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Historic Contexts

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Historical Documentation Programs. Historic Contexts. A Basis for Evaluating the Significance of Historic Properties. The Mysterious National Register Review Process (What Really Happens Behind the Curtains at the National Park Service?).

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Historic Contexts

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  1. National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Historical Documentation Programs Historic Contexts A Basis for Evaluating the Significance of Historic Properties E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  2. The Mysterious National Register Review Process(What Really Happens Behind the Curtains at the National Park Service?) National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  3. Tell us the secret? How do we turn back the curtain and achieve NR success? E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  4. Best Way to Please a NR Reviewer • Context • Context • Context E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  5. Lack of context is one of the primary reasons that the NPS returns nominations that have been substantively reviewed. • Lack of context equals: • No placement of the resource in locational or temporal context. • No analysis of significance (“it is what it is” argument). • No compare/contrast property type. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  6. What is a historic context? • History • Historic theme • Time frame • Geographic area E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  7. Important? You betcha! Provides a background for understanding why a property exists. Provides a basis for comparing one property with related properties. Makes a case for eligibility. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  8. Neglected? YES. • Concept is not universally understood. • Detailed history may conceal lack of context. • With a catchy history or glam architecture, eligibility may seem self-evident. • SHPO/FPOs may not be sticklers for context. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  9. Ohh, but it is such a burden! Why???? E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  10. Why all the fuss about contexts? • Emphasis is on demonstrating that sufficient information is available to make an informed historical judgment about significance - “informed, dispassionate judgment” - “adequate perspective for evaluation” - “scholarly evaluation” - “comparative evaluation” • Property should be evaluated in most appropriate context(s) : local, state, national E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  11. So let’s get to work on this problem. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  12. Statement of Significance Include Not always needed Summary Paragraph Context National State Local Description and Justification for Period of Significance Description and Justification for Areas of Significance E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A Entire history of the town Genealogy of the owners E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  13. Common Issues – Substantive Reviews (Section 8) Statement of significance No or unclear statement of significance. Confuse function with significance. Areas of significance not supported in narrative. The “kitchen sink approach.” Criterion B/Significant person confusion. Summary statement of significance omitted or confusing. Lack of context Placement of resource in locational or temporal context. Analysis of significance (“it is what it is” argument). Compare/contrast property type. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  14. Common Issues – Substantive Reviews (Section 8) Too much information! Genealogy is not generally needed. Complete history of property/town/county not needed Focus on context sufficient to evaluate significance. Multiple Property Submissions that don’t refer to cover document. Period of significance not explained. Historic name/period of significance. P.O.S. not logically tied to area(s) of significance. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  15. Components of a Context • Introductory Statement • Background History • Definition of the Context • Theme • Geographic parameters • Temporal parameters E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  16. Components, con’t. • Development of the Theme or Area of Significance • Who, what, where, why, and when • Associated property types • Physical characteristics and Integrity • Relationship to National Register Criteria • Bibliography E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  17. Where Can We go to Find Context? • Existing contexts • NHL Theme Studies • http://www.nps.gov/nhl/themes/themes-all.htm • NR Multiple Property Submission documents • http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/Download.html • NRIS database • Other NR or NHL listed properties • http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/sample_nominations.htm • Call Us! E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  18. No existing context? • Must provide the context • Must be based on scholarly research and evaluation • Must have a comparative aspect • Must show relative importance within the theme • More than one property of a type can be significant, but not all properties associated with a theme are automatically significant! E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  19. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  20. Examples National level CHILOCCO INDIAN AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL (1883-1980) Kay County, Oklahoma The Chilocco Indian Agricultural School is significant at the national and state levels under National Register Criteria A and C, in the areas of Ethnic History: Native American, Education, Politics/Government, and Architecture (State level). E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  21. Founded in 1883-84, the Chilocco School was one of the first, large off-reservation boarding schools established by the Federal government for the education of Native American students. Established in the mold of the earlier Carlisle Indian School (PA), the non-reservation schools sought to provide Indian children an opportunity to integrate into the general “approved” society through intense vocational education removed from the influence of Indian family and tribal culture. An important instrument of the federal government's often controversial efforts to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream culture, the schools assisted in bringing many younger Native Americans into the twentieth century by providing the means for them to interact with and be a part of the larger American culture. The government boarding schools also often provided the first place where many Indian people learned of the existence of, and the diversity of, other Indian tribes and their separate, "special" treatment by the government. Many believe that more than any other institution these schools, actively or passively, created an environment that cultivated and strengthened the idea of an "Indian" identity apart from one's individual tribal identity. National Theme Native American Education & Indian Boarding schools Examples Chilocco E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  22. The Chilocco School occupied a unique place within the non-reservation boarding school system as a significant leader in agricultural vocational training, among many other areas. The site’s large acreage and suitable climate and soils encouraged extensive agricultural education programs. The Chilocco campus, featuring numerous handsome stone buildings, remains among the most intact collections of historic educational facilities