Properties nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places possess something special: historic significance and integrity. Determining if a property has these elements requires careful preparation, detailed research, and thorough documentation, all vetted through rounds of reviews —a comprehensive but worthwhile process. A National Register nomination confers historic distinction and can qualify a property for historic tax credits, as well as provide access to specialized grants. Nominating a property for listing in the National Register can correspond with Section 106 compliance, historic architectural surveys, and applications for historic grants and tax credits.

A project requiring Section 106 compliance or other environmental reviews can seem overwhelming. Historical Link, LLC understands the intricacies of the Section 106 process and historic environmental reviews, providing a clearer understanding of the necessary steps and lending efficiency to your project timeline. Navigating the process may involve conducting historic architectural surveys, evaluating eligibility for the National Register, coordinating with government or other regulatory officials, drafting agreement documents (such as Memoranda of Agreement or Programmatic Agreements), and finalizing mitigation documentation. While the path to completion varies for each project, Historical Link, LLC can help guide you forward.

Reconnaissance historic architectural surveys provide a basic understanding of the existing built environment within a general area. This predictive type of survey is often helpful in the early stages of planning to identify any potentially significant resources and recommend next steps. Basic information is recorded on all resources within the survey area, documented through a comprehensive historical review, field data, resource results, and recommendations, all clearly outlined within the survey report, according to the draft Guidelines for Historic Architectural Survey in Iowa. Reconnaissance surveys give you a so-called “30,000-foot view” of a potential project area and the resources within it.

Working within a specific area, Intensive historic architectural surveys identify, record, and evaluate properties in the built environment according to the National Register Criteria. These detailed surveys collect data on historic-age resources and document findings through thorough research, field data, and analysis. Each property is assessed for significance and integrity within a historic context framework to determine National Register eligibility. All resource information and recommendations are documented in the survey report as outlined in the draft Guidelines for Historic Architectural Survey in Iowa. Intensive historic architectural surveys provide the comprehensive information needed to inform your project decisions.

A project’s effects on a historic property may necessitate mitigating those effects, often through comprehensive documentation. This mitigation documentation captures the historic significance and characteristics, as well as the current condition of a property, providing a detailed record of the resource before any modifications or demolitions take place. Frequently, this mitigation documentation adheres to federal programs such as the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), or Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS), along with Iowa’s Historic Property Documentation Study. Each documentation is tailored to the specific resource involved. Completing a mitigation documentation offers a resolution to the project’s effects.