2016 Marks 50 Years since the National Historic Preservation Act was Signed into Law
President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the NHPA into law on October 15, 1966
The National Historic Preservation Act (Public Law 89-665; 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq. was signed into law on October 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was created to in response to nationwide destruction brought about by federally initiated programs.
What served as a catalyst to prompt it’s creation?
In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act which prompted the construction of 41,000 miles of the interstate highway system. Due to the new construction, many people were displaced from their homes, communities were cut in half, and historic properties and sites were destroyed, left to decay or abandoned entirely.
Then in the 1960’s the Kennedy administration pushed for the Urban Renewal Program hoping to rejuvenate cities. The program provided federal funding to cities to cover the cost of acquiring areas perceived to be “slums”. However, the program’s unintended consequences included the gutting of historic centers of towns and cities across America. This created a rapid change in lifestyle. Population was booming, cars were being manufactured at break neck speed and urbanization, tear downs and the rebuilding of America was taking place. Many people felt a negative impact as the physical evidence of their past, culture and stories were disappearing.
What Happened Next
In 1964, the United States Conference of Mayors undertook a study of historic preservation. The resulting report, “With Heritage So Rich,” revealed a growing public interest in preservation and the need for a unified approach to the protection of historic resources. This report influenced Congress to enact a nationwide preservation policy: The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
Read more about the Act and Preservation 50.
Read the full text of the National Historic Preservation Act.
