ALL AROUND Archives

NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES

by bungalow101 | May 5, 2024 | ALL AROUND, Preservation groups

The members of my neighborhood preservation committee were the people with whom I felt the most kinship. When I left L.A. to live in Tampa, I purchased a bungalow only one block away from the chair of the committee, Dr. Steve Gluckman. A PhD archeologist, Steve was one of the brightest, warmest people I have ever known. Two decades earlier he had been one of the founders of the association & as it grew, he implemented the preservation committee.

Reeling from losing our fight in L.A. to save a Streamline Moderne grocery store, I was searching for sanctuary. Looking online for communities that had successfully fought destruction by big box stores, I found Steve who had led a winning campaign to save a street of historic bungalows in Tampa. I called him instantly. He answered my call as though he was standing by the phone, waiting for it to ring. At this terrible time in my life, I was ready for his warmth & sparkle.

Moving to Tampa, Steve took me under his wing & introduced me to the preservation community, providing me with instant friends & great resources. He educated me on the neighborhood & when the president of my L.A. association came to visit, he took her on an informative & amusing tour. He supported all my wild ideas & in general, was a true friend & a wise & patient mentor. He carried a little stool in the back of his truck & gallantly steadied me so I could climb into the cab & be ferried about this new, unfamiliar city.

We lost him the night before he was scheduled to be filmed for the documentary about the neighborhood. It was an enormous loss to preservation, to our community & to all who knew & loved him.

When the new library was built, a room was named to honor him. The room houses hundreds of books on preservation. The library allowed its policy of accepting donations of only new volumes to be set aside, so the room holds many valuable titles that have long been out of print. He would have loved it. (This photo was taken by one of my dearest friends & favorite committee members.)

IDEAS FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES

Read my previous article about the purpose of a preservation committee. It will fill you in on what you can achieve.

The committee had monthly meetings and here are some of the things we did at those meetings, & some things I have seen done by other groups that just seem fun.

1. We met at members’ old homes so the meeting always started with a short tour. Usually the homeowners were aware of at least a small amount of house history and had some knowledge of the home’s unique architectural features.

2. Film nights, for the committee. Here are some good ones. They are grouped by topic & some are very short so you can show several & discuss each one.

3. We planned upcoming events, which we held about 4 times a year. The purpose of these events was to inform & educate, but they were also to interest new committee members to join. There were usually specific tasks that were required to prep & to host the events. We distributed those tasks & answered any questions. Here’s an example of a great one, when we hosted a talk by the publisher of American Bungalow magazine, John Brinkmann.

If a big event was coming up, perhaps the members would just meet, have a bit of a visit and a snack & then hit the streets to flier all the houses. Tip- make sure you include a contact number on your flier.

4. We went to the library & researched the history of our own houses so that we could teach people in the community to learn about theirs. We also gathered information on the houses featured on the upcoming home tour so that the brochures could be written & the docents could provide information to the visitors. Here’s an article on how to do this that you could use to teach those who are unfamiliar with the process. This is always a very popular activity!

5. Once a house’s history is uncovered, you can submit it for designation at various levels, depending on its sphere of significance. Your local municipality & state have their own criteria & process. Here’s how to get started. You could work on one as a group, or everyone could work on their own. I had my house listed at the City level, the next steward got it listed at the State level, which allowed her to receive a huge reduction in property tax. When I sold my house, this helped me ensure that the next owners would care for it & I did.

6. We went on field trips to museums and house museums. Sometimes the whole neighborhood would be invited, but often it was just the committee members so that they could get full benefit of the experience.

7. We learned the basics of historic preservation. The Secretary of the Interior is charged with developing standards & guidelines for the practice of historic preservation under the National Historic Preservation Act. We studied their Guidelines which are intended as an aid to assist in applying the Standards to all types of historic buildings. Each meeting touched on one, small aspect so that the information was easy to absorb.

