SPECIAL FOCUS

About the National Register of Historic Places

Since 1966, when the National Register of Historic Places was created by the federal government, thousands of Illinois historic and prehistoric places have been designated as important resources worthy of preservation.

Each year more places are added by applicants who want the prestige, financial benefits, and protections that National Register designation provides. Nearly every one of Illinois' 102 counties has at least one property or historic district listed in the National Register. High-style mansions, vernacular houses, burial mounds, military aircraft, canals, and historic downtowns together represent a cross section of the Prairie States history from its early settlement to World War II. (Few sites postdate the war because places nominated to the National Register generally must be at least 50 years old.)

However, many more Illinois places deserve National Register recognition. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's Preservation Services Division, in its role as state historic preservation office, manages the National Register program for Illinois. Anyone can apply to have a property considered for listing in the Register. Properties proposed for listing are first considered by Illinois review boards. Applications are then sent to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the comprehensive list and makes the official designation to the National Register of Historic Places.

What are the steps for applying to the National Register?

Following a preliminary staff review, a completed nomination form is formally reviewed by a state board—the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council. If the property is within a certified local government, the nomination is forwarded to the historic preservation commission and mayor for their formal comments on the property. The recommendations of the council are forwarded to the state historic preservation officer, who has the authority to officially nominate the property. The form is then sent to the Keeper of the National Register, Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., who has 45 days to act on the nomination. The Keeper makes the final decision to designate properties to the Register.

Must the owner of a nominated property give his or her permission? The National Register program is open to everyone. Ideally the owner of the property initiates the application, but that is not always the case. Many applicants complete nomination forms for properties the do not own; sometimes those places are abandoned, threatened with demolition, or publicly owned (such as a city hall or a city park). It is not legally necessary for a non-owner applicant to receive the permission of the property owner to nominate a property. However, applicants should be aware that private owners who officially object can prevent their properties from being listed. (Public owners do not have the right to object to National Register designation.) Should a private owner oppose the listing, the applicant may complete the nomination form and have it reviewed by the state review board and the National Park Service. If the reviews are favorable, the property will be determined eligible for the Register but not officially designated. Places that are eligible for the Register are provided the same protection as listed properties. However, the owner cannot take advantage of any of the financial incentives available to National Register properties.

A carefully worded set of criteria is the practical foundation for determining whether historic properties qualify for the National Register. The criteria were purposefully written to recognize the local, statewide, or national significance of thousands of different kinds of places that have made a contribution to America's history. The assessment of historical, architectural, and archaeological significance is guided by four criteria. To be eligible, a property must qualify under at least one of the four: 1) be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; 2) be associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; 3) embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction; represent the work of a master; possess high artistic value; or represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; and, 4) have yielded, or be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Several kinds of places—religious properties, birthplaces and graves, cemeteries, reconstructions, commemorative properties, structures that have been moved, and places less than 50 years old—must meet an additional criterion specific to that category. The applicant must provide additional justification for significance beyond the basic four criteria.
Questions about the National Register and requests for a complete listing of sites currently on the Register, should be directed to:

National Register Coordinator Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

Preservation Services Division 1 Old State Capitol Plaza Springfield, IL 62701-1507 Phone: 217.785.4512



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This article was excerpted from The National Register of Historic Places in Illinois: A Comprehensive list through February 20, 1997," published by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Division of Preservation Services. Permission to reprint was granted by Ann V. Swallow, survey and registration coordinator for the Preservation Services Division.

18 / Illinois Parks and Recreation


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