Retention and Redevelopment of Historical Resources

If there is one aspect for any community that represents its sense of place, it is the historical buildings, architecture, and town patterns that were developed during its settlement, and remain intact today. Miners and travelers in search of wealth settled most of the Sierra Nevada's communities. The prosperity derived from this search for wealth helped build some of our most beautiful Sierra towns, and left lasting features and impressions of our region's past.

Vibrant small towns that have been the social, economic, and cultural centers of our region have populated the Sierra Nevada for over a hundred years.  With their Western facades, wooden sidewalks, historic street lamps, pocket parks, charming Victorian houses and gardens, winding streets, and surrounding farms and ranches, the historic town patterns of the Sierra Nevada provide a model for future growth that is both unique to our region and of proven and enduring value.

The alternative to rural sprawl is more compact, town-based development.  Instead of building isolated homes and subdivisions that strain county resources and degrade our region's prized rural character, we can fill in and grow out from our existing towns, villages and hamlets, adding homes, businesses and neighborhoods to our communities. 

SBC's newest publication, Building Vibrant Sierra Communities: A Commercial and Mixed Use Toolkit, examines and discusses the character and growth possibilities of Sierra towns.

Historic preservation is a tool that promotes the protection and enhancement of our cultural heritage. Buildings, sites, districts, structures, objects, landscapes, farms, rivers, scenic views, and archaeological sites are the assets that represent the heritage, culture, education, recreation, and economic base of our communities. Preserving these community assets fosters civic pride and encourages reinvestment in them. Historic preservation considers craftsmanship, building materials, tools, and construction methods as well as the description and documentation of a community's history and culture. Protection and enhancement of historic buildings and sites is a necessary component of the social, natural and economic prosperity of a community. The preservation and adaptive re-use of historic buildings and natural landscapes provides a continuing economic base by promoting tourism, providing jobs, and connecting residents and visitors to their community.

A good tool must prove its economic worth. Historic preservation and some of its associated programs offer tax incentives, an array of funding possibilities, and provide motivation for other community members to participate in the process. Through community reinvestment, jobs are created; downtowns revitalized; businesses stimulated; and ultimately, communities made more vital. Historic preservation enables communities to become economically viable and livable, while providing an avenue to enrich and revitalize our lives and homes.

Communities can look to their existing resources to define their history. The anthropologist Brian Kenny remarks, "the organic or indigenous past may not be theirs, but the past can add meaning, value, context, and perspective to their lives. It can be adopted and cherished in preserved neighborhoods and landscapes, and it can be fostered through lifestyle engagement, historical learning, and the telling and sharing of stories." The question remains: how do we preserve neighborhoods and landscapes so they exist and provide meaning for this and future generations?

The National Historic Preservation Act, enacted in 1966 and designed to encourage historic preservation by individuals and agencies, provides funding and assistance through the federal government. Fueled by state-run historic preservation offices, most of the funding comes in at the state level; though many national, state, and regional organizations exist to help fund historic preservation initiatives as well. The National Trust for Historic Preservation provides information, examples, and serves as a clearinghouse for historic work throughout the United States.

A partial list of funding and informational resources for historic preservation projects can be found at:

- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- Historic Preservation Grants for Non Profits
- National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Office of Historic Preservation, State of California
- USDA Historic Preservation Resources
- Municipal Research Services Center
- Protecting Cultural Landscapes from the National Park Service
- California Preservation Foundation