Timeline of Significant Preservation Events in America (and Texas)
William A. Dupont, AIA
San Antonio Conservation Society Endowed Professor
The University of Texas at San Antonio
1812 American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, MA; first national history organization in America. http://www.americanantiquarian.org/
1816 Philadelphia purchases Independence Hall to save it from demolition.
1856 Mount Vernon Ladies Association created to restore and save George Washington’s Mt. Vernon. http://www.mountvernon.org
1872 Yellowstone National Park created, first of its type.
1890 American Institute of Architects’ Historic Resources Committee formed; first national historic preservation organization in America. http://www.aia.org/hrc
1891 Trustees of Reservations incorporated in Massachusetts to be governed by a board of voluntary trustees to hold land tax free for public enjoyment. http://www.thetrustees.org/
1891 Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) established to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved and maintained the independence of Texas. Custody of The Alamo granted to DRT in 1905. http://www.drtinfo.org/ http://www.thealamo.org/
1894 British National Trust for Historic Preservation created.
1906 Antiquities Act passes; the first major preservation legislation, gives President authority to create National Monuments.
1910 Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England) founded; first regional preservation organization in America. http://www.historicnewengland.org/
1916 National Park Service established to care for National Monuments. http://www.nps.gov/
1924 San Antonio Conservation Society founded. http://www.saconservation.org/
1926 Greenfield Village, Michigan, (Henry Ford) opens and work on Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, (John D. Rockefeller, Jr.) commences.
1933 Historic American Building Survey begins.
1934 Historic Structure Report (HSR) completed on the Moore House at Yorktown, VA; the first HSR and the first restoration completed by the National Park Service.
1935 National Historic Sites Act authorizes National Park Service to survey and acquire properties and designate National Historic Landmarks.
1940 Society of Architectural Historians http://www.sah.org/ and American Association of State and Local History http://www.aaslh.org/ established.
1949 National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States chartered by U.S. Congress http://www.nthp.org/
1953 Texas State Legislature establishes Texas State Historical Survey Committee with the task to identify important historic sites across the state. Name changed to Texas Historical Commission in 1973, along with more protective powers, an expanded leadership role and broader educational responsibilities. http://www.thc.state.tx.us/
1963 Demolition of New York’s Pennsylvania Station became a catalyst for the modern preservation movement.
1964 The Second Congress of Architects and Specialists of Historic Buildings in Venice adopts various resolutions including the Venice Charter (International Restoration Charter) and the creation of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to be funded by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, itself founded 1945).
1964 Graduate level coursework in historic preservation offered at Columbia University
1966 National Historic Preservation Act establishes modern era of historic preservation in America with “Section 106” review of Federal undertakings, the National Register of Historic Places, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation http://www.achp.gov/ , and State Historic Preservation Offices.
1968 Association for Preservation Technology founded http://www.apti.org/
1974 Preservation Action established as grassroots preservation lobby of America to advocate for sound preservation policy and programs http://www.preservationaction.org/
1976 American Bicentennial Celebration!
1978 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding New York City’s preservation ordinance and saving Grand Central Terminal.
1978 San Antonio Missions National Historical Park established by joint efforts of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the San Antonio Conservation Society and the United States Department of the Interior.
1983 Los Compadres chartered as the official Friends’ group to the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park; raises funds for special projects for which no government funds are available. http://www.loscompadres.org/
1985 Preservation Texas, a statewide non-profit, created to educate and advocate for preservation of Texas’ built environment and historic sites. http://www.preservationtexas.org/