Pennsylvania Statewide Historic Preservation Plan Draft for Review!
The Bureau for Historic Preservation and T&B Planning are pleased to release a draft version of the 2012-2017 Pennsylvania Statewide Historic Preservation Plan for your review and comment.
Work began on this Statewide Historic Preservation Plan in April 2010, more than two years before its publication, to ensure that it addresses public concerns head‐on for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians. We believe this Plan is an accurate reflection of those concerns. Please download a pdf version of the plan by clicking on the link below and send your comments and suggestions to Scott Doyle at midoyle@pa.gov by Monday March 5, 2012.
Pennsylvania’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan (2012‐2017) lays out a five-year framework for action and collaboration. The overarching goal is to build stronger communities by using cultural and historic resources in ways that add value to citizens’ lives today and in the future. At one time, preservation was focused primarily on popular heritage sites and urban neighborhoods. Over the past decade, however, attention has widened in scope to consider the authentic character of small towns, rural landscapes and recreational and natural assets. As a result, economic, environmental, and quality of life advantages contribute to successful preservation efforts and vice versa. We hope the goals and action steps of this plan can fulfill our Vision for preservation in Pennsylvania.
Vision of the 2012-2017 Pennsylvania Statewide Historic Preservation Plan:
Pennsylvanians will appreciate the significant contribution that history makes in forming the character of their communities and landscapes.
Communities will take action to respect their history and identify and protect their assets in ways that add value to local environments and sustain their unique authenticity of place.
By working together, Pennsylvanians will maintain and enhance their cultural and natural resources and make the Commonwealth a desirable place to call home, conduct business, and explore.
This is MY HISTORY Photo Campaign
Starting at our public forums in June, we pre-launched our historic preservation photo-sharing campaign, This is MY HISTORY. The purpose of this campaign is to give Pennsylvanians an opportunity to show us the places you value in your community. You may feel free to submit images of your treasured historic resources, which will then be posted on our Flickr page. Our second goal is to capture a body of your images that we can use to help illustrate the 2012-2017 Statewide Historic Preservation Plan.
Please feel free to include people holding our "This is MY HISTORY" sign in the front of your photo.
For more information, please see our sign brochure. To see what photos have been submitted, please visit our Flickr page.
STATE PRESERVATION PLANNING PROCESS
You are invited to help build the next Statewide Preservation Plan...
Beginning in Summer 2010, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Bureau for Historic Preservation ran a Community Preservation Values Survey, the results of which will help form the basis of a new Statewide Historic Preservation Plan. Over 2,200 citizens of Pennsylvania completed the survey and identified what they value in their communities. Though survey responses have not been fully analyzed, you can view the immediate survey results by clicking HERE for your responses.
The current phase of the planning process will involve a series of regional public forums in which BHP staff and its partners will present the results of the survey to the public and moderate a discussion to identify how to best preserve those values through the Commonwealth’s historic preservation related programs.
The primary goal of the planning process is for the public to inform the Pennsylvania ’s State Historic Preservation Office of what they value in their community in order to determine the preservation priorities of people who live and work in Pennsylvania . This plan will help the state identify, prioritize and address historic preservation needs over the course of the next five years.
Your participation in this event is essential to ensure the preservation priorities of your community are included in Pennsylvania ’s Historic Preservation Plan.
Completed Forum Schedule:
April 26, 2011 - Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple
May 4, 2011 -Titusville, Northwest Commission Connect to Communities Conference
May 5, 2011 - Moon Township, Moon Township Municipal Building
May 18, 2011 -Harrisburg, The State of the State Plenary Session, Statewide Conference on Heritage Conference
June 8, 2011 - Philadelphia, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
June 9, 2011 - Ambler, Ambler Theater
July 21, 2011, 1-4 PM - Galeton, Pennsylvania Lumber Museum
July 28, 2011, 1-4 PM - Altoona Heritage Discovery Center
Every five years, the Bureau for Historic Preservation, as the State Historic Preservation Office, is required to develop a comprehensive statewide preservationplan that:
Meets the preservation circumstances of the Commonwealth
Achieves broad-based public and professional involvement
Takes into consideration issues affecting the broad spectrum of historic and cultural resources within the state
Is based on the analyses of resource data and user needs
Encourages the considerationof historic preervation concerns within broader planning environments at Federal, State and local levels, and
Is implemented by State Historic Preservation Office operations
The primary goal of the planning process is for the public to inform the Pennsylvania’s State Historic Preservation Office of what they value in their community in order to determine the preservation priorities of people who live and work in Pennsylvania. This plan will help the state identify, prioritize and address historic preservation needs over the course of the next five years.
2006-2011 Statewide Preservation Plan
In 1999, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and its partners developed a five-year plan for historic preservation in Pennsylvania. In 2005, the Commission’s Bureau for Historic Preservation issued Honoring the Past, Planning for the Future, an update to the original plan for the years 2006 to 2011.
Focus groups were convened around the state, and an online survey was developed. The responses of both are reflected in the priorities of this plan for the next five years.
The National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, announced its approval of the plan on February 23, 2006, noting, “The plan describes significant achievements in preserving Pennsylvania’s cultural resources and provides a five-year roadmap for new preservation initiatives. Developed with extensive public, agency, and constituent input, the adoption of the historic preservation plan marks a significant achievement for PHMC.”
This plan is for everyone who lives, works, and spends leisure time in Pennsylvania. Read the plan, and join us in our continuing efforts to achieve its goals.
For more information on the plan, please contact the Bureau for Historic Preservation at (717) 772-0921 or E-mail us.
Honoring the Past, Planning for the Future is available for downloading below.
In 1999, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and its partners developed a five-year plan for historic preservation in Pennsylvania. In 2005, the Commission’s Bureau for Historic Preservation issued Honoring the Past, Planning for the Future, an update to the original plan for the years 2006 to 2011. 