This can be presented by a more knowledgeable member of the committee, someone from a local preservation group or a preservation architect or historian that you could find through your local AIA.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation & is part of a national program to coordinate & support efforts to identify, evaluate, & protect America’s historic & archeological resources. State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO) assist in this work. Contact yours to see what resources they might be able to offer to your committee.

Your local County Historic Preservation Board is composed of community advocates, municipal representatives, & historic preservation professionals with expertise &/or knowledge in the historic preservation field. They can likely provide you with information & perhaps speakers.

If you do not have access to any of these, you can just download & print the materials & the whole group can figure it out together! I am creating a glossary of preservation terms & it will be linked from here when completed.

8. Learn about the different architectural styles of buildings that are to be found in your neighborhood. You can go to the same sources for information.

9. If you live in a designated historic area where there are guidelines for the treatment of the houses, learn about the guidelines. They are generally available online from your City’s website. Here is a page which has several examples that you can download & discuss with your committee.
https://www.tampa.gov/historic-preservation/info/design-guidelines

10. Once you have a good idea of how each of these housing styles should look, you can award people who have done sensitive renovations in your neighborhood. You can even award folks who have done very little, maybe even just painted with historically appropriate colors. The key thing is that you want to call attention to preservation & you want to reward anything positive anyone is doing.

You can also give awards to people who have contributed to preservation efforts in your neighborhood.

These activities can bring a great deal of positive attention to your neighborhood, your association & your committee. The awards are presented at a public event for which you can get print & online press. You might be able to get grants to pay for the awards (banners, plaques, whatever) & also to pay for the presentation events.

I was the recipient of one of these awards for a Folk Victorian house I rescued & also accepted an award for our neighborhood association’s many preservation achievements.

11. Film neighborhood elders in interviews about the early years. “Oral histories are an ancient way of sharing knowledge from generation to generation & a great resource for learning more about place, whether it is a specific site, the history of a community that is still present, or one that has been lost.”

This is a video made by The National Trust on filming oral histories. They provide great guidance.

12. Put together these things & create a documentary film. These are the pieces.

1,800 people attended the premier of the film that I produced for my neighborhood association in Tampa. It was a wonderful occasion for many, re-uniting many friends & stirring many happy memories. Additionally, it gave the neighborhood some great exposure & the premier was a good money maker. Many years later this film is still being shown at events & still being sold.

Here is a sample of some films that have been produced. I swear- you can do it!!!!!! Feel free to contact me if you should need a little help to get started!

READ ALL THE ARTICLES BELOW & START A PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEES- BUILDING COMMUNITY

BASIC HISTORIC PRESERVATION GLOSSARY OF TERMS

PUBLIC EVENTS THAT CAN BE PRODUCED BY YOUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

MAKING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE WELL KNOWN

AGENDA FOR YOUR FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING

WHAT IS A HISTORIC DESIGNATION, ANYWAY?

STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!

PUBLIC EVENTS THAT CAN BE PRODUCED BY YOUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

by bungalow101 | May 4, 2024 | ALL AROUND, Preservation groups

The purpose of these events is to help people understand their old houses & to feel that they have better control over them, using best preservation methods & materials. They also provide the opportunity to recruit committee members. Only through education will we be able to create enough interest & noise to change minds, raise awareness & encourage action to save our built heritage.

Preservation is a message that must be delivered repeatedly to combat the messages that the media/marketing delivers daily-
“Age lines wiped away…”
(Today, the global anti-aging market is valued at around 62 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 & is expected to increase to some 93 billion by 2027.)
“Replace your old wood windows!”
“It’s a miracle material, never requiring any maintenance.”
“7 ways to make your old house look like a new one.”

And here we are, carrying the message that old is beautiful. It’s not that we can’t get it across. We can. We just have to be out there delivering it in an interesting, easy to understand manner. Again & again.

Some of the ways that we can do this in a public forum are slurped from the page for committee activities. They can be done/promoted to a small group or a large one. In a separate article on marketing, I will tell you some good ways to promote these activities to increase your committee’s visibility & increase attendance.

