Nevada’s rural towns and cities are filled with historic buildings and places, but these are often not harnessed as the economic development tools they can be. The experiences and successes of many rural communities around the country have demonstrated that preserving and revitalizing historic buildings can be a critical factor in their long-term success. This session will cover the various programs offered by Nevada’s State Historic Preservation Office, how they fit into the rural development “toolkit,” and how they can turn historic resources into heritage tourism attractions, small business incubators, and economic development opportunities.

2. PUTTING HISTORY TO WORK
Jim Bertolini,
Historian
April 12, 2018
Tonopah, NV
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
&
RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

3. Topics for Today
 What is Historic Preservation?
 Preservation as an Economic Development
tool
 How the State Historic Preservation Office can
help

4. What is Preservation and Why Do
It?
Sense of Place
Community Identity
Economic and Environmental Value
Manage Change
Others?

5. Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably
impossible for vigorous streets and districts to
grow without them.
- Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 1961.

6. Preservation & Sustainable Social
Networks
 Community Identity
 Sense of Place
 Supporting place-
making at the local
level
 Community
Stewardship
Winnemucca Grammar School

7. Preservation & Economic Sustainability
 Promotes local job
growth
 Promotes local
investment & stable
economies
 Financial incentive
programs where
applicable
Reese-Johnson-Virgin House, Genoa

8. Preservation & Environmental Sustainability
 Conserving our largest
consumer product:
buildings
 Walkable / bikeable
communities
 Built-in energy
performance in
buildings constructed
before 1950
Westside School, Las Vegas
Rehab finished in 2016
New Markets Tax Credits
LEED Silver

9. Who Preserves it?
You!
Local Officials
State Officials
Federal
Officials
Local
Non-profits
State
Non-profits
National
Non-profits

10. Survey & Planning
Nevada Cultural Resource Information
System (NVCRIS)
National Register of Historic Place
(NRHP)
State Register of Historic Places
(SRHP)
Review & Compliance
National Historic Preservation
Act(NHPA):
Sections 106 & 110
State Preservation Laws:
Burials &Covenants
Outreach
Nevada Site Stewardship Program
(NSSP)
Certified Local Governments (CLG)
Grants & Aid
Historic Preservation Fund (HPF)
Commission for Cultural Centers and
Historic Preservation (CCCHP)
Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits

11. PRESERVATION AS ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
WHY DO IT?
11th Street in East Ely

12. Preservation’s Role in Economic
Development:
Reduced Costs
 Building Conservation
 Avoid frequent financial waste
in demolition and new
construction
 Keeps square footage
available for housing and
businesses
 Historic District Density
 Higher tax revenue per
square foot for local
governments
 Reduces infrastructure

13.  Reduce Capital Costs for Small
Businesses
 Building already there
 Smaller, adaptable floor space
 Leverage incentives
 Job Growth
 Maintenance vs. new construction
 Skilled labor
 Local economic circulation
Preservation’s Role in Economic
Development:
Job Growth and Small Business Incubation

14.  Authentic spaces
 Telling real stories in
real places
 Marketing assist
(heritage businesses
and cross-advertising)
 Locals and tourists
 Part of Nevada’s
outdoor recreation
economy
Preservation’s Role in Economic
Development:
Heritage Tourism

15.  Historic District
Density
 Businesses are closer
together (more
purchases)
 Complete Streets
 Reduced
infrastructure need
per unit
Preservation’s Role in Economic
Development:
Planning and Transportation

18. Preservation’s Role in Economic
Development:
Financial Incentives
 Federal
 20% rehabilitation tax credit
 Grants (public or non-profit)
 State
 CCCHP Grants
 Local
 Open Space Assessment (NRS
361a)

19. Common Threats to Historic
Buildings
 Neglect
 Lack of Awareness
 Lack of finances
 Planning & Zoning
 International Existing
Building Code not adopted
 Minimum parking standards

20. HOW CAN WE HELP?
SHPO TOOLS FOR
PRESERVATION

21. Tools Provided by the Nevada
SHPO
 Identification
 Planning
 Treatment & Funding

22. Historic Resource Survey
 Document places
within your community
 Identify which are
important
 How to complete?
 SHPO in some cases
(2018 efforts)
 Consultants
(architectural
historians)
 Grants (for consultants)

23. Historical Research and
Contexts
 Publish special reports
on themes and trends
in Nevada’s past
 Support official historic
designations
 Expand access to
preservation incentives
and benefits

24. The National Register of Historic
Places
 The nation’s official list of
places worthy of
preservation
 Recognizes important places
 Considered in federal project
planning
 Qualifies certain projects on
NRHP-listed places for tax
incentives and grants
 Supports sustainable
community development

25. What the NRHP Does NOT Do
 The NRHP Does
NOT: Change
existing property
rights
 The NRHP Does
NOT: Guarantee the
preservation of the
resource.

