Hello Historic Resources Knowledge Community.
The topic of whether the current policies and standards governing historic preservation remain viable in today's rapidly changing world continues to be an important issue. As we know, the current climate crisis has caused changes to codes and regulations, as well as to goals toward sustainable building practices. Equally, our understanding of the need for historic preservation to take on a more holistic view of sustainability including social, cultural, and economic equity has intensified and calls for us to look closely as to whether current standards are inclusive or exclusive.
In furtherance of this discussion, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) sent the following open letter to the Advisory Group, requesting HRC member input. Please consider participating in the NCSHPO survey through the link in the letter.
Dear Historic Resources Advisory Group:
I'm reaching out today on behalf of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) in hopes of engaging your membership on our efforts in response to the ongoing national discussion of the efficacy of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation (Standards) in their present form and application. In March of 2023, NCSHPO established a working group to carefully examine issues and perspectives related to the Standards and their application, and ultimately to create a summary report that identifies issues, recommendations, and case studies to be broadly shared.
The Stakeholder Subcommittee of the working group is focused on obtaining input from multiple perspectives outside of SHPOs, NPS, and related entities. The Subcommittee is seeking opportunities for thoughtful engagement and input from a wide variety of preservationists, professionals, and other stakeholders who use the Standards, to incorporate a broad range of experiences and perspectives. The subcommittee believes that the perspective of AIA members is vital to our exploration of the Standards.
As a first step in support of that goal, the Subcommittee has created an online stakeholder survey which poses questions about how each stakeholder interacts with and perceives the Standards and their application. If you feel it is appropriate, we would greatly appreciate it if you would share this survey with your members. We are requesting your members submit responses to the survey by December 15, 2023.
Thank you for your time and assistance - your members' responses are important in helping us complete our work on behalf of a wide range of preservationists, professionals, and other stakeholders. If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, or other suggestions or perspectives to share, please contact Anne Raines, Deputy Director/DSHPO, Maryland Historical Trust, Stakeholder Subcommittee Chair at anne.raines@maryland.gov.
Best,
Christina A. Hingle
Director, Government & External Affairs
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICERS
Hall of States | 444 N. Capitol Street NW, Suite 342 | Washington, DC 20001
202.624.5476
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Robert Burns, AIA
Historic Resources Committee Advisory Group
Richmond, VA
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