San Antonio's Office of Historic Preservation is proposing National Register District status for a large section of downtown to include more than 140 buildings of smaller stature.
UTSA Architecture professor Sue Ann Pemberton, who is acting consultant for the effort, says the district abuts Main Plaza, Alamo Plaza and La Villita National Historic Districts, making almost the whole of downtown San Antonio a National Historic District.
“It would allow many of the buildings that would not be individually eligible for listing to be considered contributing structures in a larger whole into the National Registered District. The big bonus here is that those lesser buildings would be able to tap into tax incentives – both at the federal level and the state level.”
Pemberton says those State and Federal Historic Tax Credits could be used by the property owners to help them renovate and maintain the structures.
The city has scheduled an information meeting for Tuesday, Nove. 10, to advise downtown owners of proposed changes and to answer questions about the process.
Pemberton says there is no downside - she says unlike local historic districts, the national designation comes with no building restrictions or prohibitions against demolition.
