SHPO Staff
The South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in Pierre is preparing for its federal fiscal year 2020 grant application and invites public input on the state’s preservation needs and projects.
In other words: we need your help to allocate our budget effectively!
For those who are unfamiliar with the SHPO, we are historians, archaeologists, and architectural historians who love the things that make South Dakota unique. Our mission is to implement the National Historic Preservation Act in South Dakota through a variety of programs. For example, we survey historic properties and recommend them for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. We work with federal, state, and local government agencies to review projects that may impact historic resources. We advise historic property owners on how to take care of their properties. We encourage economic development by notifying the public about the financial incentive programs available to rehabilitate historic properties. And we educate the public on why historic properties matter.
Seventy percent of our yearly budget comes from an annual grant from the National Park Service, and we use a portion of this funding to undertake a variety of projects that will further our understanding of and appreciation for South Dakota’s historic places. For instance, in previous years we have undertaken county-wide surveys to locate potentially historic properties and nominate them to the National Register of Historic Places. We have used funding to prepare historic context documents, which provide relevant background information on a specific collection of resources, such as modern residential architecture or German-Russian folk architecture in southeastern South Dakota. We’ve also used funding to prepare National Register nominations and to host hands-on preservation workshops for property owners and contractors.
We’re beginning to plan for the next fiscal year and to outline our annual work plan, and we want public input to guide this process. With that in mind, we ask:
- What properties or areas of the state need to be inventoried?
- What properties should be considered for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places?
- What properties are at-risk or endangered?
- What kinds of technical preservation assistance are beneficial?
If you have suggestions for our office to consider, please submit your feedback on the SHPO Annual Work Plan Suggestion Form no later than Oct. 31. Forms can be accessed on our website here https://history.sd.gov/preservation/docs/AnnualWorkPlanSuggestionForm.pdf or by contacting the SHPO at 605-773-3458.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions!
AIA South Dakota is the professional non-profit membership association of architects, future architects, and partners in the building and design industries, and the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) AIA South Dakota advances the mission that design matters in every South Dakota community.