RD129 - Biennial Report on the Stewardship of State-Owned Historic Properties - May 1, 2015


Executive Summary:
As the nation prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national preservation program in 2016, this report provides the Commonwealth an opportunity to look over our shoulders at past accomplishments and challenges, as well as a chance to look forward to new opportunities. In the past two years, notable milestones were reached:

• June 4, 2013, the Commonwealth signed the deed for the return of portions of Fort Monroe from the Army. Many stakeholders worked steadily to stabilize and upgrade the historic property, but also prepare it for its next iteration as a National Monument managed by the National Park Service.

• April 9, 2015 marked the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and the conclusion of a four-year commemoration led by the Governor’s Sesquicentennial Commission. This statewide commemoration resulted in hundreds of events, thousands of visitors, and a tremendous effort on the part of Federal and state agencies and private-sector partners to conserve and preserve historically sensitive battlefield lands.

The future brings inevitable change; however, with proper planning, any negative impacts from these changes on historic resources can be minimized. The rising tide of climate change poses significant threats to coastal resources and now is the perfect time for state agencies to assess these threats to historic properties. The management of state-owned historic properties should be integrated into an agency’s strategic and master plans so that adequate consideration may be given to those resources in the face of a natural disaster or other threat.

While DHR recognizes that the lingering effects of the economic downturn continue to challenge the budgets of state agencies and their ability to invest in the maintenance of their historic properties, short-term needs should not override stewardship responsibilities. Preservation should be viewed as a long-term investment. Reinvestment in the Commonwealth’s historic buildings is both environmentally sustainable and energy efficient, requiring fewer natural resources and resulting in less waste. Working with agencies to foster a better understanding of the environmental and economic benefits of good stewardship will remain a high priority for DHR.

Finally, as the Commonwealth looks to the future, it remains critical that we recognize and celebrate Virginia’s historic resources. DHR continues to recommend that state agencies pursue listing of their significant properties on the Virginia Landmarks Register so that these resources can be recorded for the education and enjoyment of all. Only three additional state-owned properties were listed during the past two years, bringing the total of state-owned listings to 123.

The Commonwealth is unlikely to be in a financial position to pursue all of the recommendations contained in this stewardship report; however, we invite our fellow state agencies to join in the celebration of DHR’s 50th birthday by recognizing the value of their historic resources, taking steps to preserve and utilize them, and maintaining the legacy entrusted to them by the public.

In addition to the content mandated by Senate Bill 462 adding § 10.1-2202.3, this report includes sections on DHR’s own initiatives to promote stewardship as well as case studies of exemplary state stewardship by other agencies.

This fifth biennial report reaffirms that:

• The Commonwealth’s real estate holdings include a rich and diverse collection of historically significant properties, some of national and international importance.

• The entire Commonwealth benefits when leaders understand that preservation makes good environmental as well as good economic sense and is key to conserving energy. This understanding on the part of state agencies promotes an ethic of stewardship.

• Certain types of state-owned historic properties are under-represented on the Virginia Landmarks Register, especially those related to institutions of higher education, the Civil War, and the history of African Americans, Virginia Indians, and women. This should be addressed through strategic additions to the Virginia Landmarks Register.

• The seat of state government—the area surrounding the State Capitol—includes buildings that together contribute to a tangible identity of state government. It is appropriate that, as a collection, this historic district be documented and honored through inclusion on the Virginia Landmarks Register.

• DHR’s existing inventory and assessment of historic state-owned properties is so out of date as to be of limited use. The inadequacy of the information impedes DHR’s ability to administer its own programs, assist other state agencies, and for those agencies to fully understand and take into account the historic resources in their control.

• The transfer of portions of Fort Monroe to the National Park Service for use as a designated National Monument and the continued management and sustainable redevelopment of this nationally-significant property by the Fort Monroe Authority must remain one of the Commonwealth’s most important stewardship priorities.

• Institutions of higher education need to model better stewardship by taking their historic resources into account when preparing master plans and should celebrate their register-eligible properties through listing on the Virginia Landmarks Register and/or state highway markers, both of which are effective tools for educating the public about Virginia’s rich history and promotion of tourism.

• State agencies should seek meeting energy efficiency and sustainability goals through best-preservation practices. Despite assumptions to the contrary, stewardship is very often the most cost-effective investment of scarce resources. At a time when we all must make every dollar count, the act of reinvesting and recycling our historic buildings is both environmentally sustainable and economically prudent.