Frequently Asked Questions
about the Wabash Valley Trust

1. What is an historic building?

Not every old building or neighborhood is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. To qualify, the resource must be more than 50 years old and have a high degree of authenticity or integrity. Certain properties have more stringent requirements, such as moved structures, cemeteries, reconstructed buildings, memorials, or buildings less than 50 years old. Factors that are evaluated include location, setting, design, material, workmanship, feeling, and associations.

2. What is the National Register?

The National Register is the standing listing of the nation's inventory of recognized historic structures. The National Register identifies historically significant buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts according to the National Register of Historic Places Program: Fundamentals. National Register Districts arose because the importance of preserving the historical context of an historic property was realized.

3. What is a Local Historic District?

A local historic district is locally designated as historically significant and offers more protection to historic properties than does the National Register District designation, through local historic ordinances and the creating of Historic Preservation Commissions or Design Review Boards. Local historic districts and Historic Preservation Commissions are the most effective tools in the protection of a communities cultural resources.

4. What are Design Guidelines?

Design guidelines are created by a local entity, that outline, according to the local interpretation of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, the types and ways a building can be appropriately and sensitively preserved and/or rehabilitated. Design guidelines serve as the rule for the
Lafayette Historic Preservation Commission when they are determining Certificates of Appropriateness, which must be obtained before obtaining either a building permit or a demolition permit.

5. What is the Historic Preservation Commission?

An historic preservation commission is created by a local ordinance passed under the Indiana State Law (I.C. 36-7-11) which enables local governments to create preservation commissions. A commission is a group of three to nine residents of the community who can designate local landmarks and local historic districs, review exterior restoration and alteration plans in the districts, and can evaluate demolition requests. Currently the Lafayette Historic Preservation Commission
has juridiction over the Downtown, Upper Main, and Ninth Street Hill local historic districts.

6. What are the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Rehabilitating of Historic Properties?

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Rehabilitating of Historic Properties
are standards and guidelines for both the rehabilitation of historic buildings and new designs in historic districts. The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation present ten clean and brief standards that are commonly accepted. Supplemental to these standards, an extensive set of guidelines provides more specific guidance on exterior surfaces, roofs, windows, interiors--even sites and districts. These standards and guidelines can be adopted by historic district commissions to assist in the proccess of determining the approval of proposed changes. These standards and guidelines are nationally accepted and represent the best thinking on appropriate methods of intervention.