Program Updates

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.

March 29, 2024

Best Practices Review

The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The seventh issue is "Developing a Complete and Concise Property Description"

January 10, 2024

Best Practices Review

The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The sixth issue is "Nominating Properties for Cultural Significance under Criterion A"

NRHP and NHL Program FY23 Year in Review

October 29, 2023

Program FY23 Accomplishments

Highlights include

• the relaunch of the effort to update the TCP Bulletin
• the issuance of additional editions of the Best Practices Review
• the reissuance of the NHL Bulletin

September 28, 2023

Best Practices Review

The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The fifth issue is "Preparing a Concise Significance Statement"

The campus of Wilberforce University, c. 1850

Lithograph courtesy of the Library of Congress

September 25, 2023

HBCU Grant Recipients in the National Register of Historic Places

For nearly 190 years, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have served as vital educational, social, and cultural spaces for Black Americans. Because of their historical significance, many of these campus buildings have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The properties featured below reflect the rich, varied history of these insitutions, and have each received rehabilitation grants through the National Park Service's HBCU Grants program.
Read more . . .

September 3, 2023

Historic Summer Camps in the National Register of Historic Places

For many Americans across the country, a trip to summer camp is a beloved rite of passage. While many of the activities, philosophies, and uniforms of summer camps have changed over roughly 150 years in existence, the summer camp has continually represented a reprieve, real or imagined, from the drudgery and squalor of urban life. The 10 properties presented are a selection of summer camps listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Read more . . .

July 28, 2023

Best Practices Review
The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The fourth issue is "Evaluating Common Resources"

April 21, 2023

Best Practices Review
The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The third issue is "Amending National Register Documentation"

April 13, 2023

New Theme Study

The National Historic Landmarks Program is pleased to announce the release of a new theme study, African American Outdoor Recreation, which examines how race impacted the experience of and access to outdoor recreation and leisure resources for African American people in the United States from the end of the Civil War through the early 21^st century. Led by the legacy Midwest Regional Office Historic Preservation Partnerships Program and prepared through a partnership with Organization of American Historians (OAH), the study also includes typologies of related property types such as resorts, amusement parks, campgrounds, or beaches, and registration guidelines to identify and evaluate surviving examples for further study as potential NHLs. By examining this history through the lens of race and from the perspective of Black people, African American Outdoor Recreation brings together the histories of recreation and civil rights in the United States and sheds further light on central themes in the Black experience in the United States.

National Park Service publishes two historical studies surfacing tragedy and resilience in Black recreation - Office of Communications (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

January 6, 2023

Best Practices Review
The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly. The second issue is "Evaluating Garages and Outbuildings in Historic Districts"

November 18, 2022

Sample Nominations Expanded
Learning-by-example is highly effective and the National Register has shared examples of successful nomination, on a variety of topics, for many years now. This expanded offering of examples is organized by topic.
More information

October 28, 2022

TCP Bulletin Revision Draft
The National Register of Historic Places is seeking comments on its revised "National Register Bulletin 38: Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties" (TCP Bulletin). This publication provides guidance for identifying, evaluating, and documenting traditional cultural places (TCPs) that are significant in American history, architecture, engineering, archeology, and culture, at local, state, and national levels of significance.
More information

September 23

Best Practices Review
The “Best Practices Review” compliments the guidance provided in National Register Bulletins by providing examples on specific topics. New Best Practices Reviews will be issued quarterly, with the first issued September 2022. The first issue is "Evaluating Non-Historic Exteriors"

September 16, 2022

Cultural Resources Submission Portal launched

The National Register Program launched an enhanced electronic submissions system, called the Cultural Resources Submission Portal (CRSP or “crisp”). Check the National Register website at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/crsp.htm for details.

Ruth's Beauty Parlor - Columbia, South Carolina

Photograph by Carlie N. Todd, courtesy of South Carolina Historic Preservation Office

November 17, 2021

Amending National Register Nominations (PastForward Online 2021) video

National Register nominations are not set in stone; they can be amended to add new criteria and new areas of significance. Learn how to amend existing National Register nominations to address untold stories and underrepresented communities from colleagues at the National Park Service and multiple State Historic Preservation Offices. Discover what information is needed and hear several examples of successful amendments. Developed in partnership with the National Park Service.

November 3, 2021

National Register/National Historic Landmarks Presentation at PastForward 2021 Conference

Selected materials cited in the NR/NHL presentation at the PastForward 2021 Conference can be found here.

September 15, 2021

Green Book Properties in the National Register of Historic Places

The Green Book, also known as The Negro Motorist Green Book, and later, The Negro Travelers’ Green Book, was a travel guide for African Americans, published from 1936 to 1966. The annual guide was designed to show businesses that did not discriminate against Black travelers. The book was named after its founder Victor Hugo Green. 20 Green Book properties have been identified as being listed in the Naitonal Register of Historic Places. The Green Book Read more . . .

Sheboygan Press in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Photograph courtesy of Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office

April 20, 2020

Electronic-Only Submission Instructions

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak and its disruption of regular work routines, the National Park Service (NPS) temporarily suspended submission of requests to the Keeper for National Register actions, including: individual and district nominations (including revisions to same) , Additional Documentation, Boundary Changes, Multiple Property Submissions, requests for removal, and Determinations of Eligibility.
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National Register of Historic Places in the News

News items about National Register of Historic Places properties from around the National Park Service