I strongly suggest that you provide name tags for attendees to fill out & wear. Ask them to include their style of house on the tag. This is a good conversation starter!

HERE ARE SOME ACTIVITIES & EVENTS THAT WILL INCREASE THE INTEREST IN PRESERVATION IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

1. Film night.

Here’s a curated list of some of the most entertaining & informative preservation videos on YouTube. Some of them are short & you could provide a question & answer period between each one.

2. After you have a few committee members who are familiar with doing house history research, offer to help your neighbors with learning to research theirs. Maybe pair 2 or 3 newbies up with a more experienced person & let them
work together.

3. Broadly promote field trips to museums and house museums. Arrange for a special group tour. Include time for lunch at the venue to provide fellowship. Be a good host, introducing people to one another, ensuring no one feels left out.

4. Teach your community about the different architectural styles of buildings that are to be found in your neighborhood. This can be presented by a more knowledgeable member of the committee, someone from a local preservation group or a preservation architect or historian that you could find through your local AIA.

5. Award people who have done sensitive renovations in your neighborhood. You can even award folks who have done very little, maybe even just painted with historically appropriate colors. The key thing is that you want to call attention to preservation & you want to reward anything positive anyone is doing.

You can also give awards to neighbors who have contributed to preservation efforts, including those on your committee. These activities can bring a great deal of positive attention to your neighborhood, your association & your committee. The awards are presented at a public event for which you can get print & online press. You might be able to get grants to pay for the awards (banners, plaques, whatever) & also to pay for the presentation events. The Chicago Bungalow Association has some great award programs & they are a very friendly & helpful organization.

6. Host a field trip to a local salvage outlet. Set it up with the proprietor to provide a tour & to answer questions. Follow with lunch so that people can get to know one another.

7. Host workshops that teach people how to restore & maintain their houses. Here you can read about classes that are offered in different parts of the country. There’s also a section about hosting your own. I’m still working on that manual!

You could partner with a non-profit on this or with a salvage yard. This event can be a good fundraiser.

8. Many neighborhoods host home tours. This is a tried & true method of revitalizing a blighted or transitioning neighborhood. Many have home tour committees in place, but if your neighborhood does not, I think it’s a great idea for a preservation committee & can be a big fundraiser.

I have another almost completed manual that walks you through the steps of producing a tour. (I think I need to focus!)

9. Connect with nearby historic neighborhoods that have related activities & team up with them. Encourage your team to help them at their events & request their participation in yours.

10. Your particular neighborhood will offer unique possibilities beyond what I am suggesting. Be alert to what your community’s needs & interests are & strive to respond to them.

READ THESE ARTICLES ABOUT FORMING YOUR OWN COMMITTEE

NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEES- BUILDING COMMUNITIES

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES

MAKING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE WELL KNOWN

AGENDA FOR YOUR FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING

BASIC HISTORIC PRESERVATION GLOSSARY OF TERMS

WHAT IS A HISTORIC DESIGNATION, ANYWAY?

Feel free to contact me if you need assistance on any of these activities or ideas that might better suit your neighborhood.

STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!

MAKING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE WELL KNOWN

by bungalow101 | May 3, 2024 | ALL AROUND, Preservation groups

If you build it, they might come or they might not. If you market it wisely, they will.

The first thing that you’ll need to do is meet with the association board & tell them your plans. You’re going to need their backup. You can copy the activitie’s list & see which ones interest the board members. I would be very surprised if you were to be greeted by anything other than enthusiasm. Non-profit boards are always thrilled for volunteers to step up, not just with ideas, but with plans of action.

The key to marketing is understanding the needs of the neighborhood. Ask the board if you can use their communication lines to survey the neighborhood about their preservation interests & needs.

After you get communication going, you are going to run into one or more people (perhaps someone on the board!) who share your passion for saving our built heritage. Set up a one-on-one meeting with them & see what their thoughts are. Send them links to these articles & get them onboard with helping you implement an activity or two. It’s a way more fun game to play with a friend!

