Helping communities preserve and rejuvenate

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HISTORIC PRESERVATION FIELD SERVICES BUREAU New
Yorks State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
Helping communities preserve and rejuvenate New
Yorks historic and cultural resources.
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National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

• Established
• Federal Historic Preservation Regulations
• National Register of Historic Places
• State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)

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• New York State Historic Preservation Office
• Helping communities
• Identify
• Evaluate
• Recognize
• Protect
• Preserve
• Rejuvenate
• Renew
• Historic resources in their neighborhoods

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PRESERVATION INCENTIVES
The federal historic rehabilitation tax credit
program generates millions of dollars in private
redevelopment projects in New York each year. The
20 tax credit equals 20 of the amount spent in
a certified rehabilitation of a certified
structure. To be eligible, properties must be
income-producing, listed on the National
Register, and work must meet the Secretary of the
Interiors Standards. The application process is
coordinated with the SHPO.
These buildings in downtown Catskill are being
renovated with the help of the federal tax credit
program.
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IS MY BUILDING HISTORIC? Individual listing in
National Register (NR) Listed as part of NR
Historic District Contributing vs.
non-contributing status
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Wall Street Historic District
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Fulton-Nassau Historic District
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Stone Street Historic District
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South Street Seaport Historic District
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How will the work be evaluated?

• According to the Secretary of the Interiors
  Standards for Rehabilitation.
• Rehabilitation the act of making possible a
  compatible use for a property through repair,
  alteration and additions while preserving those
  portions or features which convey its historical,
  cultural, or architectural values. Can include
  limited demolition and new construction provided
  that the essential historic character of the
  resource remains.
• General Concept Retain, Repair, Replace in Kind
  Do no Harm

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Standard 1 Compatible Use
A property shall be used for its historic purpose
or be placed in a new use in a reasonable manner,
taking into consideration economic and technical
feasibility.
41 Broad Street
Historic
Before Tax Credit work
After project complete
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Standard 2 Retain Historic Character
The historic character of a property shall be
retained and preserved. The removal of historic
materials or alteration of features and spaces
that characterize a property shall be avoided.
The Market Arcade is one of Buffalos most
distinctive landmarks and has been rehabilitated
for commercial and office use.
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Standard 3 Keep it Real
Each property shall be recognized as a physical
record of its time, place, and use. Changes that
create a false sense of historic development,
such as adding conjectural features or
architectural elements from other buildings,
shall not be undertaken.
Las Vegas, Nevada
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Standard 4 Respect Historic Changes
Most properties change over time those changes
that have acquired historic significance in their
own right shall be retained and preserved.
The historic addition (above right) on the Euclid
Avenue School in Jamestown was retained and
renovated in this affordable housing project.
The later historic storefront on this Albany
townhouse (left) was retained during its
rehabilitation. Both of these projects utilized
the federal historic rehabilitation tax credit
program.
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Standard 5 Preserve Distinctive Features
Distinctive features, finishes, and construction
techniques or examples of craftsmanship that
characterize a property shall be preserved.
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Standard 6 Repair When Feasible
Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired
rather than replaced. Where the severity of
deterioration requires replacement of a
distinctive feature, the new feature shall match
the old in design, color, texture, and other
visual qualities and, where possible, materials.
Replacement of missing features shall be
substantiated by documentary, physical, or
pictorial evidence.
Many decorative features on this rehabilitated
house at 563 North Broadway in Saratoga Springs
were restored based on physical evidence and
historic photographs. This mixed use project
utilized the federal tax credit program.
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Standard 7 Cause No Damage
Chemical or physical treatments, such as
sandblasting, that cause damage to historic
materials shall not be used. The surface
cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be
undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
While high pressure cleaning helped to prepare
the steel hull of this historic tugboat at the H.
Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego for painting,
aggressive cleaning treatments are not
recommended for masonry surfaces, such as the
sandstone on the exterior of the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception in Albany.
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Standard 8 Consider Protect Archeological
Resources
Significant archeological resources affected by a
project shall be protected and preserved. If
such resources must be disturbed, mitigation
measures shall be undertaken.
Historic preservation environmental review
ensured the investigation and protection of a
colonial waterfront site, including this 18th
century log wall, in downtown Albany prior to new
construction.
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Standard 9 - Compatible New Construction
New additions, exterior alterations or related
new construction shall not destroy historic
materials that characterize the property. The
new work shall be differentiated from the old and
shall be compatible with the massing, size,
scale, and architectural features to protect the
historic integrity of the property.
This rooftop addition is barely visible from the
street.
New rooftop addition
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Standard 10 - Reversible New Construction
New additions and adjacent or related new
construction shall be undertaken in such a manner
that if removed in the future, the essential form
and integrity of the historic property and its
environment would be unimpaired.
The glass addition that links the historic barn
and loading dock at the Herschell Carousel
Factory Museum in North Tonawanda offers a
practical yet reversible solution to linking
these two historic structures.
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Common Concerns

