The Preservation Movement and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Chapter 3 ARCH 5324

Congress passed the bill establishing it in 1949 The American historic preservation movement has developed only one major organization—the National Trust for Historic Preservation—which is a privately funded nonprofit organization representing private citizens Congress passed the bill establishing it in 1949 It came out of the National Council for Historic Sites and Buildings which was merged with the National Trust in 1952 Roughly patterned after the British National Trust, a longstanding organization with an eminent history, the National Trust role was to accept contributions of properties and funds, and to administer such properties ARCH 5324

The British National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty began in 1895 as a privately funded organization It owns historic houses, gardens, early factories, workhouses, paintings, sculptures, and many coastline and countryside properties Largest private landowner in the United Kingdom with over 200 houses and 610,000 acres of land ARCH 5324

Today it owns 10 historic sites and is co-steward of 17 others The National Trust’s first property was Woodlawn Plantation in Mount Vernon, Virginia, which it acquired in 1951 Today it owns 10 historic sites and is co-steward of 17 others One of its sites is in San Antonio—the Norton-Polk-Mathis House in the King William Historic District, also known as “Villa Finale” ARCH 5324

This only lasted until 1998, however With the passage of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, it became a recipient of federal matching funds for the first time This only lasted until 1998, however It has a quarterly magazine, “Preservation” Its programs include National Treasures which identifies significant sites facing imminent threats and Historic Hotels of America Two major programs it initiated were Main Street, which became the National Main Street Center, and the Maritime Preservation program. Both of these programs deal with the preservation of communities ARCH 5324

Since 1988 it has published an annual list of the Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places In 2015 the list included the Fort Worth Stockyards and the Grand Canyon (both threatened with development) ARCH 5324

A five-year plan was adopted in 1983 with four objectives: Identify and act on important national preservation issues Support, broaden, and strengthen organized preservation efforts Target communications to those who affect the future of historic resources Expand private and public financial resources for preservation activities ARCH 5324

Other properties it owns are: Chesterwood, Stockbridge Massachusetts Farnsworth House, Plano Illinois by Mies Van de Rohe ARCH 5324

The Gaylord Building in Lockport, Illinois Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut ARCH 5324

President Lincoln’s Cottage, in Washington, DC Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York ARCH 5324

Shadows-on-the-Teche New Iberia, Louisiana Woodrow Wilson House, Washington, DC ARCH 5324

And Woodlawn Plantation and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House, Alexandria, VA ARCH 5324

Footnote to text: the organization moved from the Mellon property in 2013 to the historic Watergate office complex ARCH 5324

The Main Street Program Participants pay a nominal annual fee to participate They receive design services from the Texas Main Street Program Strategic planning and organizational management On-site training for Main Street managers, boards and participants Conference participation Technical assistance on resources for funding projects and furthering economic development Access for non-entitlement communities and designated Main Street communities to a Main Street-specific pool of improvement funds ARCH 5324

The city must hire a full-time Main Street Director and show the following: Historic commercial fabric and historic identity Community and private sector support and organizational capacity Public support and financial capacity Physical capacity—cohesiveness, distinctiveness and variety of business activity in the area Demonstrated need and expected impact ARCH 5324

Four Point Approach to Downtown Revitalization Organization Partnerships between groups that share and interest in the health of the downtown, including the City, Citizens, and those who own businesses in the downtown work to form a vision for the downtown and the community ARCH 5324

Promotion THC-Main Street will work with the steering committee to market a unified, quality image of the business district as the center of activities, goods and services. ARCH 5324

Design Utilizing and capitalizing on the downtown’s uniques physical assets and heritage, design activities such as building rehabilitations, utilization of preservation-based tools and ordinances and effective planning practices to create an active district and maintain its authenticity ARCH 5324

Economic Vitality A targeted program is developed to identify new market opportunities for the commercial district, find new used for historic buildings, and stimulate investment in property ARCH 5324

http://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/2016_Main%20Street%20Before%20&%20After%20FINAL%20FOR%20WEBSITE.pdf ARCH 5324