If you have no survey & don’t really know what people’s interests are, just start! Pick an activity from my public events list & promote it. Your attendees will become your committee members.

HERE’S HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR COMMITTEE’S ACTIVITIES

1. On your association’s email blasts. Generally these are sent to all on their mailing list, both members & non-members.

If they should have a print newsletter for members, ask if you can create an “ad” for your event.

2. Posting on the association’s Facebook page. My posts can be shared, including those about building a neighborhood group.

Whoever runs the association page can set up a notice for any meeting or presentation as an event where it will be shown many more times than just a regular post.

3. If your association will allow it, create a Facebook page for the committee. Post about committee activities & share information about preservation from other sites.

Join several FB, old house group pages as well as group history pages for your area. When you have events, or want to share some special news, share your posts to these group pages. This will greatly amplify your exposure.

Take pictures at your events & post those afterward, along with attendees’ rave comments. Make sure you have ok from people to post their photos or blur the faces.

4. There are many sites online where you can post events. I recommend studying their individual terms of service before you sign up for them.

Print media is floundering but there are many still alive & there are also online newspapers. Submit press releases to all of these. Here’s a good write-up on how to do that. From this you can build a list of journalists who are interested in preservation. It is helpful to built good relationships with them.

5. Discuss with the board the idea of the preservation committee having a visible presence at all association events such as general meetings, events & social gatherings. I would suggest that you use a card table with an antique table cloth that you would sit beside, with a large, pretty flower arrangement on it, with fliers for the next committee activity. You might want to create a flier for the committee which promotes some of its activities.

You are going to want to create a sign-up list for people who are interested in the committee. Speak with your association board about ownership of these names & addresses. Ideally, you can have your own list to which you can mail as a group, & you also want to be able to connect individually with the more interested people.

You also want to have a list for people who attend your events. Some of them will not be residents of the neighborhood & will have no interest in the association’s other activities. You will want to have your own list of committee members. Get these lists & what you want to send to them, sorted out with the board.

6. Trotting door-to-door with fliers ( 2 up on 81/2″ X 11″) that you stick in people’s doors. This is a really good way to generate interest because you’ll see neighbors when you’re out & about & you can chat them up about the new historic preservation committee. You’ll promote the event, but you’ll also encourage them to participate on the committee. You can do this too with the committee meeting fliers. It’s great exercise!

7. Generally there will be businesses that line the commercial boulevards of a neighborhood. Ask the businesses if you can post a mini-poster (11″ X 17″) in the window or somewhere in their store. (If you are so unfortunate as to a couple have less wholesome businesses, I’d recommend that you skip those.) I always took a roll of tape with me so that I could attach it myself, or provide tape for the proprietor to attach it. Extend a warm personal invitation for them to attend the event, & express your heartfelt thanks.

It’s also a good idea to promote in all the historic neighborhoods in your city. We cruised all over the county putting up our fliers. And we drew people from allover too!

8. If you are partnering with another organization, even going on a field trip, encourage them to promote to their public. Let them know about all the ways that you will be promoting them!

Take photos at these outings. Send the venues the photos so they can post on their FB pages. (Make sure you have ok to post anyone that you have in your shots, or blur faces.)

One of the things that I love the most about preservation advocacy, is that it provides opportunities for personal contact & allows people to contribute to the neighborhood in a positive way that is not taxing for them. Many of the businesses are struggling & they will be very pleased to be able to help, even in a small way. It is a continuous exercise in community building in our extremely disconnected world.

You may run into some rude & grumpy folks. Keep smiling. Remember that you do not know their story. I always had 2 goals when I hit the streets- to promote the committee & to brighten people’s lives. You never know whose cat died that morning.

You represent the association, the committee & our built heritage with everything you do & say. Be the bright spot in everybody’s day, grow your group & make the world a kinder, more beautiful place.

