achieving significance within the past fifty years. These exceptions are governed by policies articulated by the National Park Service and influenced by rulings from courts such as the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Criteria also intersect with federal statutes like the National Environmental Policy Act when preservation considerations arise during project reviews for Interstate Highway System improvements or federal agency undertakings, and with tax programs including the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives.

State and Local Roles in Evaluation

State Historic Preservation Offices prepare nominations, manage survey programs, and coordinate with local historic preservation commissions, municipal planning departments, and organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Action, Historic New England, Chicago History Museum, and California Office of Historic Preservation. Local landmark ordinances, for instance in New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission jurisdictions or Boston Landmarks Commission areas, complement National Register listings by regulating alterations. Tribal consultation involves entities like the National Congress of American Indians and specific Tribal Historic Preservation Offices to address Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act considerations.

Impact on Preservation and Management Practices

Listing under the Criteria can trigger benefits and responsibilities: eligibility for Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives, qualification for Historic Preservation Fund grants, and consideration in Section 106 reviews by agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Criteria influence treatment decisions under the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, inform management of sites like Independence Hall, Monticello, Mesa Verde National Park, and guide stewardship by organizations including The Nature Conservancy when cultural resources intersect with conservation. National Register evaluation shapes scholarship by institutions such as University of Virginia, Columbia University, Harvard University, and University of California, Berkeley and underpins public history programs at museums like the Smithsonian Institution and National Archives.

Category:Historic preservation in the United States