As a Local Partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Foundation for Historical provides a number of programs and presentations during this May celebration.

Statement From National Trust President Richard Moe on National Preservation Month

2006 marks some of the most significant milestones in the history of the American preservation movement.

Washington, D.C. (May 1, 2006) – May is National Preservation Month. To kick off this month-long celebration of the nation’s diverse and irreplaceable heritage, National Trust President Richard Moe today released the following statement:

During Preservation Month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and its hundreds of thousands of partners and members throughout the country have a huge cause to celebrate. This is the anniversary year for some of the most significant legislative milestones in the history of the American preservation movement.

To begin with, 2006 is the 100th anniversary of the Antiquities Act, which greatly expanded the federal role in preservation by authorizing the President to protect historic structures and archaeological sites on federally-owned land by designating them national monuments. Today, in light of growing concern over the future of the many historic resources on lands managed by federal agencies such as BLM and the Forest Service, we have extra reason to be grateful for the presence of this far-sighted and essential piece of legislation that enabled the creation of such American icons as the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore and, most recently, the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City.

Also marking an anniversary this year is the 1966 Department of Transportation Act, which established Section 4(f), the strongest federal preservation law on the books. It has saved many historic sites – including New Orleans’ French Quarter, Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and Baltimore’s Fort McHenry, site of the bombardment that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem - from being paved over or otherwise harmed by transportation projects.

The Tax Reform Act, established in 1976, was the first legislation to offer a federal income-tax credit for the rehabilitation of historic buildings. While this first credit was not widely used, expanded versions of it sparked the biggest preservation “boom” we’ve ever known. These tax incentives have stimulated more than $33 billion in private investment; rehabbed more than 32,000 historic properties; and renovated or created more than 300,000 housing units, more than 75,000 of them for low- and moderate-income residents. The success of the federal program has led many states to adopt their own preservation tax incentives.

Finally, the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is 40 years old in 2006, and in terms of its far-reaching impact on our day-to-day work in preservation, it may be the most important law of all. It established the National Register of Historic Places as the federal government’s official list of properties worth preserving and gave “ordinary” private citizens a chance to step up and say what’s important to us and therefore worth preserving. NHPA also created the President’s Advisory Council as a watchdog to help ensure that federal agencies – or any agencies using federal funds or licenses – fulfill their preservation obligations, thereby ensuring that our tax dollars are not being used in ways that have negative impacts on our heritage. Finally, NHPA led directly to the appointment of a State Historic Preservation Officer to monitor historic resources in each state, and set up a program that provided federal matching grants to support their work.

In addition to helping prevent the loss of places that people care about, the philosophy embodied in these pieces of legislation helped move preservation into the mainstream of American life. It helped people realize that saving our legacy from the past isn’t someone else’s job. It helped foster the notion that our heritage isn’t something to be kept behind velvet ropes. It opened our eyes to the fact that we can – and should – keep our history alive and close at hand where we can live with it, learn from it and be inspired by it. In short, these laws helped preservation make a dramatic difference in the way American communities look and in the way Americans value their heritage.

With this in mind, the National Trust today launches its second annual National Preservation Month, a coast-to-coast celebration of our nation’s diverse and unique heritage. We invite all Americans to mark the occasion by participating in local and regional events during May and by supporting the National Trust and other preservation organizations throughout the year. For ideas on how to celebrate National Preservation Month, please visit www.nationaltrust.org or call 1-800-944-NTHP.