9. Suggest to the neighborhood board that they host an event every year that validates their volunteers. It could be just a segment of a regularly occurring event, or a complete program, but please ensure that your committee volunteers get a public shout-out. A follow-up article in the newsletter is also appreciated. Volunteers work because they believe in the cause & because it’s fun. Preservation volunteers work even when it’s not fun, (Damn the cursed wrecking ball!) but we always enjoy the fellowship & a pat on the back is always appreciated.

10. Track your marketing & attendance. If a particular program doesn’t draw, take a look at the marketing. If it was well-marketed, you might not want to present that particular topic again, or, perhaps you could repackage it.

Persist. Building anything worthwhile takes a great deal of intelligent planning, hard work & willingness to admit that your most brilliant idea was a bust. They won’t all be. I promise you many wins & grand successes.

READ THESE ARTICLES TO FIND OUT HOW TO DO IT!

NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEES- BUILDING COMMUNITY

BASIC HISTORIC PRESERVATION GLOSSARY OF TERMS

NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES

PUBLIC EVENTS THAT CAN BE PRODUCED BY YOUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

MAKING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE WELL KNOWN

AGENDA FOR YOUR FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING

WHAT IS A HISTORIC DESIGNATION, ANYWAY?

STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!

AGENDA FOR YOUR FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING

by bungalow101 | May 1, 2024 | ALL AROUND, Preservation groups

The association has sent out notices of the meeting; you have trotted about the neighborhood, sticking fliers in the doors of all the residents & posters in the windows of all the businesses; you have communicated on an individual basis with everyone you know, inviting them to come, urging them to tell others, & you have a few RSVP’s.

You have watched the video that you will show at the first meeting several times & you have worked out the important points are. You will discuss these points in your first meeting.

You have reviewed the glossary & have gotten any questions about any of the terms answered. You feel like you have some familiarity with all of them.

You have figured out where to seat everyone, put out some lemonade & snacks & have the T.V. connected to YouTube. You have created your sign-in sheet (Name, phone # & email address) & gathered a couple pens, & set them out where they are easy to see. I’m a big fan of name tags. When you are trying to learn the name of more than one person (or heck, even one!) it is handy to have a visual aid. Simple mailing labels will do fine.

HERE’S YOUR AGENDA

1. Greeting & welcome. What do you do when the people arrive? Ask each person to write his/her/their name on the tag & the style of house in which they live. Request that they sign in.

We have always started with a brief tour of the host’s house. (I’m going to assume that you are the host for the first meeting.) Take them through the architectural features important to the period, the restoration you have done, & tell them about any house history you have uncovered. Invite them into the room where the meeting will be held & point them to the snacks. We often sat at the host’s dining table. It is a cozy & intimate space & allows everyone to speak & be heard by everyone.

2. Introductions. When the last stragglers have arrived, go around the table for introductions. Start with yourself, stating your interest in preservation, & any training or experience you might have. Ask each one in turn about their interests. (Be on the lookout for people with experience & follow up personally with them. They may be your new best friend!) Ask how they wish to benefit from being part of a preservation committee. What do they want to learn? How do they wish to contribute? Take notes. This is important!

3. The video. Introduce this video. The speaker, Rhonda Sincavage works with The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded, nonprofit organization, that has led the movement to save America’s historic places for over 70 years.

Play the video. Go through the points that you have noted as important & ask for discussion. Ask if there is anything that she mentioned that they would like to know more about.

4. Intro to The Secretary’s Standards & Guildelines. The U.S. Department of the Interior protects & manages our country’s natural resources & cultural heritage, providing scientific & other information about those resources. A body of information, researched & formulated by top preservationists, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, was written to provide guidance to historic building owners & building managers, preservation consultants, architects & contractors prior to beginning work.

Tell the group that this is the basis of historic preservation in the United States. We are going to learn more about it, & how it is applied next week.

5. More Q&A time. Ask if anyone has any questions or comments. Invite them to stick around to munch & chat. This gently adjourns the meeting, while encouraging people to stick around.

