Preservation Action

Preservation Action
Name	Preservation Action
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Founded	1970s
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Focus	Cultural heritage preservation, historic preservation, policy advocacy
Methods	Lobbying, public education, coalition-building

Preservation Action is a United States-based advocacy organization dedicated to the protection, conservation, and advocacy of historic sites, cultural landscapes, and built heritage. It engages with federal legislation, supports funding for conservation programs, and coordinates with preservation organizations, heritage professionals, and community groups to influence policy and resource allocation. The organization acts at the intersection of legislative advocacy, heritage management, and public outreach.

Definition and Scope

Preservation Action defines its remit to include advocacy for historic National Register of Historic Places listings, support for tax incentive programs such as the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives, and promotion of grant programs administered by agencies like the National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its scope covers preservation of architecture, archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, and industrial heritage across urban and rural contexts, interfacing with entities including the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, state historic preservation offices (SHPOs), and local National Trust for Historic Preservation affiliates. Activities typically encompass lobbying members of the United States Congress, coordinating with committees such as the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources, and collaborating with partner organizations like the American Institute of Architects and the American Planning Association.

History and Development

Originating in the 1970s during a period of increased federal heritage activity marked by the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the growth of the Historic Preservation Movement (United States), Preservation Action emerged to provide a focused advocacy presence in Washington, D.C. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it responded to debates over federal funding for programs administered by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Park Service, and engaged in campaigns around tax policy with the Internal Revenue Service rules affecting certified historic rehabilitation projects. In the 2000s the organization adapted to shifts following legislative acts such as the Tax Reform Act deliberations and appropriations debates within the United States Congress while expanding coalitions with the Society for Industrial Archeology and the World Monuments Fund. Recent decades have seen involvement with federal infrastructure legislation debated in the Congressional Budget Office and coordination during emergency response efforts connected to agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Types and Methods

Preservation Action employs multiple advocacy methods including direct lobbying of representatives on the House of Representatives and United States Senate floor, grassroots mobilization through networks of local preservation groups such as state preservation trusts and historical societies, and public education campaigns in partnership with institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress. The organization organizes Capitol Hill briefings for stakeholders including preservation architects from the American Institute for Conservation and archaeologists affiliated with the Society for Historical Archaeology, prepares position papers for legislative hearings before committees such as the House Committee on Appropriations, and leverages media collaborations with outlets such as the National Geographic Society and the Associated Press to raise awareness.

Legal and Policy Frameworks

Key legal frameworks informing Preservation Action’s work include the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the Antiquities Act, and provisions within federal tax statutes governing historic rehabilitation credits. The organization monitors amendments to legislation overseen by entities like the United States Department of the Interior and participates in rulemaking processes involving the Federal Register and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. It also engages with litigation and policy debates around Section 106 reviews, environmental assessment protocols under the National Environmental Policy Act, and appropriations for programs administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Organizations and Stakeholders

Preservation Action operates within a complex ecosystem of stakeholders: national nonprofits such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, professional bodies like the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Architects, federal agencies including the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior, state historic preservation offices, local preservation commissions, private developers, and philanthropies such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Kresge Foundation. It also engages academic programs at universities including Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Virginia that produce preservation specialists, and consults with engineering firms and conservation experts associated with the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Case Studies and Notable Projects

Preservation Action has been involved in advocacy around high-profile efforts such as campaigns to secure funding for restoration of sites within the Independence National Historical Park, protection of industrial heritage exemplified by advocacy connected to the Lowell National Historical Park, and efforts to extend historic tax credits that benefited rehabilitation projects in cities like New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The organization has supported disaster recovery funding for damaged cultural sites following events with response coordination involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has backed preservation initiatives for vernacular landscapes documented by scholars associated with the Historic American Buildings Survey.

Challenges and Future Directions

Challenges include fluctuating federal appropriations debated in the Congressional Budget Office and partisan shifts within the United States Congress that affect program stability, tensions between preservation goals and infrastructure development promoted by agencies like the United States Department of Transportation, and evolving threats from climate change impacting coastal sites monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Future directions emphasize resilience planning, integrating heritage considerations into federal grant programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and expanding partnerships with international organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to align local advocacy with global heritage agendas.

Category:Historic preservation organizations