DOUBLE THE BENEFITS OF YOUR SURVEY: HISTORIC PRESERVATION SURVEYS AS A MODEL FOR INVENTORYING AND ASSESSING BYWAY INTRINSIC QUALITIES

June 16, 2010
Printable Summary

Presenter:
Caitlin Meives
Survey Coordinator
Kansas Historical Society (kshs.org), KS State Historic Preservation Office
(SHPO) http://www.kshs.org/resource/buildings.htm
Agency representative on Kansas Scenic Byways Committee
(http://ksbyways.org/)

SHPO BACKGROUND
* Each state has a SHPO
* Established with 1966 National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
* Administer NHPA programs

SHPOs function differently therefore you should - CONTACT YOUR SHPO - if considering
conducting a historic resources survey for guidance and to inquire about survey
requirements, standards, possible funding sources, source list for historic preservation
consultants, etc.

WHAT IS SURVEY?
Process of identifying and gathering data on a community’s historic resources (NPS
definition)
In other words, documenting historic resources. Historic resources = buildings, sites,
structures, objects, landscapes.

A SURVEY INCLUDES
* Basic physical and architectural information
* Basic property/location information (address, legal description, GPS coordinates)
* Images
* Site Plan

Surveys can also include detailed descriptions of each resource, detailed histories,
archival research, and historic photos.

Kansas Survey: http://www.kshs.org/resource/survey.htm

WHY SURVEY?
* Documentation
* Tourism/Marketing – basis for walking/driving tour, signage, brochures, etc.
* Disaster Preparedness – see National Trust website for more information, http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/technical-assistance/disasterrecovery/
preparing-a-local-plan.html
* Survey is the basis for any preservation activities and preservation planning
  - For example, SHPOs often use survey data to evaluate eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (http://www.nps.gov/nr/)
  - Properties listed in the National Register may be eligible for financial incentives such as tax credits and/or grants
* Survey data can be incorporated into local planning and local databases
* Develop a better understanding of your community’s history

WHY SHOULD BYWAYS UTILIZE HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEYS?
* All of the above reasons
* Means of identifying and assessing byway’s intrinsic qualities
  - What resources are important to byway
  - What resources are at risk, merit protection

WHAT PRODUCTS RESULT FROM A SURVEY?

If carried out by a professional preservation consultant:
* Survey report
  - Historic context
  - Data Analysis
  - Historic preservation recommendations
* Records for each surveyed resource
* Map/Site Plans
* Images
* Possibly public meetings

WHO CARRIES OUT SURVEY?
* Depends on your SHPO’s survey standards/requirements
* Preservation consultants
* SHPO staff
* Volunteers
* In Kansas, anyone can survey

ACCESS TO SURVEY DATA
* New and existing survey data should be accessible to the general public at your SHPO
* Many SHPOs have developed online survey databases (see Kansas example, kshs.org/khri)
* As a byway organization, you may want to consider making your survey data
readily accessible to the public yourself—publicize survey results; if your SHPO doesn’t have an online database, add one to your website

RESOURCES
* National Register Bulletin 24 – "Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning" http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb24/
* National Register Bulletin 30 – "Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Rural Historic Landscapes" http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb30/
* Other bulletins (including ones on traditional cultural properties and archaeological
resources) available online at: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins.htm