• Identifying historic features
• (form, material, trim, fenestration, condition)
• Landscaping
• (as it may affect the setting)
• Masonry Cleaning
• (be very careful, no abrasives, simple soap and
  water may be best)
• New additions
• (location, scale, materials)
• Code related issues
• (fire/building, ADA, key is accommodating these
  necessary things while protecting the building)
• LEED Certification
• (rehabilitation is green, LEED certification can
  be done!)

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90 West Street
The West Street Building, 90 West Street Built
1905-07, the West Street Building is significant
as a distinguished early example of Gothic
ornament applied to the exterior of a skyscraper
and as one of the finest examples of the work of
Cass Gilbert, an architect of national prominence
in the early 20th century. The Gothic-inspired
decoration and strong vertical emphasis evoke
Gilbert's most famous commission, the Woolworth
Building at 233 Broadway. Located south of the
World Trade Center site, the West Street Building
was severely damaged on September 11, 2001.
Staff from New York's SHPO have been helping the
new property owners examine preservation
opportunities, including listing on the State and
National Registers and applying for the federal
historic rehabilitation tax credit -- both of
these programs are supported by the federal
Historic Preservation Fund (HPF).
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MetLife
MetLife North and Metropolitan Tower
Buildings Metropolitan Life Insurance Company New
York City By 1909, the Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company, now known as MetLife, was one
of the largest insurance providers in the world.
Over the years, the company earned a reputation
for innovation by instituting a series of
nationally significant social welfare projects
such as the nations first visiting nurse service
and construction of low income housing. The
company has also been an excellent steward of its
headquarters properties on Madison Square in
Manhattan. With assistance from the federal
preservation Investment Tax Credit program,
MetLife began a major multi-phased rehabilitation
project of its North Building, originally
constructed in 1929-1932, and a façade
restoration of its 1909 Metropolitan Tower
Building. These projects show MetLife's strong
commitment to revitalizing the Madison Square
area and serve as an example for other companies
and communities to follow.
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Prince George Hotel
Prince George Hotel 10-20 East 28th Street
17-19 East 27th Street New York City
Affordable housing is a concern for any
community. Common Ground Community HFDC, Inc. is
a very active organization that rehabilitates
older structures into housing for those who can
least afford it. In 1998, Common Ground began the
conversion of the abandoned Prince George Hotel
into apartments with common areas for residents
and commercial retail space on the ground floor.
Originally, the Prince George was a grand
residential and tourist-class hotel, built in
1904-5 and enlarged in 1912 to accommodate an
affluent clientele. In recent decades, the hotel
fell into decline, closed in 1990 and was left
vacant. The SHPO supports Common Ground in their
efforts to provide housing in historic properties
by assisting them in obtaining a federal historic
rehabilitation tax credit.
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19 Rector Street

• 19 Rector Street
• 19 Rector Street
• New York City
• Constructed in 1929-30, the 38-story
  building at 19 Rector Street reflected the
  optimism of the financial boom of the 1920s and
  now serves as an example to encourage people to
  live as well as work in Lower Manhattan. The Art
  Deco style building, designed by Lafayette A.
  Goldstone, was originally built as offices and
  has been transformed into a combination of much
  needed residential, office and commercial space,
  contributing to the vitality of the neighborhood.
  Work began in October 1999 and, in spite of
  problems as a result of September 11th, the
  current owners remained committed to the
  neighborhood by completing the project. As a
  result of the work and the high degree of
  historic and architectural integrity, the SHPO
  has recently nominated 19 Rector Street to the
  State and National Registers of Historic Places.

