The Ohio Historic Preservation Office is the official historic preservation agency
of the State of Ohio. It has developed since
1967 when the Ohio Historical Society was designated to manage
responsibilities delegated to the state by Congress
in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
The Ohio Historic Preservation Office:
- identifies historic places and archaeological sites.
- nominates eligible properties to the National Register of Historic Places.
- reviews rehabilitation work to income-producing National Register properties for federal investment tax credits.
- monitors federally-assisted projects for effects on historic, architectural, and archaeological resources.
- consults on the conservation of buildings and sites.
- offers educational programs and publications.
Headquartered in Columbus, the office has a staff of archaeologists, historians, architectural historians,
a historical architect, and others with professional expertise in preservation-related
fields. The office is funded in part by an annual grant from the U.S. Department
of the Interior's Historic Preservation Fund. The Ohio Historical Society,
State of Ohio, and other public and private sources match the federal funds.
Certified Local Governments
Communities can participate
more actively in the state historic preservation program by becoming
Certified Local Governments.
To become certified, a unit of local government must have an
approved program for recognizing and protecting its historic, architectural, and
archaeological resources. The Ohio Historic Preservation Office helps
local governments establish certifiable preservation programs, offering advice on
identifying historic, architectural, and archaeological resources; developing a
preservation plan; nominating eligible properties to the National Register of
Historic Places; and protecting local resources. Certified Local Governments can
apply for matching grants awarded by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office to
help fund projects like these and others.
Recording Ohio's Resources
The Ohio Historic
Preservation Office is compiling a permanent record of our built environment. The
Ohio Historic
Inventory records places of historic or architectural merit. The Ohio
Archaeological Inventory records prehistoric and historic archaeological
sites.
Records describing more than 140,000 properties in all parts
of the state are kept at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus. Computerized
information from both inventories aids preservation planning and research on
history, architecture, and archaeology.
The National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places
lists buildings, sites, structures, and objects worthy of being preserved. This
official list includes places of national, state, and local importance. In Ohio,
anyone may nominate a property to the National Register of Historic Places.
Nominations are made through the Ohio Historic Preservation Office and are
reviewed by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board. Members of the
board are appointed by the governor; they include interested citizens and
professionals in preservation-related disciplines. Final decisions on National
Register listing are made by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which maintains
the National Register. Listing a property on the National Register does not
affect an owner's right to alter or sell it.
Protecting Our Heritage
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 made the preservation of our historic,
architectural, and archaeological resources a national policy. Consistent with
this policy, the federal government requires that projects and programs it funds
or licenses in Ohio be reviewed
by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office to determine what effects, if any, they will have
upon historic, architectural, or archaeological resources.
The Ohio Historic Preservation Office
reviews more than 5000 federally-assisted undertakings a year to see that
alternatives are considered in any action that would damage or destroy properties
listed on, or eligible for, the National Register. When there is no prudent and
feasible alternative, we may agree to the loss of a significant property if steps
adequate to reduce the impact of its destruction are proposed.
Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit
Owners who rehabilitate income-producing properties listed on the National Register of
Historic Places are eligible to apply for a 20 percent federal Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit on
qualified expenses. Work must be certified as conforming to the Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, which are in use nationwide. The
Ohio Historic Preservation Office counsels owners on applying for certification
and conducts preliminary meetings, site visits and project assessments as needed
to help them qualify for the tax credit. Applications are submitted by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office
to the U.S. Department of the Interior for final approval.
Planning for the Future
One of the goals of the Ohio Historic Preservation Office is to prepare and implement
a comprehensive statewide historic preservation plan, A Future to Ohio's Past. The plan will
organizes existing information about Ohio's historic, architectural, and archaeological resources
so that it can be used to set future priorities for the identification, evaluation, and protection
of our state's historic resources.
Conserving Ohio's Resources
Free technical advice is
available from our experienced staff. Services include a preservation research
library, Building Doctor
Clinics, and publications including the
Old-Building Owner's Manual.
Educational Programs
Periodic Ohio Historic Preservation Office Awards. Ohio Historic Preservation
Office publications such as A Bibliography of Ohio Contract Archaeology:
1946-1985 aid researchers.
Contact the Ohio Historic Preservation Office to become involved in
preserving Ohio's historic architectural and archaeological resources. Active support by citizens througout the state
is vital to the future of Ohio's past.
This website is made possible in
part by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Historic Preservation
Fund, administered by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio
Historical Society.
U.S. Department of the Interior regulations prohibit
unlawful discrimination in departmental federally assisted programs on the basis
of race, color, national origin, age, or disability. Any person who believes he
or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility
operated by a recipient of federal assistance should write to: Director, Equal
Opportunity Program, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, P.O.
Box 37127, Washington, D.C. 20013-7127.
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