SAVING CENTRAL TEXAS 2023

Saving Central Texas 2023 provides an overview of Preservation Texas’s Most Endangered Places listings in the Central Texas region, as well as useful information about Preservation Texas and how you can work to protect cultural and historic sites where you live.

1.0 / ABOUT PRESERVATION TEXAS

Preservation Texas is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 1985 and headquartered in San Marcos. The organization receives no public funding and relies on membership dues, grants and donations for its work. A volunteer Board of Directors, drawn from a range of professional and community backgrounds governs the organization and provides direction to staff.

The chartered purposes of the organization are broad and intended to enable a range of preservation activities:

• To serve as an auxiliary to all agencies of the State of Texas concerned with our history, heritage, and the preservation and maintenance of significant areas, sites, buildings, monuments and artifacts;

• To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise or bequest, with or without restriction, and to preserve, restore, maintain and present to the public those areas, sites, buildings, monuments, artifacts, documents, and objects which are significant in the history, prehistory, archaeology, architecture, heritage and culture of Texas;

• To disseminate knowledge of the history, prehistory, heritage and culture of Texas;

• To engage in historical and archaeological research on the activities of past Texans; and

• To foster, encourage and develop a general appreciation and understanding of the accomplishments of past generations of Texans in order that the lives of present and future generations may be enriched.

The organization fulfills its mission through (A) Legislative Advocacy by alerting its members to important legislation being considered by the State of Texas and providing written and oral testimony at bill hearings; (B) Local Advocacy by intervening on behalf of local stakeholders who ask for support from Preservation Texas;

(C) Educational Programs such as the biennial Preservation Day at the Capitol and regional symposia on historic preservation topics of interest; (D) Honor Awards that recognize outstanding preservation efforts to save Texas’ Most Endangered Places; and (E) Preservation Texas’s signature Most Endangered Places program, begun in 2004; more about this program will follow (Section 6.0).

Preservation Texas also owns Bassett Farms Conservancy, a 2,400-acre working cattle ranch and former cotton farm located southeast of Waco in Falls and Limestone counties. The Conservancy is being developed as a preservation and conservation training center and retreat. Founded in 1871, the farm and ranch was bequeathed to Preservation Texas in 2011 by the late Mrs. Willie Ford (Bassett) Sparkman, and includes a range of historic, cultural and natural resources. Programs will focus on developing historic preservation skills, while the property is to be managed with a focus on cultural landscape preservation.

In 2022, Preservation Texas’s Board of Directors agreed to move to a regional office model for the delivery of preservation education and technical assistance programs.

Samantha Hunick is Preservation Texas’s Central Texas Program Officer. Based in San Marcos, Samantha serves as a first point of contact for

Preservation Texas

members and stakeholders within a 28-county region of Central Texas. This position has been made possible by the generous support of The Burdine Johnson Foundation.

Contact: hunick@preservationtexas.org

2.0 / PROTECTING HISTORIC PLACES

This section provides an overview of programs and resources that can be useful in protecting historic places.

2.1 / Historic Designations

Historic places may be officially recognized as historic by federal, state and local governments. These designations serve a range of purposes; some tied to incentives and some tied to regulations. Just because a site has not been designated does not mean that it lacks significance; more than likely, no effort has yet been made to recognize it as almost all such designations are initiated at the local level by property owners, advocates, historical societies, preservation organizations or historical commissions.

Efforts to save sites are often more successful when the buildings have federal- or statelevel designations. These designations give assurance to decision-makers, grant- funders and the general public that a site has welldocumented significance. Therefore, a plan to secure designation should be put in place for any endangered resource that is not yet designated.

The regulatory effects of designation vary. Federal designation provides no regulatory oversight of historic places; state designation provides a range of limited (Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks) to strong (State Antiquities Landmarks) oversight. Maximum oversight is typically found at the local level through the designation of local landmarks and local historic districts, although some local ordinances are weak and ineffective.

