About the Commission

The Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission is the state office for historic preservation and heritage programs. It is Rhode Island's only statewide historic preservation program which identifies and protects historic and prehistoric sites, buildings, and districts.

Created in 1968, the Commission consists of fifteen members who serve in a voluntary capacity. Ten public members are appointed by the Governor and include a historian, an archaeologist, an architectural historian or an architect, a landscape historian or landscape architect, a museologist, and an anthropologist. Five members serve ex officio: the director of the Department of Environmental Management, the director of the Economic Development Corporation, the associate director of administration for planning, the State Building Commissioner, and the State Historic Preservation Officer. The Commission employs a staff that includes historians, architectural historians, archaeologists, and architects.

The Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission is responsible for developing a state historical preservation plan; conducting a statewide survey of historical sites and buildings; nominating significant properties to the National Register and the State Register of Historic Places; administering programs of financial aid including grants, loans, and tax credits; reviewing federal and state projects to assess their effect on cultural resources; and regulating archaeological exploration on state land and under state territorial waters. The Commission is responsible for developing and carrying out programs to document, support, and celebrate the ethnic and cultural heritage of Rhode Island's people. The Commission's funds come from state and federal appropriations. The cumulative dollar value of the Commission's programs is approximately $1.3 billion.

To date the Commission has

• surveyed 52,757 historic properties including 2,437 archaeological sites.
• published 55 neighborhood, town, and other survey reports.
• nominated more than 16,000 properties to the State Register and National Register of Historic Places, including 133 historic districts.
• awarded $14 million in grants to 630 projects statewide.
• approved Federal and State tax credits for 550 projects valued at $1.25 billion.
• assisted rehabilitation of 5,538 living units, 20 percent for low/moderate income residents.
• approved state historic homeowner tax credits for 700 projects valued at $9.43 million.
• monitored preservation easements on 118 historic properties.
• reviewed approximately 1,500 state and federal projects annually.
• certified local government historic preservation programs in 16 communities.
• provided $5.9 million in low interest loans to 79 restoration projects.
• sponsored 20 annual Statewide Historic Preservation Conferences.
• sponsored 23 annual Heritage Festivals on the State House Lawn, and other heritage events throughout the year.
• conducted folklife studies to document the heritage of ethnic groups.
• operated Eisenhower House historic site and generated annual surplus revenue.
• received national awards from the American Association for State and Local History, The Society of Architectural Historians, the Society for Historical Archaeology, and the American Institute of Architects.

(1/4/06)

• Click here for information on Commission meetings.