National Register Information System
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| National Register Information System | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | National Register Information System |
| Type | heritage database |
| Owner | National Park Service |
| Country | United States |
| Established | 1966 |
| Languages | English |
National Register Information System The National Register Information System is the central digital inventory maintained by the National Park Service for entries listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It aggregates nomination documentation, locational data, and administrative metadata for properties such as Independence Hall, Statue of Liberty, Monticello, Alcatraz Island, and Yellowstone National Park-adjacent historic districts. The system supports research by institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, and academic centers at Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University.
Overview
The database catalogs tens of thousands of resources including individual landmarks, historic districts, sites tied to events like the American Revolutionary War and the Civil Rights Movement, and structures associated with figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass. It interfaces with federal programs under laws like the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and interacts with agencies including the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the General Services Administration, and state-level State Historic Preservation Office offices. Users range from preservationists at the National Trust for Historic Preservation to planners at the Federal Highway Administration.
History and Development
Created in the aftermath of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the system evolved from paper nominations compiled by scholars at the Historic American Buildings Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record into a computerized index developed with technical partners like National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mapping units and university research groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Michigan. Major modernization efforts paralleled initiatives such as the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program and collaborations with the Library of Congress's National Digital Library Program. Architectural historians influenced schema design following methodologies used by proponents like John Ruskin (historical theory) and practitioners at the American Institute of Architects.
Data Structure and Fields
Records contain fields for property name, location, period of significance, architectural style, builder, and statement of significance, reflecting standards from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and reporting practices used by the National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination process. Geographic coordinates align with cartographic references from the United States Geological Survey and cadastral data maintained by Bureau of Land Management offices. Attribution and contributor metadata reference submission entities such as State Historic Preservation Office staff, consultants affiliated with firms like AECOM, and academic authors from institutions like Columbia University and Cornell University.
Access and Use
Public access is provided through online search interfaces used by journalists at outlets like The New York Times, broadcasters at National Public Radio, and educators at museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Professional users include consultants for the Federal Transit Administration, attorneys working with the United States Department of the Interior, and planners from municipal governments such as New York City and Los Angeles. Data exports are employed in GIS workflows with tools from Esri and analysis performed by researchers at Princeton University and University of Pennsylvania.
Integration with National Register of Historic Places
The inventory functions as the operational database supporting listings on the National Register of Historic Places. It records actions resulting from nominations reviewed by the National Park Service and decision bodies including the Keeper of the National Register. Entries correspond to listings that may also be designated as National Historic Landmark sites or connected to programs like the Historic Preservation Fund, and they inform projects funded by the Transportation Enhancement Program and the Economic Development Administration.
Accuracy, Updates, and Data Quality
Updates derive from nomination approvals, boundary adjustments, and delisting actions coordinated with State Historic Preservation Office submissions and federal reviews under procedures set by officials in the Office of the Secretary of the Interior. Data quality concerns have prompted partnerships with academic data scientists at Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University for validation, and with mapping projects at the United States Geological Survey to verify coordinates. Preservation advocates from the National Trust for Historic Preservation monitor discrepancies affecting properties like Fort Sumter and Gettysburg National Military Park.
Notable Applications and Research Use
Scholars have used the repository for studies on topics including architectural diffusion involving styles such as Greek Revival architecture, Gothic Revival architecture, and Art Deco; cultural geography analyses tied to events like the Great Migration (African American); and economic impact assessments for tourism at sites including Independence Hall and Monticello. Urban planners at entities like the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and environmental historians at Duke University employ the data for preservation planning, resilience projects aligned with the National Flood Insurance Program, and heritage tourism development with partners such as National Geographic.
Legal and Policy Framework
The system operates under statutes and guidance including the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, policy directives issued by the United States Department of the Interior, and standards promulgated by the National Park Service. Its use in regulatory reviews involves the Section 106 process and coordination with federal undertakings subject to compliance with administrative practices shaped by precedent from cases in the United States Court of Appeals and opinions of the United States Supreme Court. Policy decisions have been informed by reports from bodies such as the Government Accountability Office.
Category:Historic preservation databases