(photo caption: John I Gilderbloom, Erin E. House, and Mathew J. Hanka) The Economics of Historic Preservation in Kentucky, published in partnership with the University of Louisville,  details the economic and social impact of preservation activities in the state. For example,......

As Kentucky’s business environment continues to evolve, the importance of historic buildings as economic generators continues to increase. Tourists, young professionals, technology startups, and established companies alike continue to value the unique spaces and locations that many of the Commonwealth’s......

Cynthia Johnson and Rachel M. Kennedy “Imagine selecting a house from a catalogue and having it deleivered in a package complete with windows, doors, trim, and roofing material ready for assembly. The iddea of recieving a house in a box......

This examination of the history and condition of Kentucky’s older school buildings, prepared by Rachel Kennedy and Cynthia Johnson, was part of a multi-faceted effort intended to encourage local school districts to carefully consider all of their options and information......

In recent years, public history has moved closer to the mainstream of the American historical profession and assumed a larger role in civic life.  Meanwhile, historic preservation has struggled for direction.  These trends are more closely related than they might......

Edited by Rachel M. Kennedy and William J. MacIntire “The romance of the Old South has left a vivid trail along what is now U.S. Highway 31-Ethrough Kentucky. This 200-mile link in the popular Lakes-to-Gulf, U.S. 31, extends someeight miles......

Published in partnership with the Kentucky Heritage Council, the results of a year-and-a-half long study of rural historic resources in Marion and Washington Counties demonstrates the importance of places such as barns, outbuildings, and crossroad towns, to a sense of place in rural Kentucky.......

The national Window Preservation Standards book catalogs specific methods for the assessment, maintenance, repair, preservation and weatherization of older and historic wooden windows. Many detailed methods, procedures and materials are included, as well as basic strategies for saving older and......

Numbers matter to lawmakers!  Congress’ proposed A Better Way Tax Reform package could eliminate the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit.  Make your voice heard by signing this national letter to protect the Federal HTC from repeal and preserve a significant economic development......

The preservation of Kentucky’s historic resources begins with research and an understanding of the important role historic buildings and sites play in community life, economic development, and in inter- preting our past. The Kentucky Heritage Council, the State’s Historic Preservation......

The New Deal left an enduring legacy on Kentucky’s landscape. In fact, it could be argued that the New Deal’s building program altered the Commonwealth’s landscape to a degree experienced only during the drastic changes of the settlement period. New......

Perspectives from the Joukowsky Institute – Remembering Slack Farm   A. Gwynn Henderson, PhD   It’s been nearly 28 years since the lives of my husband and myself were irrevocably changed by what has euphemistically been referred to as “the Slack Farm......

As currently understood, American Indian history in Kentucky is over eleven thousand years long. Events that took place before recorded history are lost to time. With the advent of recorded history, some events played out on an international stage, as in the......

A fascinating story lies beneath the feet of all Kentuckians. It is the story of prehistoric Kentucky.   Picture in your mind’s eye a cool late summer morning in prehistoric Kentucky.  It’s the kind of morning that signals fall is right......

A. Gwynn Henderson, PhD   Misconceptions about the people who lived in what is now the state of Kentucky before it was settled by Euro-Americans and Afro-Americans take many forms. These incorrect ideas range from the specific (how the native......

We know that people we call Indians or Native Americans lived in central Kentucky for thousands of years.  We know about them because we have found the things they left behind.  The men and women described in this story were......

Archaeological Publications of interest can be found at the Kentucky Archaeological Survey website.  These educational booklets include studies of Kentucky before Euro/African American settlement, such as Kentuckians Before Boone and Adena: Woodland Period Moundbuilders of the Bluegrass. Historic Archaeology is represented......

Build support for the Federal and Kentucky State Historic Tax Credits by inviting legislators to tour a tax credit project in your community – or one nearby.  Site visits speak volumes! They illustrate how a renovated historic property positively impacts......

For generations, small towns have served as cultural and economic centers for surrounding rural areas.  Their physical and social fabric reflect the community’s unique history and identity.  Changing economic conditions and demographics create challenges for rural downtowns.  Despite these challenges,......

One of the most commonly asked questions is, how do I clean this stone?  Although the cleaning of a gravestone may seem quite simple, this is not always the case.  Every time a historic stone is cleaned, some of the stones surface is......

Improper treatment can cause irreversible damage to historic cemeteries, so it’s critical that the right techniques are used to preserve and stabilize the stone and prevent them from further damage and deterioration.  Know what to do and what not to......

In the United States, the preservation of historic cemeteries is largely subsumed under the complicated body of law that governs historic preservation generally.  That body of law consists of statutes, regulations, executive orders, administrative guidelines, and case law at multiple......

