The Value of Historic Designation in Connecticut

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The Connecticut Freedom Trail documents and designates sites that  embody the struggle toward freedom and human dignity, celebrate the  accomplishments of the state’s African American community and promote  heritage tourism. The Trail officially opened in September 1996, and as  of fall 2010, there are more than 130 sites in more than 50 towns, and  the Trail continues to grow. Currently, the Town of Greenwich has three  sites that have placed on the Connecticut Freedom Trail and they are:  Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (organized June 15, 1882), 42  Lake Avenue; First Baptist Church of Greenwich (organized in 1897), 10  Northfield Street; Thomas Lyon House (c1695), 1 Byram Road.

  Originally established by The Greenwich  Historical Society as “Signs of the Times” in 1987 this program  recognizes historically or architecturally significant buildings in  Greenwich. Owners of eligible homes are invited to enroll in the program  for a fee. The Historical Society conducts deed research, photographs  the house and presents owners with a plaque. There are no restrictions  or protections placed on the buildings in the program. As of 2016 there  were over 300 buildings documented. 

  Town of Greenwich Planning and Zoning  may grant Historic Overlay, either Historic Residential/Office Zone  (HRO) or Historic Overlay Zone (HO), or Façade Easement status to  properties in Greenwich. The designations allow for zoning bonuses in  exchange for a property owner’s agreement to preserve and protect a  significant historic or architectural asset. After designation, any  application for alteration to the historic structure is referred to the  Historic District Commission for a Certificate of Appropriateness.   

A Local Historic District (LHD) is an  area with clear boundaries enclosing a contiguous set of historically  or architecturally significant structures that are related through  proximity, ownership, history or use and that together tend to visually  represent the community’s heritage.
The LHD is different from a  National Register or State Register historic district in that it  provides for the local review of any exterior work that is visible from a  public street, place or way.  Alterations to properties within the LHD  are subject to review, regardless of the age or condition of the  specific building or structure, by the Historic District Commission.  

Local Historic Property (LHP)  consists of a single building or site that represents important  historical events, trends, architectural style, archaeology and culture  of the town and state and is important to the community’s heritage.
The LHP is different from a  National Register or State Register historic property in that it  provides for the local review of any exterior work that is visible from a  public street, place or way.  Alterations to a LHP are subject to  review by the Historic District Commission. 

The National Register of Historic  Places is the official list of the nation’s buildings, sites, and  structures that have a high degree of physical integrity and a  documented level of historical or architectural significance.   Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and  administered by the Department of the Interior through the National Park  Service, the National Register of Historic Places is a national program  to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological  resources.  There are currently more than 80,000 listings on the  National Register of Historic Places, representing 1.4 million  individual buildings sites, structures, objects, and districts.
Listing on the National Register of  Historic Places entails no obligations on the part of private property  owners. There are no restrictions on the use, treatment, transfer, or  disposition of private property.  The National Register does not require  public access and does not automatically result in any local  preservation designation.
Owners of National  Register-listed properties may be eligible to apply for grants or tax  credits through particular state and federal programs, subject to the  availability of funding.

National Historic Landmarks are  nationally significant historic places designated by the U.S. Secretary  of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in  illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today,  fewer than 2,500 historic places bear this highest distinction. Working  with citizens throughout the nation, the National Historic Landmarks  Program draws upon the expertise of National Park Service staff to  nominate new landmarks and provide assistance to existing landmarks. The  Town of Greenwich has only one National Historic Landmark and that is  the Bush Holley House.

Rural and scenic roads are a valuable  and essential part of Greenwich’s notable landscape. Designating roads,  both state and local, has proven to be an effective method in  preserving and protecting these vital byways from alterations that would  change and diminish their appearance including widening, rerouting,  destruction of stonewalls and bridges, and the removal of mature trees.The Town Scenic Highway Statute  authorizes a town’s legislative body to adopt a scenic road ordinance to  protect its town roads from improvements that would impair their scenic  character. An ordinance would:

• Designate  specific town roads or portions of roads as scenic and/or delegate the  power to designate scenic roads to the Planning Commission or Planning  and Zoning Commission, prescribing the criteria for designation.
• Specify what alterations or improvements are prohibited or permitted under certain conditions for designated scenic roads.

Currently, the Town of Greenwich has five recognized scenic roads:

• Cliffdale Road
• Burying Hill Road
• Selden Lane
• Buckfield Lane
• Sawmill Lane

The State Register of Historic Places  is the State of Connecticut’s official listing of buildings, sites,  structures, and objects that are important to the historical development  of Connecticut. The State Register uses criteria for listing that are  similar to those of the National Register of Historic Places, except  that special-case considerations (such as a fifty-year age requirement)  are not applicable.
Since 1975, more than  50,000 properties owned by private citizens, organizations,  municipalities, and the State of Connecticut have been listed on the  State Register. 

The State of Connecticut’s Office of  the Department of Economic and Community Development also maintains a  historic resource survey and inventory program that identifies and  documents historic, architectural, archaeological, and industrial  resources.  Collectively, these cultural resource surveys comprise the  Statewide Historic Resource Inventory (SHRI), which is a useful tool for  municipal officials, local planners, preservationists, property owners,  and researchers.
The SHRI is a  documentation project only.  Research and documentation are conducted  using public sources and rights-of-way.  Inclusion of a property in the  inventory does not place any restrictions on the ownership, use, or  appearance of an historic building, site, structure, or object.   Inventoried properties are not automatically listed on the State or  National registers.

The Town of Greenwich Architectural and Historic Resource Inventory is a detailed record of historic buildings,  sites, structures, and/or objects within a defined geographical area or  multiple resources related to a theme throughout the Town of Greenwich.  These documents are based on archival research, fieldwork, and  photography. The Architectural and Historic Resource Inventory has been  completed by a consultant who has met the Secretary of the Interior’s  Professional Qualifications Standards as published in the Code of  Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 61.  

An historic overlay zone is an additional layer of  regulations for a specific area that is laid over the underlying zoning  regulations. The base zoning regulations continue to be administered,  but the overlay adds another level of regulations to be considered.  Historic Overlay Zoning is when historic district design review is  established through a zoning ordinance rather than an independent  process such as establishing a Local Historic District (LHD). This  Historic Overlay tier is applied to an area considered worthy of  preservation because of its architectural, cultural or historic  significance.
In Greenwich the historic overlay or HO designation is “a  tool used by the Planning and Zoning to encourage retention of notable  structures by providing economic incentive through the easing of zoning  restrictions in return for permanent deed restrictions including  mandatory review of any changes to historic assets.” These individual  properties are located outside the town’s three Local Historic Districts  and can be designated as either a Historic Residential/Office Zone  (HRO) or Historic Overlay Zone (HO). The overlay zone encourages the  adaptive re-use of buildings and allows input from the Historic District  Commission on appropriate changes. The greatest benefit is that upon  completion of the work an easement is granted to the municipality and  enforceable by the Historic District Commission.
Terry J. Tondro in “Connecticut Land Use Regulation”  states that creating a historic overlay zone “can be a relatively  adequate alternative forum for regulating the design and maintaining the  character of older buildings and neighborhoods” when a Local Historic  District can not be created. However he goes on to say that establishing  a Local Historic District is the preferred mechanism in protecting  Connecticut’s historic buildings. His concerns are two fold: 1- A Zoning  Commission has many other factors to consider when making decisions and  building preservation may get lost or ignored in the process; 2- A  Zoning Commission has no authority to prevent the demolition of a  building, whereas a Historic District Commission can exercise some  control over the destruction of building.