Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

In 1871, Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote. There are several significant historic sites throughout the U.S. linked to the women’s suffrage movement. Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY, encompasses several historic buildings associated with the first Women’s Rights Convention, July 19 and 20, 1848.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) today announced the issuance of a Program Comment that exempts undertakings that might affect historic rail properties within rail rights-of-way from Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in an effort to streamline rail and transit infrastructure projects.

“This is an important initiative that will bring significant efficiencies to rail and transit infrastructure projects that involve federal assistance or permits,” said ACHP Executive Director John M. Fowler. “Through these efforts, we are balancing the need to preserve historic properties while ensuring a sound and reliable national transportation system.”

HOUSTON – The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), in partnership with the nonprofit Space Center Houston and NASA, today announced additional funding for the restoration of the Apollo Mission Control Center (MCC) at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Texas, allowing the inclusion of the historic visitor Viewing Room.

Space Center Houston raised $1 million to add to the already $3.1 million project to ensure the Viewing Room, a dedicated space where family members and VIP guests were able to observe mission controllers without disrupting them, is restored to its late 1960s state. The funding is being administered by the ACHP.

August is National Black Business Month, and to celebrate, the ACHP is highlighting the Walker Building in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Walker Building was designed as the headquarters of the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, founded by Madam C.J. Walker, who is celebrated as one of the first female self-made millionaires in the United States.

A pilot program is underway to bring African American young professionals into historic preservation and related career paths, such as architecture and conservation, and raise awareness of the cultural legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is partnering with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s HOPE Crew; Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, Maryland; and the National Park Service’s Western Center for Historic Preservation on “Touching History: Preservation in Practice.” Six MSU architecture students spent June 11-21 training at the Center, located at White Grass Ranch in Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.