associated with the non-reservation boarding school system. Non-reservation Native American boarding schools in Kansas (Haskell) and Pennsylvania (Carlisle) were previously designated as NHLs. Both schools retain less cohesive collections of buildings and lack the distinctive agricultural focus of the Chilocco School. All of the schools embody the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century policies of the Federal government toward the education of Native American children, and the larger missions of assimilation and acculturation. The limited number of large, permanent, off-reservation boarding schools represents a distinct subgroup within the themes of Native American educational and cultural history, distinct from the programs for on-reservation and mission- or locally-operated schools. Role of local site within the theme/context Comparative analysis within theme E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  23. Examples HEWLETT-PACKARD HOUSE & GARAGE Santa Clara County, CA The Hewlett–Packard House and Garage are nationally significant under National Register Criteria A and B in the areas of Engineering. The Palo Alto property was the site of Dave Packard and William Hewlett’s first successful collaboration, which led to the founding of the highly influential Hewlett-Packard firm and the eventual rise of the Palo Alto area as a significant technology research center. Although the work completed in the garage workshop was not of particular note from an engineering or technological point of view, it did represent the first tentative steps in what would emerge as a vital entrepreneurial process that integrated the resources of a significant local research center (Stanford University) with the practical application of manufacturing and design efforts by recent graduates, engineers and researchers. The symbiotic relationship between young entrepreneur/engineers like Hewlett and Packard and the nearby research institution would revolutionize technological research, leading eventually to the establishment of the Stanford Research Park and the internationally important “Silicon Valley” high technology research area. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  24. Examples ARROYO TERRACE HISTORIC DISTRICT Los Angeles County, CA The Park Place/Arroyo Terrace Historic District is nationally significant under National Register Criterion C, in the areas of Architecture and Art. The small, cohesive residential district set overlooking the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena contains some of the nation’s finest examples of Arts & Crafts- inspired architectural design, by many of the era’s most influential designers. The district includes seven works by the renown partnership of Charles and Henry Greene, including Charles’ private home and studio and the remarkable Theodore Irwin (Duncan-Irwin) House. Among the largest single concentration of the firm’s highly-respected work the district’s homes are invaluable to the study of the architects’ expansive influence on American architecture in the early twentieth century. The City of Pasadena is largely recognized by scholars as one of the most prominent nodes for the Arts & Craft movement along with Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  25. National Register of Historic Places Buildings • Carson Mansion, Eureka, California E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  26. Roddis HouseMarshfield, Wisconsin E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  27. The Roddis House is significant at the local level as an example of the Dutch Colonial Revival style. The recently completed (2005) intensive survey report for Marshfield identified the Roddis House as the single example of the style that was individually eligible. Overall, the survey identified 16 intact examples of the style in the city. The examples are evenly divided between side gambrel variants and pre-1920s front gambrel examples. Reference to survey. Number of the style considered eligible locally. Results of survey. Example: Individual house eligible under Criterion C: Architecture E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  28. The front gambrel houses tend to be fairly modest houses with full width front porches. While the surveyed examples tend to have good to average architectural integrity, they lack the higher end features and the quality of design of the Roddis House. The mostly later side gambrel examples are fairly typical of house designs found throughout the county that were widely illustrated in the press and promoted in builders’ catalogs. Again, while the overall integrity of these examples tends to be good, they lack the individual architectural distinction of the Roddis House. As a result, the Roddis House is the most architecturally distinctive extant example of the style in the city of Marshfield. Description of surveyed examples and distinguishing qualities of the Roddis House. The style in a slightly larger geographic context. General integrity of the style, compared to integrity of the nominated property. Roddis House, con’t. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  29. Chuck Berry HouseSt. Louis, Missouri E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  30. Example: House eligible under Criterion B: Performing Arts and Ethnic History/Black Contents of Section 8: • Justification for Living Persons Listing • Berry’s Childhood and Early Musical Influences • Marriage and Home at 3137 Whittier Street • Formation of the Chuck Berry Combo and Development of Musical Style • Chess Records, “Maybellene” and Beyond • Chuck Berry’s Impact on Popular Music and American Culture • Conclusion E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  31. Mid-Century Architecture -Iconic • Iconic • Widely recognized landmarks in architectural history; well documented; solid scholarly appreciation; nationally significant; no-brainer; pivotal influence on Modernist design; milestones; widely available contextual materials E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  32. Residential Iconic Condominium 1 (Sea Ranch), CA 1964-65 (NR 2005) E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  33. Residential Local/Vernacular Charles & Fae Olson House, OR 1946-57 (NR 2007) E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  34. La Hacienda Historic DistrictPhoenix, Arizona E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  35. Example: Historic District eligible under Criteria A and C: Community Planning and Development and Architecture • District reflects early north/northeast suburban expansion of Phoenix prior to WWII and post-war housing boom; POS: 1926-1954 • Section 8: • Growth of Phoenix 1920s to 1960, factors contributing to Phoenix growth, and patterns of Phoenix growth. • Development of the La Hacienda and Mayfair subdivisions. • High profile residents and their contributions to Phoenix and Arizona. • Architectural significance handled well. • La Hacienda as a mirror of the rest of Phoenix, but with unique characteristics. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  36. National Register of Historic Places • Archeological Sites • Historic context • Archeological context E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  37. National Register of Historic Places • Soda Rock (Chi’ichu’yam-bam), California (NR 2003) E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  38. The "Process" ends…. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  39. The "Process" ends…. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

  40. National Register of Historic Places www.nps.gov/nr National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Paul_lusignan@nps.gov 202-354-2229 E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

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