Historic districts in the United States

A Historic District (English Historic District ) means an area in the United States, which has been characterized by one or more public authorities as historically significant or due to their architecture as a particularly outstanding. In contrast to the value entered in the list of the National Register of Historic Places individual cultural monuments, in a historic district, the collection of buildings, structures and objects that have often been consistently recognized individually as already significant, placed in the foreground. The individual objects in the historic district are divided into contributing and non- contributing property, ie, whether they contribute to the historical integrity or architectural qualities of a historic district or not. The individual districts differ greatly in size, some districts are composed of hundreds of individual objects while others include only a few objects.

History

The first historic district, the Charleston Old and Historic District was designated in 1931 in the city of Charleston in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 1937 the French Quarter in New Orleans, and in 1939 the district of La Villita in San Antonio, was reported in the U.S. state of Texas as a Historic District. Other areas followed and in 1966 the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of cultural monument of the Federal Government of the United States was introduced on worth preserving historic districts, facilities, buildings, equipment and other important objects. There are now several thousand historic districts in the United States.

Division

In addition to the distribution of the individual objects in a historic district in contributing and non- contributing property, a distinction is made in the districts, whether it is a national ( federal), a state or a local (local) district.

Federal District

An entry in the National Register of Historic Places is a designation of the historic district of the Government of the United States. It defines a historic district on a U.S. federal law. For the management of the National Register of the National Park Service is responsible. However, an entry in this list is only an honorary status for the selected area, but allows under certain circumstances financial support from the state. In a Historic District, it should be a geographically definable, urban or agricultural area with a significant concentration of historic objects. A district may also consist of several individual parts, which are separated geographically but linked by their history. The entry of a district in the National Register of Historic Places does not necessarily mean that the area is under special protection. It says only that is worth this field to be obtained.

State District

Most U.S. states have their own lists, the State Register of Historic Places that are comparable to the National Register of Historic Places by the Federal Government. Of the states designated areas may be placed under special legal protection. These lists are maintained by the State Historic Preservation Office. According to the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act introduced each state is obligated own State Historic Preservation Office to entertain, in which the decisions are made about historic districts and properties. State laws that may differ greatly from state to state, provide the boundary conditions for the affected districts or objects dar.

Local District

The local districts are reported by the City or the County and managed. They offer the oldest and strongest legal protection for the affected area, as they sometimes have very strict requirements for obtaining the area. This very strict conditions also lead to resistance in the affected landowners and residents. Although the award as a historical district has a positive effect on the tourist importance of the district from the expensive editions of the local Historic District or in some cases even prevent expansion, and modernization of the buildings. In the New York City borough of Fieldston in the Bronx to local residents have resisted the designation as local Historic District, fearing the many legal regulations and the tourists. There are now over 2,300 local historic districts in the United States.

Importance

The significance of the Historic District lies in the fact, to create a neighborhood that brings the most important single historical objects in the environment. Thus, the worth protecting character of the individual objects is enhanced. Many cities have created their inner cities in this way attractive and advertise now with a historic center for tourists. Often arise from dilapidated industrial and commercial areas through the designation of Historic Districts attractive residential areas for the upper middle class. Here, as for example in the New York City borough of Brooklyn Dumbo in the existing building, which consisted mainly of factories and warehouses, some in shops, studios, restaurants and homes rebuilt, without greatly changing the character of the neighborhood.