National Historic Perservation Act

Since I post mostly all historic information on my blog I thought it would be a good idea to explain about how historic preservation came about. The National Historic Preservation Act was created in 1966. It made the Federal Government a leader and partner in historic preservation. The Federal Government sets policies and practices and provides leadership for preservation. Within the National Historic Preservation is an Advisory Council that gives property National Register of Historic Places status which brings attention and recognition to that valued property. But it cannot protect the property from being demolished, in the case of a property dwelling, or built upon. Local officials, by way of a review board or commission, not the federal or state governments, maintain the historical significance of the properties through zoning laws and guidelines. Generally, a property must be more than 50 years old to be considered for the National Register of Historic Houses. To read more about zoning read The Politics of Place: A History of Zoning in Chicago by Joseph P. Schwieterman and Dana M. Caspall. You can also read my review of the book on ReaderViews.