Hip. Happening. Historic. Preservation@50 FORUM 2016 | MOBILE, ALABAMA
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A Quarterly Journal of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Spring 2016 Follow us Hip. Happening. Historic. Preservation@50 FORUM 2016 | MOBILE, ALABAMA 4 A Great City for a Gathering 8 Historic Mobile: An Introduction 12 Africatown: An Important 16 Take a Tour Through Selma Place on Mobile’s African American Heritage Trail 19 Happy Birthday National 22 Alabama and The National 26 A Preview of Our Featured 27 NAPC and US/ICOMOS Historic Preservation Act Historic Preservation Act: Sessions Team Up A 50 Year Journey 31 Preservation Advocacy vs 32 Preservation Spotlight 37 State News Making Historic Districts Work COVER IMAGE CREDITS: Restored Van Antwerp building exterior Credit: Goodwyn, Mills and 2015-16 BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Cawood/Mason Fischer Azalea bloom-out at The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) is governed by a Bellingrath Gardens board of directors composed of current and former members and staff of local Credit: Tad Denson preservation commissions and Main Street organizations, state historic preserva- tion office staff, and other preservation and planning professionals, with the Chair, Updated: 4.1.16 Chair-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chairs of the board committees serving as the the Board’s Executive Committee. OFFICERS A quarterly journal with MATTHEW HALITSKY MELINDA CRAWFORD news, technical assistance, City of Boise Preservation Pennsylvania and case studies relevant to Idaho | Chair Pennsylvania | Secretary local historic preservation commissions and their staff. PATRICIA BLICK RAY SCRIBER Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Louisiana Main Street Arkansas | Chair-Elect Louisiana | Treasurer NAPC STAFF: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BOARD MEMBERS Paige Pollard [email protected] KATHERINE ADAMS CORY KEGERISE Washington Architectural Foundation Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission PROJECT COORDINATOR District of Columbia Pennsylvania Stephanie Paul TROY AINSWORTH [email protected] Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Trail MICHAEL KOOP Association Minnesota Historical Society (SHPO) ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT New Mexico Minnesota Daniel Harris DEBORAH ANDREWS CAROLINE LABINER [email protected] City of Portland Harvard Heights Historic Preservation and Maine Windsor Square Overlay Zone Boards California CLAUDIA CARR City of Edina Planning Commission SAM NEWTON Minnesota Dothan Alabama LISA CRAIG MainStreets Annapolis Partnership BRIANA PAXTON Maryland PlaceEconomics Indiana AMANDA DECORT CONTACT NAPC AT: Tulsa Foundation for Architecture J. TODD SCOTT Oklahoma King County Historic Preservation Program Washington tel (757) 802-4141 TIM FRYE San Francisco Planning Department TED STROSSER fax (757) 923-0076 California Strosser Architecture & Conservation Pennsylvania [email protected] JAMES HEWAT www.napcommissions.org City of Boulder MATT SYNATSCHK Colorado City of Georgetown 208 E. Plume St. Suite 327, Texa s Norfolk, VA 23510 ALISON HINCHMAN National Trust for Historic Preservation PHIL THOMASON District of Columbia Thomason and Associates Tennessee All current NAPC members who JACQUELINE JOHNSON serve as city staff to preservation National Trust for Historic Preservation District of Columbia commissions are encouraged to distribute articles in The Alliance Review to commission members and other staff and elected NAPC is seeking volunteers to help advance its mission officials within your member of providing education and technical assistance to local organization. preservationists, particularly those involved in the work of local preservation commissions. Volunteers may serve on a variety of NAPC can provide additional digital copies of The Alliance committees and in other capacities that take advantage of their Review to members of your individual skills and experiences. Editorial and production work commission. Simply email us at on The Alliance Review, membership recruitment and retention, resources develop- [email protected] ment, education programs and technical assistance are just a few of the possibilities. with your commission member’s Join us today to make a difference in the future of preservation by contacting NAPC name and email address. at 757-802-4141 or [email protected]. In this Issue BY MATTHEW HALITSKY, CHAIR, NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PRESERVATION COMMISSIONS Every other year, NAPC gathers preservation commissioners and staff for FORUM, where we can all learn from one another and from a host of experts. This July we return to our organization’s roots in the South and to the home of the oldest Mardi Gras festival in the country, Mobile, Alabama. Not only a vibrant community