Utah State Historic Preservation Office

Utah State Historic Preservation Office
Name	Utah State Historic Preservation Office
Formed	1966
Jurisdiction	Utah
Headquarters	Salt Lake City, Utah
Parent agency	Utah Division of State History

Utah State Historic Preservation Office

The Utah State Historic Preservation Office administers statewide historic preservation activities and coordinates federal and state programs related to National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Landmarks, Section 106, Certified Local Governments, and cultural resource management in Utah. It serves as the state's liaison with the National Park Service, State Historic Preservation Officers Council, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and other entities involved with historic districts, archaeological sites, architectural history, and heritage tourism across communities such as Salt Lake City, Provo, St. George, Ogden, and Park City.

History

The office traces institutional roots to the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and early coordination with the National Park Service, the State Historical Society of Utah, and the Utah Territorial records custodians during the administrations of governors including Calvin L. Rampton and G. Scott Matheson. In its development the office worked with preservationists connected to the Historic American Buildings Survey, scholars from the University of Utah, curators from the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and tribal representatives from nations such as the Ute Indian Tribe, Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, and Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah to expand inventories, integrate standards from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, and respond to large federal undertakings like projects of the Bureau of Land Management, United States Army Corps of Engineers, and Federal Highway Administration.

Mission and Responsibilities

The office's mission aligns with statutory duties under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 to identify, evaluate, and protect historic and archaeological resources associated with places like Great Salt Lake, Bonneville Salt Flats, Capitol Reef National Park, Zion National Park, and cultural landscapes connected to Brigham Young and Mormon pioneers. Responsibilities include maintaining the state's inventory of historic properties, nominating properties to the National Register of Historic Places, implementing Section 106 review for federal undertakings, advising state agencies such as the Utah Department of Transportation, and consulting with tribal governments and organizations like the Utah Division of Indian Affairs and the Inter-Tribal Council of Utah.

Programs and Projects

Programs administered include the statewide survey programs that document resources from eras represented by designs of Richard K.A. Kletting and Walter Ware, vernacular architecture in Sanpete County, and industrial sites like the Bingham Canyon Mine. Projects have ranged from large-scale documentation for the Transcontinental Railroad corridor and preservation planning in Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot environs to archaeological mitigation at sites associated with Ancestral Puebloans, Fremont culture, and Euro-American settlement along the Old Spanish Trail. Collaborative initiatives involve the Historic Preservation Fund, tax credit guidance tied to the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program, and technical assistance for rehabilitation of properties such as the Brigham Young Complex and historic districts in Pleasant Grove and Tooele.

Grants and Funding

The office administers pass-through grants from the Historic Preservation Fund (federal) and state appropriations to support nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, local preservation planning for Certified Local Governments, and archaeological surveys for sites like those within Cedar Breaks National Monument. It provides guidance for applicants pursuing Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program benefits, and coordinates funding for stabilization projects associated with landmarks such as the Golden Spike National Historical Park and community revitalization investments in places like Ogden Union Station. Grant partnerships include the National Trust for Historic Preservation, foundations such as the Henry Luce Foundation, and state partners including the Utah Division of Arts & Museums.

Partnerships and Outreach

The office maintains partnerships with federal agencies like the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service; state entities including the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah State Archives, and the Utah Office of Tourism; academic programs at the University of Utah, Weber State University, and Brigham Young University; nonprofit organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Utah, and local historical societies in Summit County and Cache County; and tribal governments including the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. Outreach includes workshops on the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation for property owners in communities like Park City and public archaeology programs tied to sites near Dinosaur National Monument.

Organizational Structure and Staffing

As a bureau within the Utah Division of State History, the office is staffed by preservation specialists, architectural historians, archaeologists, historic architects, and compliance officers who coordinate with the State Historic Preservation Officers Council and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Leadership roles work with the Utah State Legislature on budgets, report to the Governor of Utah on preservation policy, and collaborate with legal counsel familiar with the National Environmental Policy Act and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Staffing supports technical sections for survey, nominations, archaeology, tax credits, and outreach operations serving urban centers like Salt Lake City and rural counties such as San Juan County and Iron County.

Notable Listings and Surveys

Notable nominations and surveys administered or assisted include listings on the National Register of Historic Places such as the Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Salt Lake City, the Old Sorrel Ranch, the Gilgal Sculpture Garden, the Saltair Pavilion, and historic districts in Provo and Ephraim. Archaeological surveys have documented sites connected to the Fremont culture and the Ancestral Puebloans, as well as landscapes associated with the California Trail and the Mormon Trail. The office has also facilitated recognition of industrial and transportation heritage like the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad corridors, mining structures in Tooele County and Bingham Canyon Mine, and Civil War-era and territorial-era resources associated with figures such as Brigham Young and John D. Lee.

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