Let me know if you should have any questions about what to do so far.

READ THESE ARTICLES TO LEARN MORE!

NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEES- BUILDING COMMUNITY

BASIC HISTORIC PRESERVATION GLOSSARY OF TERMS

NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES

PUBLIC EVENTS THAT CAN BE PRODUCED BY YOUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

MAKING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE WELL KNOWN

WHAT IS A HISTORIC DESIGNATION, ANYWAY?

STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!

WHAT IS A HISTORIC DESIGNATION, ANYWAY?

by bungalow101 | Apr 10, 2024 | ALL AROUND, Preservation groups, Uncategorized

NOTE: This is not an article about the benefits nor the drawbacks of historic designations. This is just information about what they are. I have included many links in case you would like to know more.

First, let’s look at a common misconception about historical societies. Historical societies traditionally are 501 (c)(3)’s, non-profit, charitable organizations, dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, & promoting the history of a city or sometimes a neighborhood, in photographs, documents, artifacts & recordings. They focus on research, education & creating awareness of the cultural & architectural history of the area. They generally host educational events, lectures, workshops, tours & exhibitions which display their archived materials & teach the community about the culture of bygone years. They offer these materials to academics & the public for research. Many societies own & run museums.

They have nothing to do with establishing historic districts, other than providing materials for research & sometimes, provide advice as to the process. They do not make rules or statutes. They do not participate in enforcing rules or statutes. This is done by governing bodies.

For example, The Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society was very helpful in my research to have the Hare House designated. They had archived material about the house, the family & the neighborhood that was very useful.

CRITERIA FOR HISTORIC DESIGNATION

To be designated at any level, a structure or area, must be associated with events that have greatly contributed to the history of a city, state or to our nation.
Have some association with a person who is significant in the history of a city, state or our nation.
Display the characteristics of a particular type, period, or method of construction. A great example of this is bungalows! The structure might be the work of a master, or it might possess highly artistic values.
If you were to study this structure or group of structures, it would show you information important in prehistory or history.

A building or group of buildings, would need to possess one or more of these attributes in order to be considered for inclusion.

The basis of historic preservation in the United States is The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic Buildings, (Each explained in the PRESERVATION GLOSSARY here.) which provides guidance to historic building owners & building managers, preservation consultants, architects, contractors, & project reviewers prior to beginning work. It explains how to repair & maintain historic materials & provides the basis for many design guidelines in many cities. The basic philosophy of The Standards is best expressed in the definition of rehabilitation – “the process of returning a property to a state of utility through repair or alteration which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions & features of the property which are significant to its historic, architectural & cultural values.” It encourages & provides technical data for respecting the original character of each historic structure, while allowing for updating for functionality & safety.

It is this original character, (See character-defining features in the glossary.) either from the period or sensitively repaired or reconstructed, of a single structure, site object or of an area, which forms the criteria for designation.

A SINGLE STRUCTURE DESIGNATION

A house, a church, a public building, a site or an object such as a fountain or a bridge, can be designated as historic based on its significance in history, its relationship to an important figure in history, or its architecture. The Hare House was awarded Los Angeles & California landmark statuses because the Hare’s contributed greatly to the local community & were active in other areas of the state & because the style of the house contributed to the bungalow character of the neighborhood.

HISTORIC DISTRICTS

There are several types of historic districts. One thing that it is not is a historic neighborhood. A historic neighborhood is area in which there are many older houses. To be considered a historic district, the neighborhood must be designated as such by a governing body at some level.

A historic district is an area which has a significant concentration of sites, buildings, structures, or objects, urban or rural, that are united by period (or periods) or style (or styles) or important events. Based on these factors, it has been designated as such by a city, state or federal body (or all of them!) as historic.

One of the most well-known areas so designated is Bungalow Heaven in Pasadena, California. It is a charming area filled with bungalows of every style, shape & size that draws visitors from all over the United States to its annual home tour.