with a rich history and a fantastic array of heritage assets, Mobile also exemplifies so many cities across the country today, facing the challenge of development pressures as a result of the Great Recession, keeping historic districts relevant, climate impact, and political winds. We look forward to continuing the national dialogue from previous FORUMs in such a remarkable community. This issue provides a small preview of the great things to see and hear at FORUM 2016. We are also excited to partner with the National Park Service for the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (Preservation@50). With the help of our local partners, including the Mobile Historic Development Commission, the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Alabama Historical Commission, we have organized an exceptional programming lineup comprised of educational sessions, workshops, tours and training courses revolving around the conference themes of Preservation@50, advocacy, diverse and underrepresented resources, climate impact, and local commissions. An impressive array of speakers including Frank Vagnone, author of the Anar- chist’s Guide to Historic House Museums, Ed McMahon, fellow with the Urban Land Institute, and Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 will reflect on the accomplishments of the preservation movement over the past fifty years, as well as look towards the future of preservation over the next fifty. Our national partners, including the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the U.S. National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and of course the National Park Service will join us in Mobile to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of NPS. We hope you will, as well. As the largest gathering of preservation commissions across the country, FORUM continues to provide not only essential training, but an open environment for the continued discussion of important preservation issues relevant to all of us. Hip. Happening. Historic. See you in Mobile! Take a walk down Dauphin Street in Downtown Mobile Credit: Tad Denson The Alliance Review | Spring 2016 | National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Page 3 Photo credit: Caitlin Crawford One of the many historic homes in Mobile’s Oakleigh Garden Historic District. A Great City for a Gathering! By NAPC Staff NAPC is proud that Mobile, Alabama will be our host city for FORUM 2016. FORUM is the only national conference of its kind – specifically designed to address the concerns and educational needs of preservation commission members, staff, and surrounding communities. In planning FORUM 2016, NAPC will feature the cultural heritage and traditions of our host city and surrounding region, so count on many opportunities to experience the culture unique to this geographic area. Page 4 The Alliance Review | Spring 2016 | National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Mobile, once called the Paris of the South, has a integral in the process of planning FORUM 2016. vibrant 300 year history, and is the cultural center The part-time volunteer staff that began the work of of the Gulf Coast. During the summer, there are MHDC has grown to a department that performs many ways to enjoy the city, including experienc- work ensuring the continuation and preservation of ing the growing culinary scene, enjoying the Mobile’s heritage. vibrant local nightlife, visiting one of the city’s many museums, touring nearby historic neighbor- We will have an array of pre-conference tours hoods lined with giant live oak trees, or taking a and events, including our Commission Short paddle in one of the most significant river delta Course, State CLG Coordinators Meeting, and a systems in the country. special Climate Change Symposium presented by US/ICOMOS (described in more detail later in In addition to the warm welcome we will have this issue). The Sustainability Luncheon will feature from the folks in Mobile, the Alabama Trust for local favorite and ULI Fellow Ed McMahon, who Historic Preservation has decided to host their an- will focus on the importance of preservation as a nual conference concurrently. We are pleased to tool for sustainability. Tours have been designed to announce that Stephanie Toothman, Associate feature the diverse resources and historical events Director of Cultural Resources at the National that comprise the history of the region. As Park Service, will be their keynote speaker. The a waterfront city, no visit to Mobile would be National Conference of State Historic Preservation complete without a tour of the harbor narrated Officers will also hold their quarterly meeting in by local historian John Sledge. In recognition of conjunction with FORUM. These partner meetings the challenges facing historic house museums, a will give our attendees the opportunity to interact dynamic workshop will be presented by Frank