Section 10-A1003. HP-1.1 DEFINING HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

 

1003.1In any urban environment, some historic properties are more significant than others. However, all properties that meet the basic test of significance should be accorded civic respect and protection under the preservation law. It is appropriate for different levels of significance to be reflected in preservation program priorities and actions, but this should not come at the expense of excluding attention to properties of more modest or localized value. 1003.1

 

1003.2Historic significance must encompass multiple aspects of our city’s history and evolution. Native Americans inhabited this land for thousands of years before it was a national capital. Prehistoric sites have been found in all parts of the District, revealing the features that sustained both ordinary and ceremonial life. The remnants of colonial settlement have also been identified and unearthed. Once the city was established, many ethnic and immigrant groups constructed its buildings and developed its culture over the span of two centuries. Some of the structures built and inhabited by these early residents remain today. 1003.2

 

1003.3The land itself, and the plans that have shaped it, are also an essential part of our history. The nation’s founders selected a special place for the federal city. Both northern and southern, the site was a gentle flatland surrounded by a bowl of hills interlaced with broad rivers and streams. This topography allowed for the creation of a brilliant geometric plan with a spectacular array of civic buildings that gives the capital city its unique symbolic profile. 1003.3

 

1003.4Historic preservation also must respond as history evolves. As the pace of change in modern life accelerates, and as more modern properties are lost before their value is fully understood, there is growing awareness of the need to protect the historic properties of the future. History is not static; part of looking forward is continuously redefining what was most significant about the past. 1003.4

 

1003.5Policy HP-1.1.1: The City’s Historic Image

 

Recognize the historic image of the national capital as part of the city’s birthright. After two centuries of growth, the original vision of the city remains strong and remarkable in an increasingly homogenous global world. Over the years this fundamental character has been protected by local and national laws and policies. It must remain inviolate. 1003.5

 

1003.6Policy HP-1.1.2: Defining Significance Broadly

 

Adopt an encompassing approach to historic significance. Recognize the city’s social history as well as its architectural history, its neighborhoods as well as its individual buildings, its natural landscape as well as its built environment, its characteristic as well as its exceptional, and its archaeology as well as its living history. 1003.6

 

1003.7Policy HP-1.1.3: Cultural Inclusiveness

 

Celebrate a diversity of histories, tracing the many roots of our city and the many cultures that have shaped its development. A multitude of citizens both famous and ordinary wrote its history. Historic preservation should bear witness to the contributions of all these people.1003.7

 

1003.81860 or earlier: The Maps above show the structures still remaining in the District today by their year of construction.

 

http://planning.dc.gov/planning/frames.asp?doc=/planning/lib/planning/2006_revised_comp_plan/10_historicpreserv.pdf.

 

1003.9Policy HP-1.1.4: The Recent Past

 

Anticipate the need to preserve the record of our own time. Significant structures and settings from the modern era after the Second World War are the products and places of the recent past whose preservation will retell the story of our era for future generations. Evaluation of the recent past should not be colored by current fads or trends but should instead be judged by scholarly research and documentation after sufficient time has passed to develop an objective historical context. 1003.9

 

notation

The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.