Historic District
From HistoricHydeSquare
The term Historic District is used to describe an area that has some historical value, whether architectural, social, landscape, or other. A "district" is a group of buildings or landscape features that represent a particular place at a particular time or helps to illustrate the development of a place over time. The buildings in a district are usually not very significant on their own, but as a group they provide a glimpse into another era. A type of district is referred to as a "designation."
In the Historic Hyde Square area, there are three possible kinds of designation:
- National Register District — No restrictions. No review board. The Boston Landmarks Commission would review any applications for permits to demolish buildings in this kind of district. This is referred to as "demolition delay." National Register District is the designation that Historic Hyde Square supports for all of the proposed districts in the neighborhood.
- Architectural Conservation District — Changes to building exteriors are governed by a set of guidelines and a review board (a "historic district commission"). Interiors have no restrictions. Several of the proposed districts in the neighborhood would qualify for this designation, but there are a number of negative aspects to this kind of regulation that one neighbor recently referred to as "draconian." We agree. Preservation should be entirely voluntary.
- Boston Landmark District — Changes to building exteriors are governed by a set of guidelines and a review board. There is a very high bar set for this designation, and very few properties in Boston qualify. In the Historic Hyde Square area, only the Blessed Sacrament district is eligible for consideration to become a Boston Landmark.
In addition to these designations, Boston has a number of National Historic Landmarks and National Historic Sites, which are designated through entirely different processes at the Federal level.
The terms "landmark" and "landmarking" have very specific meanings related to Boston Landmark or National Historic Landmark status and are not typically used to refer to National Register listings.
Resources
- National Register of Historic Places
- Massachusetts Historical Commission
- Boston Landmarks Commission
- Boston Preservation Alliance list of Boston's National Historic Landmarks
