On March 1, 2024, ACHP Chair Sara C. Bronin released a report titled, Report and Recommendations on the Application and Interpretation of Federal Historic Preservation Standards, which is pursuant to the agency's statutory responsibility to review and recommend improvements to federal, state and local historic preservation polices.
The report focuses on three key areas, making suggestions for the consideration of the Department of the Interior, the ACHP and others.
Economic Growth and Housing: Historic preservation can fuel economic growth through construction activity, housing creation,
downtown and Main Street revitalization, and heritage tourism, among other things. The report suggests that federal historic preservation standards be applied and interpreted in ways to allow greater flexibility in changing floor plans, adding interior atria, reconfiguring large assembly spaces, and increasing new additions to stimulate economic growth, including on small town Main Streets, and increasing housing production. These recommendations are consistent with the ACHP’s 2023 Housing and Historic Preservation Policy Statement.
Environmental Sustainability: Historic resources, which are inherently environmentally sustainable, must integrate sustainable materials and approaches (including renewable energy) and be adapted to climate change. The report suggests that federal historic preservation standards be applied and interpreted to facilitate solar panel installation; energy-efficient, low-emissivity, and operable windows; and interior building insulation to mitigate the impacts of climate change. It also suggests that the Department of the Interior consider rulemaking to add up to five new, official Standards to lay out how historic places can be adapted to climate change-related threats. These recommendations are consistent with the ACHP’s 2023 Climate Change and Historic Preservation Policy Statement.
Equity: An equitable historic preservation program at all levels of government is of paramount importance. The report identifies the overall need for more certainty and consistency in applications and interpretations of the standards, while also suggesting improvements specific to the federal rehabilitation tax credit process (including the availability of prior decisions and improvements to the appeals process). It also encourages broader conversations about a graduated system for the National Register of Historic Places, which may enable more equitable application of federal historic preservation standards.