LEVELS OF HISTORIC DESIGNATION

LOCAL (City)

This level, through the means of a preservation ordinance, provides properties with a degree of protection from unnecessary demolition or alterations (generally only exterior) that damage or destroy the character of the building. A guideline for a particular area is written specifically for the history & individual architectural styles of that area, based on the Secretary’s Standards.

Many cities have individual guidelines for each neighborhood that are tailored to the design features of that area. These guidelines are very educational, generally covering building anatomy, basic construction & clear descriptions & photos of the different styles found in the neighborhood.

Historic preservation staff or boards, made of citizens, conduct reviews of proposed changes to locally designated properties.

STATE

Though differing from state-to-state, listing here triggers limited regulatory protection from state government actions. Many states offer state funding, tax benefits, or other incentives. The owners of the Hare house, on the California register, enjoy a sizeable break on their state property taxes. Additionally, if any repairs are made, in most states, the local building inspector must grant code alternatives provided under the State Historic Building Code. I am not even going to try to explain what that is because it varies from state to state. Follow this link to see what the National Park Service says about building & safety codes.

NATIONAL DESIGNATION

These structures, sites, objects or areas which must be a minimum of 50 years old, have a strong association with a significant event or events in the history of our country, not just a section of the country; have an association with & tell the story of a person or group of persons who strongly affected that history; are an outstanding example of a type of structure or group of structures; & hold lessons about our nation’s history that can be learned through the study of the structures or districts.

The National Park Service, in the U.S. Department of the Interior, manage 2 programs. The first is the National Historic Landmarks (NHL) Program. The second is listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NR.)

Something that heartbroken neighborhoods have realized only after they have lost properties to development, is that neither NHL nor NR designations affect what private owners can do with their property. Both do offer protections in the event that federal government work threatens a place, for example, the destruction of whole neighborhoods to make way for the building of a federal highway. They also offer preservation funds & federal historic tax credits that can help offset the costs of rehabilitation. You would need to contact them to see if you might qualify.

Please let me know if there is anything more you want to know about historic districts!

LEADING A NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

by bungalow101 | Apr 2, 2024 | ALL AROUND, Preservation groups

Leading a preservation committee presents the same challenges as leading any activity. To be successful at it, you need to take a look at what might motivate someone to work a 40+ hours a week job, to care for a home & a family & then to go “work” in a volunteer position in their rare & precious free moments. While their friends are enjoying the festivities!

The prime motivator for anyone to perform any activity is purpose, the impact we want to have on the world. For example, my own purpose is twofold. I love local history & culture. In my free time, I visit museums, old house museums, research & write my blog. My first strong purpose is to better understand & preserve our built environment. My second, stronger now that I am approaching my 80’s, is to encourage & guide others in effectively participating in these activities.

The next most powerful reason to go traipsing off to a meeting when others are nestled comfortably in front of their TV’s, is to find fellowship with those who share our passions & purposes. I consider preservationists to be my peeps. When I moved from L.A. to Tampa, the head of my neighborhood preservation committee became my instant best friend. We did not need time to get acquainted, we just knew each other.

The key to leading a preservation committee is to fulfill these wants. Provide direction toward achieving purpose & the fellowship will follow.

MY EXPERIENCES

I was fortunate to have served under some inspiring leaders. Here’s what I learned from them.

1. Have a clear statement of purpose or purposes that inspires action.

My first venture in neighborhood preservation was participating in a home tour committee. The purpose of this committee was to display our beautiful, historic residential areas, hidden behind our blighted commercial corridors. We wanted to eradicate the blight. We wanted the world to love our beautiful neighborhood as much as we did.

I’m going to use this home tour committee as an example because there were several well-defined tasks & positions.

BREAKING IT DOWN

We knew what we wanted the committee to accomplish & we formulated a plan of how to do this- host a lovely tour like neighboring Bungalow Heaven in Pasadena. They were famous!

