Historic Designations
A building can be recognized at three levels — national, state, and local — each with different benefits and protections.
“When you strip away the rhetoric, preservation is simply having the good sense to hold on to things that are well designed, that link us with our past in a meaningful way, and that have plenty of good use left in them.” Richard Moe
National, state, and local — not the same thing
Homeowners often assume "historic" means a single, simple status. In fact, three separate programs can recognize a building, and they differ sharply in the benefits they offer and the protection they provide.
National
The National Register of Historic Places — an honorary listing administered by the National Park Service, with access to federal tax credits.
State
The Texas Historical Commission — the State Historic Preservation Office, offering two state designations and a 25% rehabilitation credit.
Local
The City of Tyler's Register of Historic Landmarks — the red rose plaque, a local tax exemption, and binding protection against demolition.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register is the official list of America's historic places worthy of preservation. It was created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and is overseen by the National Park Service.
Listing recognizes a property — individually or as a contributing building within a historic district — for its architectural, historical, or cultural significance, and it creates a permanent documentary record of the property.
Benefits include a 20% federal income-tax credit for the qualified restoration of income-producing properties; access to the Texas state tax-credit program; and permanent documentation of the property.
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency. It was established by the Texas Legislature in 1953 and renamed the Texas Historical Commission in 1973.
As the State Historic Preservation Office, the THC oversees National Register nominations and administers two state designations — Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (RTHL) and State Antiquities Landmarks (SAL).
The THC also administers the Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, worth 25% of eligible rehabilitation costs.
City of Tyler — Local Historic Landmark
The Tyler Register of Historic Landmarks, established in 1983, is the city's oldest and best-known preservation program. Approved landmarks receive the city's iconic red rose plaque.
The local tax incentive exempts 50% of a structure's assessed value — up to $2,000,000 — from annual City ad valorem taxes. To claim it, owners must file Form 50-122 with the Smith County Appraisal District each year by April 30.
Local landmark designation also requires an approved Certificate of Appropriateness before any exterior modification or demolition.
Only local designation protects a building
It is the single most misunderstood point in preservation. A National Register plaque is a genuine honor and an open door to tax credits — but it is not, by itself, a defense. A listed building can still be demolished.
State designations recognize and document significance, but the binding protection a worried homeowner is usually looking for comes from one place only: the local level.
See designation at work across Tyler
Tyler holds eight National Register districts and two local overlay districts. Discover them, or trace the story of your own historic property.