HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Main Street near Courthouse
North Broadway looking south
Before Photo of the Stevenson Building
After Photo of the Stevenson Building
For
additional information or questions, please contact the office at 812-662-8495.
Establishment of Commission
The
Commission was established by Greensburg Ordinance 2006-32,
Section 155.262.
Ordinance
was adopted by Greensburg City Council in February 2007.
Not
a community organization, but
rather a part of
Greensburg
City
government.
Purpose of Commission
To identify
historically significant properties within
Greensburg
and/or help in the creation of business and/or commercial
historic districts
Assist
property owners within established historic districts to
preserve and protect the historical integrity of their
properties
To provide
design guidelines as a standard to protect property values and
preserve and protect the overall historical integrity of the
district as a whole;
To review
property owners plans for changes (not normal maintenance) to
the façade of the building; new construction, and/or demolition
of a building within the designated district and issue the
appropriate Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for projects
that meet the established guidelines for the district.
If the proposed work is
inappropriate for the district, the Commission will work with
the owner to find a solution that meets the needs of the owner
while still making respectful changes to the building.
The
Commission, at the request of the residential property owners,
is also to help residents in historic neighborhoods in
establishing historic districts and guidelines specific to those
residential districts.
Ongoing
public education on historic preservation and the importance to
the community
Initial Assigned Task
The setting
up a historic district for the Greensburg Historic Downtown, as
outlined in the Ordinance in Section 155.263 and 155.264.
Rationale for Area
Chosen
Because the
Historic Downtown is specifically named as an area the community
wants protected that this was the logical place to begin a local
Historic District.
Resources
citing community wishes: City Comprehensive Plan, 1985 Downtown
Plan, the 1995 Designation as a National Historic District and
the HyettPalma Action Agenda for Downtown (all of which
contained public input)
Utilized
the
Indiana
Historic Sites and Structures Inventory: Decatur
County
Interim
Report,
dated May 1999 as resource material for its work.
Addressing Concerns of Building Owners regarding inclusion in
the Greensburg Historic Downtown District
The
Commission did take into consideration the comments and concerns
of the local property owners as the proposed boundary
designation was considered; and, wherever possible, tried to
accommodate and/or alleviate the concerns.
In some
cases, the location and/or historical significance of the
building in question made it impossible to remove the building
from the district without jeopardizing the continuity and
historical integrity of the entire district and detracting from
and/or endangering the protection rights of the
adjoining/adjacent property owners.
Economic and Tourism Considerations
The
designation provides the property owners the possibility for tax
credits and possible abatements.
The
designation protects the investment of property owners by
insuring that neighboring buildings are held to the same
standards.
A Historic
District also opens the City and County up to more grant
opportunities on a state and national level.
Historic
Districts have been show to be a draw for tourists
Average
tourist spending approximately $85 on a one-day visit and
approximately $364 per day if they spend the night in a
community (Source: Decatur County Visitors & Tourism Board,
January 2011).
Protecting
the uniqueness of the downtown vital to downtown business
Historic
charm of downtown an advantage over national chain “box” stores.
Steps
Taken
Commission
held at least 10 public meetings per year for the last four (4)
years.
Public
hearings were held on the proposed boundary designation between
June 2008 and November 2010, and revisions were made to the
boundary designation.
By request
of the City Council in April 2009, the Commission prepared a
draft of the Design Guidelines
Public
hearing for public input on proposed guidelines held on October
27, 2010.
Recommendation on the district boundary designation was made to
City Council in February 2011.
City
Council approved the designation in May 2011, thereby creating
the Greensburg Historic Downtown District, Greensburg’s
first local Historic District.
Next Steps
Finalization and adoption of the Design Guidelines for the
Greensburg Historic Downtown District
Creation of
the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) application and the COA
document
Questions about Design Guidelines
The
guidelines will only pertain to the facades of buildings that
are visible from public right-of-ways
Pertain
only if the property owner is making a significant change in the
façade of the building, building a new building or demolishing
an existing building.
The
guidelines do not cover normal maintenance of buildings, nor do
the guidelines cover any building in the district that is zoned
residential.
Only
buildings zoned commercial are covered under this specific
district designation.
All public
safety concerns are a part of the City’s Building Codes and
Ordinances and those safety concerns take precedence over the
guidelines for a historic district.
All
enforcement of the Building Codes and Ordinances, especially
regarding safety, are outside the jurisdiction of the
Commission.
Ordinance
spells out what the guidelines must cover, the guidelines
themselves are not part of the ordinance, allowing for any
future needed changes to be processed at the Commission level
and providing the Commission the flexibility needed to work with
each individual property owner’s specific needs.
If the guidelines are part of the
ordinance, they are no longer guidelines, but law.
Once
adopted, all property owners within the district must be
notified prior
to any changes being made to the
guidelines by the Historic Preservation Commission.
CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS:
Board
Term
Term Expires
Drew Barth,
Chair
2009-2012 (2nd
Term)
2/28/2012
Angie Wilson
2011-2013
(1st
Term)
2/28/2013
Melanie Maxwell
2010-2013 (1st
Term)
2/28/2013
John Schmalenberg
2011-2014 (1st
Term)
2/28/2014
Theresa E.
Schwering
2009-2012 (2nd
Term)
2/28/2012
Advisory Board
Term
Term Expires
Bryan
Robbins
2011-2014 (1st
Term)
2/28/2014
Terry
Wagner
2011-2014 (1st
Term)
2/28/2014
Technical Advisors
Indiana
Landmarks
Eastern Regional Office
838 National Road, Mt Auburn
Cambridge City,
IN
47327
east@indianalandmarks.org
Click here to download a copy of this map
Click here to
download a copy of the Historic Preservation Ordinance
Click here to
download a copy of the Historic Boundary Amendment
Click
here to download the Downtown Greensburg Historic District
Design Guidelines
Links:
Alma
Tayor Foundation
Main
Street Greensburg
Indiana
Landmarks
Indiana State Department of Historic Preservation
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