26. Nevada State Register of Historic
Places
 Much like National
Register
 Recognizes uniquely
Nevadan history
 No incentives at the
moment
 Marketing assistance
and treatment
guidance

27. Planning - Certified Local Governments
(CLGs)
 National Historic Preservation Act, Chapter 3025 and 36 CFR 60.6
 Requirements
 Form an historic preservation commission
 Pass and implement an historic preservation ordinance
 Purpose & Benefits
 Encourage & support local participation, planning, and implementation of historic
preservation
 Access to dedicated CLG funding (10% of State’s HPF Grant)
 Consultation under NHPA
 Technical assistance and Training from SHPO

28. Survey, Registers, and Planning:
Technical Assistance and Funding
 SHPO staff sometimes
available to assist
 If not, consultants
(architectural historians,
preservation planners,
and historians) are
available
 Federal pass-through
grants available (mostly
for CLGs)

29. Preservation as Economic
Development
 Emphasis on historic preservation as
economic development
 Commercial survey and designation of
downtown/commercial districts
 Access to 20% federal tax incentives for
income-producing properties
Nationwide Economic Impacts of
Federal Tax Incentives in
FY2017
 1,035 certified projects
(1 in Nevada)
 Leveraged over $5.82
billion in private
investments
($1.15 million in NV)
 Created an estimated
106,846 jobs
(21 jobs in NV)
 $1 million median QRE
(Qualified Recoverable
Expenses)
 160,058 Low- and
Moderate-income
housing units created.
Reese-Johnson-Virgin
House, Genoa
Late 2016 Project
$1.15 million QRE
Now the Pink House, a
café and deli in
downtown Genoa

30. Preservation Tax Credits – Details
 Requirements:
 Property must be listed in the National Register
of Historic Places (individual or district)
 New use must be income-producing
(commercial, office, rental residential, etc.)
 Project must demonstrate that it meets SOI
Standards for Rehabilitation

31. Preservation Tax Credit - Tips
 From SHPO & NPS
 Talk to a tax professional before starting
 Hire contractors with experience with the SOI
Standards for Rehabilitation
 Contact the SHPO early in your planning process
 From an applicant (Pink House)
 Take lots of photos and keep them organized
 NPS has strict guidelines but has room to
negotiate

32. PART 1 Evaluation of Significance
PART 2 Description of [Proposed]
Rehabilitation
PART 3 Certification of
Completed Work
Preservation Tax Credits – 3-part application

33. Applicant
Submits application to
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
National Park Service receives application from SHPO,
makes final certification decision, notifies applicant
Preservation Tax Credits – How does
the process work?

34. Treatment - Other Nevada SHPO
Tools
 Federal pass-through
grants (mostly for
CLGs)
 CCCHP grants
 Support “cultural
centers.”
 Funding authorized by
the state legislature

35. Other Preservation-Possible
Tools
 Governor’s Office of
Economic
Development
 Nevada Main Street
 Historic preservation is
one of the central
tenets of this program
 CDBG Grants

36. Rural Community and Economic
Development: CDBG
1) Bring development into deteriorated areas;
2) Work to eliminate barriers to private
investment;
3) Make strategic investments in projects and
properties;
4) Promote a climate of investment where
disinvestment has existed.

37. Rural Community and Economic
Development: CDBG
Since 2011 the Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) has:
• Awarded over $14,451,665 of HUD funding for
projects in 27 CDBG eligible cities and counties
in Rural Nevada.

38. Examples of Success – The Mizpah
Hotel
 Privately-funded
rehabilitation
 Property retains
NRHP listing
 Vibrant downtown
business

39. Examples of Success – Nevada Northern
Railway
 Museum / heritage
tourism draw
 Major attraction for
White Pine County
 2017
 $4.3 million in revenue
in White Pine County
 Grant support
 CCCHP

40. Examples of Success – The Pink
House
 Reese-Johnson-
Virgin House in
Genoa
 Secured 20%
Rehabilitation tax
credit
 Small business and
anchor for downtown

41. TIPS ON GETTING THE
MOST OUT OF YOUR
HISTORIC PROPERTY

42. Basic principles
 Research your
property’s history –
what makes it special?
 Repair before you
replace
 Plan ahead
 Ask questions

43. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards
 4 treatment approaches depending on the goal of the project
 Reconstruction: to rebuild/recreate
 Restoration: to return/maintain
 Preservation: to retain
 Rehabilitation: to repurpose (adaptive reuse)

44. Common Rehab Concerns
Exterior
 Windows
 Changes to primary elevations
Interior
 Plans & Corridors
 Primary Features & Finishes
New Construction
 New additions
 Rooftop additions
Code Compliance
 ADA
 IEBC (rev. 2015 and 2018)
Virginia City HD (top) and Morrill Hall at
UNR (bottom)

45. Energy Performance and Historic Buildings
• Best to conduct an energy audit
before developing treatment options.
• Historic buildings & LEED
• Solar and wind installations
• Options for energy savings through:
• New insulation
• Weatherization (weather strips,
caulking, sealing, etc.)
• Adding insulated glass and/or
interior storm windows

46. Summary
 Historic buildings add
value to communities
and help promote
economic
development.
 Assistance and tools
are available to help
preserve historic
buildings in your
community.

47. State Preservation Plan, 2020-
2028
Plan to guide all preservation activities in the
state.
Help us out!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NVSHPOsurve
y1

48. Questions & Contact Info:
Jim Bertolini
775-684-3436
jbertolini@shpo.nv.gov
http://shpo.nv.gov/