Cultivate Culture by Salvaging Structures (part two)

“Protect the past. Shape the future.”-DAH&P

If every building has its own story to tell….what would yours say? Would you save the structure if you could? Would it have historic integrity? What are the qualities of a certified historic structure? What are the benefits of historic preservation?

There are the seven qualities to assess when considering a historic designation: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. The goal is to understand the property itself, its time period, its history and its materials.

Historic integrity is the essence of how a building relates to its physical environment, such as the time period in which it was created, or an event or person of significance. Let’s dig a bit deeper into the seven qualities to identify if the building will qualify for a historic designation:

1.      Location- consider if the structure is currently located in the place where was originally constructed, its orientation and height.

2.      Design- explore the elements of design that create the form, plan, space, structure and style of a property.

3.      Setting- examine the environment, site conditions and other resources of the property.

4.      Materials- investigate the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration.

5.      Workmanship- study the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during the given period in history.

6.      Feeling- sense of history; discover the property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time.

7.      Association- seek context; connect the link between an important historic event or person and the property.

All seven qualities do not need to be present for eligibility as long as the overall sense of past time and place is evident. After you have completed your assessment and decided that your structure does have a story to tell, nominate your property!

Tell your story. Be brief and sweet. Use a summary paragraph to outline your case. State under which criteria the property is being nominated. Provide a map, show orientation with a north arrow and a legend identifying any other resources on the site. Accurately describe the character defining features. Include images of all four elevations of the structure, and label them properly. If you are able, also include pictures of the original building and close-ups of the existing defining features.

Economic benefits of historic preservation include an increase in property values, managing your valuable resources and the opportunity to receive historic tax credits. According to Washington State’s Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation, the Federal Historic Tax Credit Program encourages preservation of the built environment by providing incentives such as a 20% federal income tax credit on qualified private investments on certified rehabilitations.  

The credit can be taken as income tax credit and applied over 20 years or you can apply for a special valuation. A special valuation revises the assessed value of a historic property. The value of approved rehab costs is then subtracted, for up to ten years, from your property taxes. For example, if you improve $100,000 worth of approved rehab costs, then your property taxes will decrease in the amount of $10,000 over the next ten years.

Last but certainly not least, let’s not overlook fame. It’s appealing…you could be on WISAARD, Washington’s award winning online GIS map tool for locating designated historical sites which are listed on the state and national registry!

To learn more about historic preservation, check out the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation at www.dahp.wa.gov or call (360)586-3065. As the DAH&P says, “Protect the past. Shape the future.”