Saving for the Future: A Statewide Historic Preservation Plan for Rhode Island (May 2012)

From introduction: "This revision of the Rhode Island State Historic Preservation Plan (Plan) was prepared in accordance with the National Park Service requirements for a statewide historic preservation plan by the staff of the RIHP&HC. The assistance and input of others was sought as described below and used as appropriate and necessary, but the RIHP&HC conducted the study, revision, and writing of the plan. The Plan as revised is a refinement rather than a reorganization of the RIHP&HC planning process. The prior plan has performed well as a useful and efficient method of organizing information about historic resources and setting forth guidance for preservation activities. Given this fundamental effectiveness, the goal has been to update data, obtain current feedback and adjust goals and policies to reflect conditions that have changed and accommodate new circumstances. The process of revising Rhode Island State Historic Preservation Plan began in 2009 with a staff assessment of the 2002 State Historic Preservation Plan and its effectiveness as a guide to the state’s preservation efforts over the previous seven years. Concurrently, the RIHP&HC initiated a statewide preservation planning initiative – Preservation Is Local – that was designed to solicit public input on the state of preservation in Rhode Island cities and towns and stimulate discussion on the state’s preservation issues, threats and opportunities. While many issues were discussed, the most prominent topics of interest and concern about preservation in Rhode Island fell in a few general categories. The first was the improvement of the tools for preservation for the owners of historic properties. This naturally encompasses financial support and incentives for maintenance and rehabilitation, but it also includes the need to make the specialized knowledge on the appropriate treatments and techniques for preserving historic resources more readily available. A second general area of interest and concern was public education and advocacy for historic preservation. Participants stressed the importance of improving public understanding of the value of preservation. This included interests in developing a stronger preservation advocacy network at the local and state levels, sharing the rich and diverse histories of individual buildings and places to stimulate support for their preservation, and showing that preservation is not just about the presence of the past but is a critical element in maintaining and enhancing the sense of place in our communities today and tomorrow. A third area was achieving and maintaining the proper balance of preservation activity at the local community level. This applied both to communities with historic district zoning and those where there is very little formal preservation activity. In the former, the emphasis was on the need for ongoing education and outreach with both historic district commissioners and residents to enhance and renew understanding of and respect for the goals and procedures the town has adopted. In the latter, there was considerable interest in exploring a variety of means by which community preservation could grow without historic district zoning." Funding was provided in part by a 2012 Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Rhode Island State Historic Preservation Office (project number RI-12-006, grant number 44-12-41946) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Saving for the Future: A Statewide Historic Preservation Plan for Rhode Island (May 2012)

See also

Collections