State added 30 districts and 74 properties in 2009
Governor Timothy M. Kaine today highlighted Virginia’s ranking as first among the 50 states and U.S. territories for the number of historic districts added to the National Register of Historic Places during federal fiscal year 2009. It is the fifth consecutive year in which Virginia has achieved top ranking for districts listed.
“It’s clear that historic preservation is an economic driver and revitalization tool,” Governor Kaine said. “Listing of historic districts and properties on the state and National Registers promotes the rehabilitation of neighborhoods and enhances community pride.”
In 2009, Virginia added 30 historic districts and 74 individual properties to its thousands of previously-listed places on the Virginia Landmarks Register (the state’s parallel register program) and the National Register.
Virginia also ranked second in the nation in 2009 for the number of individual properties listed on the National Register, according to the National Park Service. The National Register program is managed in Virginia by the Department of Historic Resources, in partnership with property owners and local communities.
These additions cover districts or individual National Register listings in the counties of Amherst, Arlington, Bedford, Caroline, Charlotte, Culpeper, Dinwiddie, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Gloucester, Goochland, Halifax, Henrico, Henry, Highland, King and Queen, Loudoun, Louisa, Lunenburg, Madison, Mathews, Nelson, Northampton, Northumberland, Orange, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince William, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Smyth, Southampton, Sussex, and Wise; and the cities of Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Danville, Fredericksburg, Hampton, Hopewell, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Richmond, Salem, Staunton, Suffolk, and Winchester.
These register listings represent the broad range of Virginia’s rich and diverse historic legacy, and include places that recall the Commonwealth’s colonial, agricultural, and manufacturing past, its Native American and African American history, and its commercial, urban, and suburban growth from the late 19th through the mid-20th century.
“These rankings reflect the keen interest of Virginia’s citizens in historic preservation. Virginia property owners and communities continue to lead the nation in seeking formal recognition of our historic neighborhoods, and putting Virginia’s history to work,” said Kathleen S. Kilpatrick, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
Kilpatrick noted that Virginia has consistently ranked among the top states in listing historic properties for many consecutive years. “We have been #1 nationally since 2005 through 2009, with no fewer than 28 and no more than 30 historic districts. These numbers are a testament to the power of preservation to foster prosperity through historic rehabilitations.”
A National Register listing allows property owners to pursue federal rehabilitation tax credits to restore older buildings for income-producing uses. When paired with state rehabilitation tax credits, which can be more broadly applied to non-income producing properties, property owners may be eligible to receive a 45% return on eligible expenses for the one-time cost of rehabilitating a historic property.
Many of the recent properties listed individually or as contributing to a historic district are making use of tax credit incentives to create residences, assisted living facilities, and commercial and retail spaces.
For more information on Virginia’s registered historic resources, as well as a full listing of properties, please visit http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register.htm.
