DEFINING LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT CHARACTER
By: Texas Main Street Staff
There are many reasons why downtown revitalization is a crucial tool for enhancing the economic and social health of a community. In addition to being the most visible indicator of community pride and economic health, the historic downtown is also the foundation of community heritage. The historic buildings in a downtown are prime locations for the establishment of unique entrepreneurial businesses and can also be tourism attractors, all of which add to the community’s sales tax collections and property values. Today, big-box development permeates the national landscape, making it even more important that communities be proactive in saving and using their historic spaces to avoid becoming featureless places.
There is no other place just like your Texas Main Street. The buildings, structures, objects, and landscape features within a historic district work together to create a unique sense of place. As a whole, a historic district becomes more than just a collection of individually significant historic buildings. Based on its own unique combination of building forms, architectural styles, streetscape features, and landscape features, a district gains a distinct historic character. Character of a building or district refers to “all those visual aspects and physical features that comprise the appearance of every historic building. Character-defining elements include the overall shape of the building, its materials, craftsmanship, decorative details, interior spaces and features, as well as the various aspects of its site and environment” (National Park Service, Preservation Brief 17: 1). Because the significance of each property within a historic district is linked to its neighbors, it is especially important that property owners work together to maintain and preserve each property for the shared benefit of the whole historic district. Additionally, property owners should create a common strategy for preserving and maintaining a historic district’s sense of place.
The purpose of this report is to get you to look at your town in a new light. Familiarity of a place can make you lose sight of the attributes that make your district distinctive. This report should help you to take a fresh look at your historic district and “see” what makes your Main Street different. The end result will help your town attract visitors to your Main Street district because it is different from any other town in Texas.
This report provided by the Texas Historical Commission’s Main Street staff will pose a variety of questions and observations for you to consider and research. As you go through this report, check off the open bullets on the left side of the pages when you answer the question.
