Preservation Connection: Texas’ Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, 2011-2020, Updated 2016

From executive summary: "Every 10 years the Texas Historical Commission (THC) develops a Statewide Historic Preservation Plan. It’s a collaborative process and one of our key responsibilities as a State Historic Preservation Office under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The THC facilitates the development of the plan, which can then be used by the agency and all stakeholders as the basis for individual action plans. At the THC we think of the Statewide Historic Preservation Plan as an opportunity to lay a pathway, or perhaps blaze a trail, for Texans to preserve, protect and leverage our historic and cultural fabric for the betterment of our communities statewide. At its most basic definition, historic preservation is the process of identifying, protecting, enhancing and interpreting buildings, places, objects and landscapes of historical and cultural significance. The benefits and impacts of preserving our built and cultural environment are far reaching, however. Historic preservation equals jobs, tax dollars, tourism, downtown and neighborhood revitalization, community pride, environmental sustainability and overall quality of life. Some of the guiding principles in developing this plan include: The process was designed so that stakeholders across Texas participated in the development of this plan from the ground up. The plan articulates practical, specific and achievable goals for the many different types of preservation stakeholders in Texas. There is something for everyone in this plan. The plan exists as a document and also an online information tool, chock-full of case studies, resources, best practices and links to more information. The plan will evolve and grow as partners across Texas contribute to it. From kicking off the plan with a public survey to finishing the process with local meetings throughout the state, we provided many different ways for stakeholders to be involved and stay informed... We see Texas’ Statewide Historic Preservation Plan as a living, growing tool for preservation across the state. As a way to communicate this message, we created an image that makes it easy to understand and interact with the main elements of the plan. The “Preservation Plan Tree” starts with soil nourished with values of cultural diversity, partnerships, communication, focus on authentic places and acknowledgement that preservation contributes to our quality of life. We practice these values and work to weave them into all of our activities, enriching the outcomes of our efforts. The roots of the tree are our state’s diverse historic and cultural resources, the real places that make up our heritage and tell the stories of Texas. The trunk is a solid base of partners from which the goals, or branches, of the plan grow. The leaves are ideas that support the fruit, or the ultimate outcomes of the plan. The tree reaches towards the horizon, or vision, represented in the clouds, sun and earth." Funding was provided in part by a 2016 Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Texas State Historic Preservation Office (project number TX-16-002, grant number P16AF00175) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Preservation Connection: Texas’ Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, 2011-2020, Updated 2016

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