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Hot to "Go Historic"? Cool your jets

Q. "Our neighborhood is not designated historic, yet we have lots of wonderful homes built in the 1930s and 1940s. How does a neighborhood become historic?"

A. This question is being asked more and more as neighborhoods are discovering the benefits and cachet of having historic status. I'm sure as you drive around Phoenix you have seen many areas where there are great old houses and wonder why they are not an official historic district.

Most people think that once a neighborhood turns 50 years old, the homes there are eligible for historic designation. Although turning 50 is one of the criteria, it is by no means the only test they must pass.

First of all, neighborhoods have to be evaluated to determine whether they are eligible to apply for historic status. Eligibility is based on inventory surveys usually conducted by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office (PHPO).

The first inventory was conducted in 1986 on houses and neighborhoods built before 1950. This study ranked neighborhoods according to how well they met a set of criteria.

During the 1950s, Phoenix saw its biggest boom in housing. The city went from a small community with a population of 100,000 and an area of 17 square miles to, in 1960, a population of 440,000 and 187 square miles.

Houses built during this era of expansion have just been starting to turn 50. Another inventory survey is planned to identify those neighborhoods newly eligible to apply for historic designation. Since there are a large number of neighborhoods that were built in the '50s, the criteria will be more stringent.

Some of the criteria considered when surveying neighborhoods involve age, integrity and significance:

o Distinguishing features and characteristics
o Origins and historic developments
o A sense of historic and architectural continuity
o Architectural styles that contribute to a feeling of time and place
o Retention of historic integrity by the homes
o Contributing significant events or individuals
o Reflectiveness of the historical development of the community

Eligibility doesn't guarantee historic designation. It is now up to the residents of the neighborhood to apply for the status. There are two Historic Registers; the National Historic Register and the Phoenix Historic Register.

The National Historic Register application is administered by SHPO. This process places the homes on the National Historic Register. Once on that register, residents can apply for a property tax reduction of up to almost 50 percent.

The Phoenix Register is administered by PHPO. Listing on the city's register is a rezoning process, where a historic preservation zoning overlay is placed on the neighborhood. This overlay is the key identifier for protecting the houses. Among other benefits, this allows homes within that overlay to be eligible for "Exterior Rehabilitation Grants" for up to $10,000 in matching funds.

These application processes, although similar, are separate and require a great deal of research on the homes and the neighborhood. Traditionally a neighborhood group gathers information from various sources-residents, newspaper clippings, photographs, city records and directories-to compile the information needed. Some neighborhoods hire researchers to conduct the research for them.

This research takes many person-hours to complete and requires a dedicated group to compile the information. Photographs have to be taken of each home and submitted together with the other records for review. Also, a compilation of architectural styles must be submitted with proof that the homes have maintained historical integrity.

Depending on who does the research and the dedication of the residents, the process can take up to two years and sometimes longer, to complete the research and receive designation ... not a task not for faint-hearted.

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Helen Prier is a longtime resident of F.Q. Story Historic District and co-founder and Director of the Phoenix Historic Districts Coalition.