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Park Row Building
The Park Row Building is an important late
nineteenth century high-rise in lower Manhattan.
Designed by prominent architect R.H. Robertson,
the thirty-story building was constructed using
innovative structural techniques, and at the time
of its completion in 1899, it was the tallest
building in the world. Crowned by distinctive
twin towers and occupying a prominent site across
from City Hall Park, the attractive building is a
key component of renewal efforts in lower
Manhattan. The building is being converted for
mixed-use commercial and residential space with
the help of the federal historic rehabilitation
tax credit program.
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The Emerson
Before
The Emerson, located in the Hells
Kitchen/Clinton neighborhood, is a significant
example of a model tenement designed and owned by
William Emerson, a well-known architect and
proponent of housing reform. Model tenements
were intended to furnish safe and healthful
living conditions for the working classes while
still providing developers with a modest return
on their investment. The Emerson, constructed in
1914, was designed so that each apartment had
adequate light, ventilation, running water, and a
private toilet. Emerson chose the buildings site
carefully, locating it across from DeWitt Clinton
Park, laid out in 1901 as part of a program to
create open spaces in densely crowded slums.
Tenants also had access to rooftop gardens with
Hudson River views. The building is being
rehabilitated to provide low-income housing and
commercial space with the help of the federal
historic rehabilitation tax credit program.
After
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40 Wall
Constructed in 1929-1930 and designed by
architects H. Craig Severance and Yasuo Masui, 40
Wall Street was built for the Manhattan Company
and its affiliates, most notably the Bank of
Manhattan Trust Company. At the time of its
construction, 40 Wall Street was, with the Empire
State Building and Chrysler Building, one of the
three tallest buildings in the world. Leasing
office space in the building during the
Depression was difficult and the original
investors lost the property in 1940.
Subsequently, after World War II, the building
became profitable and was fully leased. Through
the years, the property has changed hands several
times and is now owned by the Trump Organization.
With the help of the federal historic
rehabilitation tax credit program, the building,
which is listed on the State and National
Registers, has been extensively renovated and its
significant interior spaces, including the grand
upper lobby (above left) and banking hall,
banking offices, and board room, have been
preserved.
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The Apollo
The SHPO continues to provide technical service
to the legendary Apollo Theater. With private
and public assistance, including the FEDERAL
HISTORIC REHABILITATION TAX CREDIT PROGRAM, the
1914 landmarks exterior has been restored, a new
marquee and blade sign has been installed, and
the interior is being upgraded to improve the
theaters auditorium, stage, dressing rooms, and
lobby. The SHPO supports the buildings
rejuvenation, which will help to enhance the
theater and advance the areas revitalization
efforts.
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• YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS
• This is a bureaucratic process please be
  patient.
• Consult early and often with SHPO.
• Owners who begin rehab work prior to getting
  approval from NPS do so at their own risk!
• Apply before completing work, and preferably,
  well in advance of beginning work!
• The property must be a certified historic
  structure prior to completion of the work.
  (Part 1 complete)

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• Send two (2) complete original sets of the
  application with accompanying materials (photos,
  map, drawings) to the SHPO.
• Include signature, date, and SS or taxpayer ID
  .
• Drawings must include existing and proposed
  plans.
• Proper photographic documentation is important!
  More is better!
• Photos must show all elevations of the building,
  views of the building in its setting, and
  representative interior spaces and features.
  Photos must be keyed to a site or building plan.

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• Before rehab photos required for Parts 1 and 2.
• After rehab photos for the Part 3.
• NPS prefers conventional 35 mm color prints
  (labeled on back) at least 4 x 6 in size.
• Digital photos may be acceptable if they are
  taken at high resolution, printed on photographic
  paper, at least 4 x 6 size.
• Photocopies of photographs are not acceptable!
• 2 sets of photos are required.