HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Historic preservation is about recognizing and protecting buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes because of their importance to a community. This might mean saving a building because it has architectural value or because it links us to persons or events from the past. Or it may mean establishing protective covenants for entire neighborhoods to shield them from development deemed unsuitable for the area. Preservation is not just for grand and elaborate buildings. Often the small, simple homes of our early pioneers are just as important. Historic preservation recognizes that many of our old buildings still have plenty of life left in them. Whether they continue to be used the way they were originally intended or are reused in some new adaptive way, there are environmental, economic and social benefits to preserving them.

Preservation does not mean new development or change cannot occur. Historic preservation policies can provide criteria for alterations, allowing our historic buildings and neighborhoods to adapt and change with the times, while protecting their historic character. Being aware of and protecting our heritage gives our community a solid foundation from which to grow and guarantees that future generations are reminded of the great accomplishments, people and events that came before them.

Benefits of Historic Preservation

Since the 1970s, mounting evidence has shown that historic preservation can be a powerful community and economic development strategy. Evidence includes statistics compiled from annual surveys conducted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and statewide Main Street programs, state-level tourism and economic impact studies, and studies that have analyzed the impact of specific actions such as historic designation, tax credits, and revolving loan funds. Among the findings:

Creation of local historic districts stabilizes, and often increases residential and commercial property values. Increases in property values in historic districts are typically greater than increases in the community at large.

Historic building rehabilitation, which is more labor intensive and requires greater specialization and higher skills levels, creates more jobs and results in more local business than does new construction. Heritage tourism provides substantial economic benefits. Tourists drawn by a community's (or region's) historic character typically stay longer and spend more during their visit than other tourists.

Historic rehabilitation encourages additional neighborhood investment and produces a high return for municipal dollars spent.

Use of a city or town's existing, historic building stock can support growth management policies by increasing the availability of centrally located housing.

From An Introduction to Preservation Planning by Amy Facca

Links:

Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities

Hamblen County Genealogical Society

Morristown Rose Center and Council for the Arts

National Trust for Historic Preservation

Tennessee Historical Commission

Tennessee Preservation Trust

The Land Trust for Tennessee