City-County of Spokane Historic Preservation

The National Register of Historic Places serves as the Federal government's official list of those properties deemed worthy of preservation. Listing in the National Register is primarily a tool to encourage preservation, recognition, and rehabilitation of our national landmarks. It is a strong reminder that the preservation and re-use of historic properties can also be economically feasible.

The following criteria have been established to guide the States, Federal agencies, and the Secretary of the Interior in evaluating potential entries to the National Register.

The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and:

1) that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or

2) that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or

3) that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or

4) that have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

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Criteria Considerations

Ordinarily cemeteries, birthplaces, or graves of historical figures, properties owned by religious institutions or used for religious purposes, structures that have been moved from their original locations, reconstructed historic buildings, properties primarily commemorative in nature, and properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years shall not be considered eligible for the National Register. However, such properties can qualify if there are integral parts of districts that do meet the criteria or if they fall within the following categories:

1) a religious property deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance; or

2) a building, or structure removed from its original location but which is significant primarily for architectural value, or which is the surviving structure most importantly associated with a historic person or event; or

3) a birthplace or grave of a historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no appropriate site or building directly associated with his productive life; or

4) cemetery which derives its primary significance from graves of persons of transcendent importance, from age, from distinctive design features, or from association with historic events; or

5) a reconstructed building when accurately executed in a suitable environment and presented in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan, and when no other building or structure with the same association has survived; or

6) a property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age, tradition, or symbolic value has invested it with its own historical significance; or

7) a property achieving significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional importance.

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There are many misconceptions about what the Register does and does not do. Benefits of listing in the National Register include:

1) eligibility to apply for Federal planning and renovation grants, when funds are available.

2) profitable renovation of commercial properties (including residential rental) by means of Federal investment tax credits for approved rehabilitations.

3) assurance that the property will not be altered or demolished by federally funded or licensed projects without careful consideration of the owner's interests and comment by the President's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

4) recognition in national publications and listings and, if the owner wishes, display of a bronze National Register plaque; and

5) generally higher sales value because of the benefits listed above.

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Listing in the National Register does none of the following:

1 ) It does not require the owner to preserve or maintain the property. Unless the owner applies for and accepts special Federal benefits, he can do anything with his property he wishes so long as it is permitted by state and local law.

2) It does not guarantee preservation of the property. The owner is not required to preserve the property, nor is the property protected from the effects of state and local projects, unless Federal funding or licensing is involved.

3) It does not block even federally funded or licensed projects when these are desired by the owner and shown to be in the public interest. Procedures do require careful consideration of federally funded or licensed projects which call for alteration or demolition of National Register properties, before the license is issued or funds released.

4) Demolition of National Register properties does not result in significant tax penalties. At one time, buildings newly constructed on sites where National Register properties had been demolished were not eligible for accelerated depreciation. This is no longer the case. One minor "penalty" remains: the cost of demolishing the National Register property in such cases cannot be counted as part of the costs of new construction for tax purposes.

To learn more about the National Register of Historic Places, click here.

For the National Register nomination form, click here.

To learn more about the the Washington Heritage Register, Washington State's official listing of historically significant properties, click here.

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HOW TO APPLY FOR LISTING ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER:

A completed National Register nomination is forwarded to the State Historic Preservation Officer. Following State notification that the National Register nomination is ready for review, the appropriate Certified Local Government participates in the process by scheduling a public hearing for the nomination. The Landmarks Commission reviews the nomination and prepares its recommendation, along with an explanation for the decision.

Upon receipt of this information, the SHPO schedules the nomination for review at the next State Advisory Council meeting. If accepted at this level, the nomination is forwarded to Washington, D.C. for final review and approval/denial. The total review process will run between 180 and 300 days.

(Note: In some instances, the review may be expedited by either the CLG or the State with written concurrence from the chief local elected official and the Chair of the Commission.)

To learn more about applying for National Register designation, click here.

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