Texas Historic Sites Atlas

The Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Historic Sites Atlas enables you to search for specific buildings and to see all of the sites recognized at the state and federal levels. Be sure to verify the information in the Atlas by contacting the Texas Historical Commission as no database is perfect. The website is: Atlas.THC.State.tx.us

Federal Designations

The National Register of Historic Places was created in 1966 under the National Historic Preservation Act. The process begins with submission of a comprehensive nomination form to the Texas Historical Commission. The submitted form is then reviewed by the State Board of Review before being forwarded to the National Park Service for final approval. In Texas (2023) there are 3,615 listings on the National Register, of which 1,671 are Historic Districts.

National Register properties are evaluated for the quality of their significance and must possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. They must be associated with significant events or significant people, embody a distinctive architectural type, period, method of construction, the work of a master, artistic value, or be likely to yield important information in history or prehistory. Cemeteries, birthplaces, graves, commemorative properties and relocated structures are typically not listed, but there are exceptions.

Individually listed buildings and sites that are added to the National Register are classified as being of local, statewide or national significance. Typically, but not always, these buildings must be at least fifty years old. The Texas Historical

Commission can assist in determining whether an unlisted building might be eligible for listing before a formal nomination is submitted.

Cohesive areas or neighborhoods may also be listed on the National Register as Historic Districts. A majority of the properties within a historic district must have historic significance and retain their historic character — such properties are known as contributing properties Contributing properties are afforded the same grant opportunities and incentives as sites that are individually listed.

For a site of exceptional significance, the National Park Service will very selectively consider nominations for its designation as a National Historic Landmark, a specific category that recognizes sites of special importance to all Americans. Thus the use of the phrases “listed on the National Register” and “historic landmark” are not interchangeable. Federal programs treat National Historic Landmarks somewhat differently because of their status, including greater protection if a federal project threatens to impact the site, or access to grants such as the Save America’s Treasures grant program.

Federal designation comes with no regulatory oversight by the federal government. The National Park Service plays no direct role in the planning, management or any other decision-making related to sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, sites listed on the National Register or contributing to a National Register Historic District may be eligible for the 20% rehabilitation tax credit.

State Designations

The Texas Historical Commission reviews and approves nominations for buildings to be designated as Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (RTHLs). These Landmarks must be at least fifty years of age or older and retain architectural integrity. Buildings cannot become RTHLs if historic features are obscured by nonhistoric materials, such as vinyl siding, or if they have been relocated within the last fifty years.

Nominations are submitted through the local County Historical Commission. Sites that are designated as RTHLs are recognized with Official Texas Historical Markers. It should be noted, however, that just because a building or site has a state marker does not mean that it is an RTHL. There are over 16,000 Official Texas Historical Markers; of those only about 3,800 are RTHLs. If a building or site is an RTHL, its marker should have “Recorded Texas Historic Landmark” stamped at the bottom.

A limited amount of protection is afforded by the RTHL designation. The historic or architectural integrity of an RTHL shall not be altered without notifying the Texas Historical Commission at least 60 days in advance. Interiors are not regulated unless the changes impact the exterior or the structural integrity of the building.

State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs) are designated by the Texas Historical Commission and are protected under the Antiquities Code of Texas. Any building listed on the National Register that is located on non-federal public land (state, county, or city) is eligible for designation. Sites can be nominated by any group or individual, and are considered by the Antiquities Advisory Board before a final vote by the Texas Historical Commission.

The SAL designation is the most restrictive state-level designation available as it requires the property owner to consult with the Commission to determine if proposed alterations or demolition can occur. Archaeological sites may also be designated as SALs but do not need to be listed on the National Register.

Preservation Texas

The Historic Texas Cemeteries program began in 1998. Cemeteries receiving this designation are protected by a record of their boundaries in county deeds and future owners of adjoining land are alerted of its existence. However, the designation provides no regulatory oversight over the property. Other state laws govern the handling of human remains and cemeteries in Texas. Historic Texas Cemetery designation is required before applying for an Official Texas Historical Marker for a cemetery.

Local Landmarks And Districts

State law enables local governments to create local historic districts. These are typically, but not always, accomplished through zoning amendments, creating provisions that govern alteration and potential demolition of local landmarks as well as new construction within locally designated historic districts. There is no standard set of regulations or guidelines in use statewide. While many local preservation ordinances are similar, each one is tailored to suit the needs and objectives of the community. Some communities are better than others in making information about local landmarks and historic districts available online; be sure to contact the local preservation or planning official for current information about landmarks, historic district boundaries, and relevant regulations.