Cemeteries and burial grounds are important places to everyday American life and culture, and present in nearly every community. Improper treatment can cause irreversible damage to historic cemeteries, so it’s critical that the right techniques are used to preserve and......

Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits have successfully spurred the renovation of historic structures of every period, size, style and type.  Available to projects with qualified rehab expenses, these tax credits have benefitted thousands of property owners across the country who have......

A total of 345 Federal Historic Tax Credit projects generated more than $500million in total development between 2001 through 2016, creating 9,583 jobs, generating more than $11.8million in local taxes, and generating more than $15.8 million in state taxes.  ......

HB 456, sponsored by Rep. Tommy Turner (Pulaski/Laurel Counties) and Rep. Adam Bowling (Bell/Harlan Counties) proposes a significant increase in Kentucky’s state Historic Tax Credit, vital to the revitalization of communities throughout the Commonwealth and our state economy.   KEY......

This report by Baker Tilly estimates the economic and fiscal impact of Kentucky’s Enhanced Historic Tax Credit enabling projects to claim the 20% award.  The report examines the benefits of the program in terms of overall economic output, jobs created,......

As Kentucky’s business environment continues to evolve, the importance of historic buildings as economic generators continues to increase. Tourists, young professionals, technology startups, and established companies alike continue to value the unique spaces and locations that many of the Commonwealth’s......

This power point was presented by Renee Kuhlman with the National Trust for Historic Preservation before the Kentucky Legislature Appropriations and Revenue Committee on August 1, 2016. It provides an overview of state historic tax credits in contiguous and nearby......

Not all state tax credit programs are created equal.  Some state programs have been extraordinarily productive in stimulating rehabilitation activity.  Many others have produced mixed or minimal results. What causes these programs to fall short?  In general, two factors greatly......

Roads and their roadsides are much more than routes to get us quickly from here to there.  They are a special kind of landscape, and they hold their own complex history.  All Kentucky roads display a certain amount of historical......

Today’s roads and highways are built to be safe, efficient.  We rarely notice them until they put obstacles in our path — and accident, a detour — or unless we encounter a particularly bad stretch with potholes and bumps.  Travel......

By the early to mid-1800s, Kentucky had left her frontier roots behind.  The cities of Lexington and Louisville were bustling places of commerce and culture.  Still, the fifteenth state was mainly rural, and most Kentuckians were farmers.   About 20......

  In 2016, 39 participating Kentucky Main Street Programs cumulatively reported $109,741,515 of total investment in these communities, including $75,070,029 of private investment matched by $30,920,494 in public improvements. This total was up significantly from the $76 million of cumulative......

All across America, blocks of older, smaller buildings are quietly contributing to robust local economies and distinctive livable communities. Buildings of diverse vintage and small scale provide flexible, affordable space for entrepreneurs launching new businesses and serve as attractive settings......

William Riggs, PhD, AICP, LEED AP, Wesley Meares, PhD., Zaria Murrell, MD., Samantha Alexis Smith, Brad Cronin, John I. Gilderbloom, PhD The livability of an inner-city neighborhood is greatly impacted by the design of the street in terms of whether......

The log cabin is as much an image as it is a building. It evokes thoughts of maple syrup and the American frontier. It is an important setting in the stories of real and fictional people such as Abraham Lincoln,......

Preservation Kentucky’s knowledge base includes a library of toolkits, publications and technical resources on a wide variety of historic preservation topics. Learn details on the federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits, restoration tips for historic homes and commercial buildings,......

The National Park Service has a helpful series of Technical Briefs on preserving, rehabilitating and restoring historic buildings.  These publications help historic property owners recognize and resolve common problems prior to work, and recommend methods and approaches consistent with the......

These Talking Points illustrate how the Federal HTC encourages private investment; creates jobs; benefits local communities; grows local economies; and, returns more to the Treasury than it costs.  Share these with decision makers, legislators, developers, historic building owners and others......

The Historic Tax Credit Improvement Act  (HTCIA) of 2017, S425/HR1158, makes long overdue changes to the Federal HTC to further encourage building reuse and redevelopment in small, midsize and rural communities.  It also makes the rehabilitation of community projects like......

The Rosenwald School building program of the early 20th century grew out of a vision for educational reform for African Americans initiated by Booker T. Washington, principal of the Tuskeegee University in Alabama. Washington developed a plan to educate African......

  This groundbreaking study, The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse, concludes that, when comparing buildings of equivalent size and function, building reuse almost always offers environmental savings over demolition and new construction. The report’s key findings......

Daniel Bluestone. Buildings, Landscapes, and Memory: Case Studies in Historic Preservation. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 2011.   Andrew Hurley. Beyond Preservation: Using Historic Preservation to Revitalize Inner Cities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2010.   Jane Jacobs. The Death......