We broke down the tour purpose into its parts. We wanted:
1. Beautiful houses to show who we really were.
2. The houses to look their best.
3. Attendees to have a delightful & educational experience.
4. Attendance is huge!!!!!!!!!!
5. A nice brochure that described each house & its history & an accurate map.
6. Marketing materials that presented our neighborhood in its best light.

WHO’S WHO IN THE ZOO

We knew what we wanted to accomplish. The next was to delineate the tasks & then assign single people or subcommittees for each task, ensuring that they knew the purpose of the subcommittee & how it contributed to the allover purpose.

From knowing our purposes & copying Bungalow Heaven’s wonderful tour, we were able to see what the pieces of the home tour were that formed the whole picture & what actions were required to be done to create each piece. This guided the setting up of the structure of our committee.

Here’s are the some of positions that we had, based on what we wanted to achieve:

Chair– Oversees the committee & ensures tasks are being completed. Runs the meetings according to the agenda.

Secretary– Creates the weekly agenda. (More on that later.) Takes minutes during meetings & sends to each member.

Organizer– Creates the timeline, the training materials for each position, ensures that everyone knows what they are doing & is having a good time.

Volunteer coordinator– Builds the committee. With Chair, assigns tasks.

Treasurer– Handles income & outgoing as directed by the Chair, in coordination with the board Treasurer.

PR. & marketing– Makes to tour committee well known, attracting active members. Creates huge interest in the event through the use of compelling marketing materials.

I’m going to stop here. We had other positions, but this should give you an idea.

RUNNING THE ZOO

A well-run zoo requires each person knowing where they fit. When we first started, we were a small group & many people held many positions. What made our tour a success was that each task/position was well-defined as to purpose. The steps of how to achieve that purpose were clearly described, in sequence. Each team member knew where their tasks fit into the allover timeline.

People volunteered for things with which they were familiar & had some expertise. Our Chair had worked in the Bungalow Heaven tour for several years & had an allover idea of how a tour should go. Our Treasurer was a bookkeeper by vocation. Our P.R. was a trained, pro P.R. Our Volunteer Coordinator had headed many successful non-profits. Our Organizer, me, had run a construction business for years, creating business plans, writing training materials, etc. Our Secretary was new to the task so I created a template for her by which she could easily track the meeting.

Everyone knew what they were supposed to do & had guidelines for how to do it. If someone needed help, such as more information or more hands, they asked for it. Otherwise, we stayed in our own lanes & met every other week to co-ordinate.

PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP

This is the key to good leadership- giving someone a well-defined task & letting them run with it. In a volunteer organization, nobody is there for the paycheck. They are there because they believe strongly in the purpose of the activity. Occasionally leadership will have to step in, but I have seen this occur only once in any group I’ve been involved with, where the help was not requested. (We had a rogue member who surprised us a couple times with some wild shenanigans.)

Giving someone a task & not letting them complete it, leads to heartbreak. It is tempting to want everything done exactly, as you would do it, & decide to leap in. Be warned that it will weaken your team & loose you willing team members if you do not allow them to contribute. Delineate the task & hand it over.

If a volunteer on your team is doing a bad job, have a chat with them & see what the problem is. Otherwise, occasionally inquire if anyone might like some help or assistance, & if not, allow them to proceed.

A related subject to this is showing appreciation for work well done. I made sure that my team’s contributions were acknowledged whenever possible- in event programs, in association newsletters, on the website, at every committee meeting, at neighborhood association meetings. I was impressed by & grateful for the wisdom & assistance that I received from everyone & made sure that they & the world knew it at every opportunity.

APPLYING THIS TO A PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

Begin by deciding what the purpose of your committee is. Take a look at my lists of activities & choose which ones might help you accomplish that purpose. Work out the steps you need to take to do that activity. My almost complete manual on producing a historic homes workshop might give you guidance also. You could even just follow the bouncing ball & go ahead & produce a workshop! Contact me & I’ll send you a pdf of the manual. If you don’t want to start off such a huge endeavor, hosting a film night might be a good first event. Try it! If you need any help, let me know.