2.2 / Preservation Guidelines

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards are applied to almost every decision made at the federal, state and local level relative to proposed physical changes to a historic place. These Standards were established in 1977 by the National Park Service under the authority of the United States Secretary of the Interior and provide guidelines for Preservation (maintaining a structure as found); Restoration (uncovering, protecting and recreating features that would have been present during a specific period of significance); Rehabilitation (protecting key character-defining features while modifying other parts of the structure for contemporary uses); and Reconstruction (rebuilding a known, lost historic structure using extensive historical documentation).

Museum properties and exceptionally unique structures are typically preserved or restored; buildings that are being put to new uses or that have lost much of their historic integrity are generally rehabilitated. Historically accurate reconstructions are uncommon and usually only undertaken for museum sites or minor outbuildings on private property. The standards encourage new construction to reflect contemporary aesthetics using compatible materials, form and scale.

Information about the Standards as well as Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes can be found at: NPS.gov/TPS/ Standards.htm

2.3 / Preservation Briefs

The National Park Service has published fifty Preservation Briefs that are available online at: NPS.gov/orgs/1739/preservation-briefs.htm . These briefs cover a range of specific topics from Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings (Brief #2) to Preserving Grave Markers in Historic Cemeteries (Brief #48). These technical briefs provide excellent illustrated examples to better inform property stewards about best practices.

3.0 / PRESERVATION TAX INCENTIVES

Financial incentives are available at the federal, state and sometimes local level for historic preservation.

3.1 / Federal Tax Incentives

Federal historic preservation incentives are managed by the National Park Service in partnership with the Texas Historical Commission. Information can be found at: NPS.gov/subjects/taxincentives/index.htm A summary of these federal incentives follows.

Income-producing historic buildings that are certified by the National Park Service as historic structures (typically those listed on the National Register of Historic Places) are eligible for a 20% income tax credit based on the qualifying costs of the project. Eligible properties include commercial, industrial, agricultural or residential rental properties.

The charitable donation of a historic preservation easement to a qualifying organization such as Preservation Texas provides additional tax benefits. An easement permanently protects a structure and its site by prohibiting changes to the exterior (and in some cases interior) features and by restricting land uses. These restrictions are voluntary and negotiated between the landowner and the donee organization within federal guidelines. The value of the donation is determined by a professional appraiser who considers the potential reduction of the market value of the property after the imposition of these voluntary restrictions.

Rehabilitations of large historic structures often make use of a combination of the 20% tax credit and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). The LIHTC is approximately 9% of the project cost, and provides an incentive for the creation of affordable rental housing for lowincome households.

3.2 / State Tax Incentives

The Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit became effective in 2015. It provides for a tax credit of 25% of qualifying project costs for the rehabilitation of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks or as State Antiquities Landmarks. Only buildings are eligible, and they must be used for income-producing or non-profit purposes.

Government-owned structures do not qualify unless they have been leased, typically to a nonprofit organization for an extended term. Nonprofit organizations, despite not paying taxes, can sell their state tax credit. For example, a $100,000 church restoration may result in a $25,000 tax credit that can be sold by the church to a Texas corporation that pays the state franchise tax or state insurance premium tax. Tax credit brokers may also purchase a credit. The dollar value of the credit is negotiated between the tax credit certificate holder and the purchaser, typically somewhat less than face value.

3.3 / Local Tax Incentives

Many local governments have adopted tax abatement or exemption programs to encourage the rehabilitation of historic structures, typically in historic downtown commercial districts managed by Main Street programs or in historic residential districts. Details about these local programs can be found by contacting the City Manager or similar official in the city in which a building is located. If your community does not yet have a local program, consider advocating for the establishment of such a program.

4.0 / PRESERVATION GRANT PROGRAMS

Federal, state and local historic designations for at-risk historic properties open the door to potential grants for restoration or rehabilitation. Grant funds are limited and highly competitive, and only significant historic places with urgent