The Georgia DNR- Historic Preservations Division

The Georgia State Historic Preservation Division is a division under the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The stated aim of the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) is the promotion of the preservation of historical sites for historical, educational, and leisure purposes.

The Georgia State Historic Preservation Division was founded in 1969 under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The HPD receives national funding from the Historic Preservation Fund of the National Park Service and the US Department of the Interior, matching those funds at the state level and distributing them to promote its preservation goals.

 

Responsibilities of the Georgia Historic Preservation Division

The Georgia State Historic Preservation Division oversees state and federal programs promoting preservation, including:

  • Tax incentives for preservation
  • Community planning around historical sites
  • Technical assistance with proper historical preservation
  • Historic resource surveys
  • Environmental compliance and review
  • Archaeological education and protection
  • Grants
  • The National Register of Historic Places

The HPD has received numerous awards for its successful preservation efforts, and the HPD has added over 130,000 properties to the Historical Resources Survey since 1988. Georgia's HPD was one of the strongest and largest statewide historical preservation organizations in the 1980s and continues to lead the movement in the preservation of historical sites, community planning, and downtown revitalization movements.

 

GHP Division Administration and Membership

The Georgia State Historic Preservation Division is administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Its board is comprised of 18 citizens, and the board is responsible for the agency's rule-making and operations. Members of the board are appointed by the Governor of Georgia and must be approved by Georgia's state senate before taking their positions.

The Georgia State Historic Preservation Division maintains a directory of preservation consultants who can assist community members and activists in the undertaking of a preservation attempt or addition of a site to the National Historic Resources Survey.

The HPD can also help citizens reach out to archaeologists before undertaking property improvements, ensuring that construction projects will not interfere with the proper preservation or discovery of a historic site. The HPD undertakes community planning projects to ensure that new developments do not interfere with the preservation of historic community sites and maintains a specific division for promoting the preservation of sites central to African American history in Georgia.

The current director of the Georgia State Historic Preservation Division is Dr. Dave Crass.

 

Contact the Georgia State Historic Preservation Division

Citizens may contact the Georgia State Historic Preservation Division to request assistance with a preservation project, to add a site to the National Historic Resources Survey or National Register of Historic Places, or to consult with an expert about the potential historical significance of a site either by phone or in-person.

The Georgia State Historic Preservation Division
254 Washington Street, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
(404) 656-2840