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Historic Preservation Help Links

Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation – This website should be useful for anyone interested in learning more about the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, but was designed especially for historic building owners; new members of design review and historic preservation commissions; architects, contractors, and developers; maintenance personnel and others involved in the care of historic buildings; and students in historic preservation courses.

Preservation Briefs – The first Preservation Brief was published in 1975. Since then, over 40 more have been added to the series. For over 25 years, Technical Preservation Services has helped homeowners, preservation professionals, organizations, and government agencies by publishing easy-to read guidance on preserving, rehabilitating and restoring historic buildings.

Historic Preservation Tax Credits for Income-Producing Historic Buildings – Owners of historic income-producing properties in Wisconsin may be eligible for two income tax credits that can help pay for their building's rehabilitation. The Wisconsin Historical Society's Division of Historic Preservation (DHP) administers both programs in conjunction with the National Park Service (NPS). The Federal Historic Preservation Credit returns 20 percent of the cost of rehabilitating historic buildings to owners as a direct reduction in their federal income taxes. The Wisconsin Supplemental Historic Preservation Credit returns an additional 5 percent of the cost of rehabilitation to owners as a discount on their Wisconsin state income taxes. Owners that qualify for the Federal Historic Preservation Credit automatically qualify for the Wisconsin supplement if they get NPS approval before they begin any work.

Historic Preservation Tech Notes – Preservation Tech Notes provide innovative solutions to specific problems in preserving cultural resources — buildings, structures, and objects. Tech Notes are intended for practitioners in the preservation field, including architects, contractors, and maintenance personnel, as well as for owners and developers seeking the preservation tax investment credit for rehabilitation.

Historic Preservation Easements: A Historic Preservation Tool with Federal Tax Benefits – What is a Historic Preservation Easement? A preservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that protects a significant historic, archaeological, or cultural resource. An easement provides assurance to the owner of a historic or cultural property that the property's intrinsic values will be preserved through subsequent ownership. In addition, the owner may obtain substantial tax benefits. Under the terms of an easement, a property owner grants a portion of, or interest in, her property rights to an organization whose mission includes historic preservation. Once recorded, an easement becomes part of the property's chain of title and usually "runs with the land" in perpetuity, thus binding not only the owner who grants the easement but all future owners as well.

National Trust for Historic Preservation – The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities.

Wisconsin Historical Society is both a state agency and a private membership organization.

National Park Service “Links to the Past” invites you to learn more about history and how the National Park Service works to preserve it.