NAPC Commission Excellence Awards
National Alliance of Preservation Commissions

2008 NAPC Commission Excellence Awards Recipients

NAPC is pleased to recognize the 2008 Commission Excellence Awards recipients. Sponsored by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Commission Excellence Awards are given for “Best Practices” in the categories of Identification/Registration; Protection; and Public/Outreach/Advocacy.   The nominations were judged on

• originality and innovation;
• transferability as a model for other commissions;
• comprehensiveness, excellence and degree of difficulty; and
• impact and results. 

The awards were presented during the National Commission Forum Opening Gathering 11 July in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Best Practices - Identification/Registration

Moline Historic Preservation Commission

City of Moline, Illinois

National Register Nomination for the

Moline Downtown Commercial Historic District  

The City of Moline, Illinois, population 43,768, is in northwestern Illinois on the  Mississippi River.  The City was approached by a developer who wanted to  rehabilitate two vacant and deteriorated buildings in the historic downtown, but the project needed the federal historic rehabilitation tax credit to make it financially feasible.  Individually, the buildings would not qualify for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, but they would be contributing as part of a district.  The Moline Historic Preservation Commission undertook preparing a National Register nomination for Moline’s historic downtown encompassing 114 properties.  The district was listed on the National Register in August 2007, and the two buildings have since undergone a $1.5 million rehabilitation; sparking new interest in investment in the downtown.  The jury praised the project as an example of how a volunteer effort by a commission in a small community can be a catalyst for preservation and economic development.    

King County Landmarks Commission

King County, Washington

Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative

With over 1.8 million people including the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, King County in Washington State covers an area larger that the State of Delaware—with two thirds of the county unincorporated, and rural and agricultural in character.  The King County Landmarks Commission undertook a comprehensive initiative to identify, protect, and promote the preservation of the county’s historic barns.  Over 250 historic barns and farmsteads were identified, and the program included such elements as nominations to national, county, and local registers; an awards program to recognize rehabilitation projects; public awareness and education efforts; establishment of a preservation fund program; and incorporation in strategic planning and heritage tourism efforts.  The jury felt that the comprehensiveness of the project not only demonstrated excellence, but offered a model and a menu of ideas that could be used by other communities of all sizes.         

Best Practices - Protection

Board of Historical Architectural Review

Borough of Carlisle, Pennsylvania

A Reference Guide for Property Owners

The Borough of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, population 18,272, outside of Harrisburg, developed a comprehensive guide for its large historic district of residential, institutional and commercial buildings.  The guide explains the purpose behind the district and includes heavily-illustrated and detailed information on historic buildings, the review process by the Board of Historical Architectural Review, and restoration resources.  The guide was prepared by the architectural review board in partnership with the Old Neighborhoods League of Carlisle, a community organization, with funding in part through the national Historic Preservation Fund.  The jury found the guide to be particularly comprehensive and well executed; and a model for other small communities.

Landmarks Board

City of Boulder, Colorado

General Design Guidelines for Boulder's Historic Districts and Individual Landmarks

The Landmarks Board of Boulder, Colorado, with a population of 104,000, prepared a comprehensive initiative and set of design guidelines for the city’s historic districts and landmarks with a particular focus on environmental sustainability.  One component of this initiative was the development of a standardized method to assess window condition in considering window repair and replacement projects.  The jury praised the project as a model for other communities for this type of project, particularly regarding the window assessment methodology; and, overall, the timeliness and importance of the project in joining preservation and environmental issues.     

Best Practices - Outreach/Advocacy

Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission

City of Wilmington, North Carolina

Saving Spaces:  Progressive Designs for Infill Lots Competition/Exhibition

Wilmington, North Carolina, population 100,000, like many other communities, found itself struggling with the need for well-designed affordable housing.  The City of Wilmington and the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, in collaborative effort with preservation, architecture and affordable housing groups, hosted a juried architectural design competition and exhibition (for both professional designers and students) to develop a catalogue of single-family and duplex infill, affordable housing designs for use within the context of the city’s historic districts.  The jury felt that the project was particularly original and innovative for addressing preservation and housing issues.

Loveland Historic Preservation Commission

City of Loveland, Colorado

Historic Preservation Month Activities, May 2007

Loveland, Colorado’s, (population 65,000) historic preservation commission partnered with several community organizations to present over a dozen events as part of preservation month in order to promote public awareness and education on the importance of the city’s historic resources.  While many local commissions undertake events as part of an annual preservation month, the jury believed that Loveland’s effort was a good model that small- and medium-sized communities could adapt; furthermore, the jury appreciated that this was an initial effort in a comprehensive work plan developed by this commission, established in 2003.    

Commission of the Year

Vieux Carre Commission

City of New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission

City of New Orleans, Louisiana

Central Business District Historic District Landmarks Commission

City of New Orleans, Louisiana

The ‘Commission of the Year’ award recognizes an outstanding achievement by a local commission under difficulty or adverse circumstances.  Nominations were judged on:

• magnitude and degree of difficulty of the achievement;
• comprehensiveness, quality and excellence;
• impact and results; and
• leadership exemplified by the commission.

Its auspicious that NAPC’s very first ‘Commission of the Year’ award would recognize one of the nation’s oldest and most distinguished preservation programs – and, most recently, the nation’s most challenged and distressed.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Historic District Landmark Commissions were faced with the daunting task of continuing to operate with reduced staff, extensive damage to historic districts, and limited resources.

Within a month, the Vieux Carre Commission covering the French Quarter had reopened its offices and held its first commission meeting after the storm.  Unfortunately, within 10 days of reopening, all but two of the commission’s staff were laid off.  Dedicated volunteers came forward to help staff the office, and over the next three months, the commission issued 182 permits, the same number of permits written by the commission’s staff of eight over the same period the prior year.  The commission found itself dealing on the fly with all sorts of architectural review issues, and only recently was able to add two additional staff positions.

The City’s other two commissions, the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission and the Central Business District Historic District Landmarks Commission, were similarly impacted.  Amazingly, with over 14,000 structures under their combined jurisdiction, only 172 had been destroyed and 82 were significantly damaged.  But the commissions would be inundated with “emergency repair” permits. 

In the weeks following the hurricane, the City even considered the suspension or modification of the commissions’ guidelines and review.  The two commission’s shared staff was cut from nine to four positions, and new procedures had to be developed quickly.  In the face of these challenges the commission was able to conduct reviews and issue 2,055 certificates in the first year following the hurricane.  Staffing levels were later increased to the current eight positions, and the commission has since expanded or created new historic districts, and has revived its annual awards program.