Zebulon Historic District Approved (Again!)
On February 10, 2022, the NC National Register Advisory Committee, for the second time, unanimously recommended the Zebulon Historic District for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. During the presentation of the nomination, it was noted that the National Park Service (NPS) had conducted a substantive review and had found that the nomination met the criteria for listing on the National Register for Criteria A (Commerce) and Criteria C (Architecture). We expect the NPS to award our designation soon!
Background
On June 10, 2021, the NC National Register Advisory Committee unanimously recommended the Zebulon Historic District for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This district includes 318 contributing structures throughout more than 60 acres. The NRAC unanimously disagreed with the objections of the Town of Zebulon and the Wake County Historic Preservation Committee.
On January 10, 2022, the Town of Zebulon hosted a Joint Public Hearing on the Zebulon Historic District. Preservation Zebulon presented the following: Joint Public Hearing presentation
Preservation Zebulon graciously thanks our members, donors, corporate sponsors, and granting organizations, whose generous support allows us to continue to preserve Zebulon’s great, historic assets. We do not receive funding or support from the Town of Zebulon.
Status: The Zebulon Historic District was unanimously approved on June 10, 2021 by the NC National Register Advisory Committee (NRAC). The State Historic Preservation Officer additionally approved the nomination, and forwarded it to the National Parks Service (NPS) with the recommendation to list the district in the National Register of Historic Places. The NPS completed a substantive review of the nomination. There have been no technical issues found with the nomination. However, the NPS identified a procedural flaw in the process, and returned the nomination to SHPO to correct the process. The nomination was not “denied”, and was not “rejected”. However, once the process error is fixed, the nomination will be reviewed again by the NRAC in February, 2022.
A public information meeting was held on February 3, 2021. If you missed the meeting, a recording is available here: Zebulon Historic District Information Meeting
Shortly after Preservation Zebulon was founded in 2015, and with the support of many local Zebulon residents, the PZ Board of Directors voted unanimously to pursue a Zebulon Historic District, and began to explain the concept and benefits of a historic district, and to fund-raise to support our grass-roots preservation initiative.
Benefits
Key benefits of a National Register Historic District:
- 1 Property owner retains control over their own property (no one tells you what you can or cannot do).
- 2 Recognition brings prestige and a celebration of local pride.
- 3 Tax credits for owners of contributing structures that make qualifying changes.
For More Information
For more details about a National Register Historic District, see the following:
# 1: What is the National Register of Historic Places?
# 2: National Register Criteria for Evaluation
# 3: How Historic Properties are Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
# 4: The National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina: Facts and Figures
# 5: Procedure for Supporting or Objecting to National Register Listing
For further details, please visit: NC SHPO links on National Register of Historic Places
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q):
Q: What makes a house qualify as a contributing building versus a non-contributing building?
A: Generally, a contributing building would be one that is at least 50 years old within its designated district, and that still displays its original architectural integrity. Donations and local support allowed us to hire an independent consultant who did extensive survey work to review over 300 buildings in the Zebulon area to determine their contributing / non-contributing status, which is then part of the National Register nomination. See also: National Register Criteria for Evaluation
Q: Are you going to start telling me what color I can paint my mailbox?
A: NO!!! The National Register of Historic Places program is a federal program that states: “The listing of a property in the National Register places no obligation or restriction on a private owner using private resources to maintain or alter the property.” The Zebulon Historic District is NOT a Homeowners Associate (HOA), and there are no “neighborhood rules”. Of course, any modifications that you make to your property need to follow local rules and regulations. But the Town of Zebulon’s UDO does not have any specific regulations regarding historical appropriateness within the Zebulon Historic District. The Town does NOT have a Historic Preservation Commission, which would define those weird restrictions that you sometimes hear about in other communities. In fact, Preservation Zebulon self-funded the National Register nomination through local support of citizens and businesses, and did not receive any funding from the Town of Zebulon. So, while we encourage property owners to preserve the wonderful history of Zebulon (and qualify for Federal and/or State tax credits in the process), we don’t care what color your mailbox is. So, go ahead and paint it pink. Or purple. Or whatever color you fancy.
Q: Why was my house not included in the Zebulon Historic District?
A: You may wonder if your old house or commercial building is officially “historic.” Not all older houses and buildings are considered to be historic as defined by local, state and federal standards.
The Meaning of “Historic”
To be considered “historic,” your house or building must be historically important, or significant. Significance can be derived from one or more factors, including:
Embodying a distinctive architectural style.
Association with an important cultural, political or social event.
Identification with an individual who is important to the history or development of a community, state or the nation.
A historic building is one that also retains its architectural integrity. This means that the building’s original appearance has not been compromised through insensitive alteration and still conveys a visual sense of time past.
One benchmark for defining a property as “historic” is the 50-year rule used by the National Park Service. Under this definition, a property is not considered historic unless it is at least 50 years old. This time frame provides enough perspective to assess the property within the context of its construction era. However, a 50-year-old building is not automatically deemed to be historic. Only old buildings that are deemed to have sufficient significance are granted a national, state or local historic designation.
Simply put, all old houses are not necessary “historic” when assessed against local, state, and, especially in this case, national standards. For these reasons, Preservation Zebulon hired an independent, trained consultant to assess the historical significance of buildings in the Zebulon area, and to properly prepare the National Register nomination, while giving careful consideration to the architectural integrity of those buildings and homes that contribute to the Zebulon Historic District.
For more information about common preservation myths, and the benefits of preservation and economic development:
Top Ten Myths about Preservation
Common Myths About Historic Buildings
The Economic Benefits of Historic Preservation
Status
The Zebulon Historic District will be reviewed by the National Register Advisory Committee on February 11,2021.
See the map of the Zebulon Historic District: Zebulon Historic District Map
The following events support these efforts:
- A legal ad will be placed in the Wake Weekly. To see a draft of the notice: Legal notice DRAFT
- A letter will be mailed to approximately 300 owners of properties that fall within the district
- See the letter: Letter to Property Owners
A public information meeting was held on February 3, 2021. If you missed the this afternoon, a recording will is available here: Zebulon Historic District Information Meeting
For more information about Historic Preservation and Tax credits, please review:
- BUILDING BLOCK VIDEO SERIES, PART 1 OF 4:
The Historic Preservation Tax Credits
https://vimeo.com/522730545 - BUILDING BLOCK VIDEO SERIES, PART 2 OF 4:
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation
(check back for link to video) - BUILDING BLOCK VIDEO SERIES, PART 3 OF 4:
The National Register of Historic Places
(check back for link to video) - BUILDING BLOCK VIDEO SERIES, PART 4 OF 4:
Tutorial of the State Historic Preservation Office’s GIS
(check back for link to video)
We want to hear from you! Letters of support for the district will be very helpful, and will be submitted, along with our application, to the National Parks Service.
- See an example Letter of Support
If you would like to send questions, comments, or letters of support or opposition for consideration by the National Register Advisory Committee, you may send them directly to Sarah David, SHPO Survey and National Register Branch Supervisor, at sarah.david@ncdcr.gov or Hannah Beckman-Black, SHPO National Register Specialist, at hannah.beckman@ncdcr.gov. Only letters of opposition from property owners within the boundary need to be notarized.
History:
In 2018, a Wake County Architectural Survey of the Zebulon area was completed. See the survey here
In July, 2019, Preservation Zebulon sent a letter and a map of the proposed district boundaries to approximately 280 property owners within the proposed Zebulon National Register Historic District.