Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Have a question about your building or the Trust? Below are some questions the Trust frequently receives, which may help answer your question.
How do I know if my house is historic?
A building can be a considered a historic resource in several different ways:
It’s located within a Historic District.
The building can be located in a local, state, or national Historic District. A historic district is a contiguous grouping of buildings or sites that share thematic historical significance and periods of construction. Learn more about Historic Districts here.
It’s a National or State Individually listed property.
The building can be an individually listed building on the National or State Register. Learn more about the National Register of Historic Places here and the State Register here.
It’s a National Historic Landmark.
The building can be listed as a National Historic Landmarks, which are nationally significant historic places that possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Learn more here.
It’s listed on the Historic Resources Inventory.
The building can be included in one of the State of Connecticut’s Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) lists, which are surveys of historic buildings and structures. Learn more more about the Historic Resource Inventory and search for digitized photos here.
To find our if your building is located in a historic district, or individually listed on the National or State Register, use the Trust’s map here to search the address of a property. Please note that historic district boundaries may overlap, and a building can be designated a historic resource in multiple ways, such as being within both a Local and National Historic District as well as being listed on the Historic Resource Inventory. Unfortunately, many of the older Historic Resource Inventory (HRI) survey forms are not all yet digitized and not all accessible online. The Trust has copies of these forms in the office, and the City of New Haven has a list of HRI properties as well.
Do you have a historic photo of my building?
The Trust digitized historic photos of many buildings that were part of the 1970s-80s Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) survey, which you can find here. Not all buildings listed on the HRI have a digitized historic photo, so please check with our office to see if we have a photo of your building on the HRI forms if it’s not listed on our website.
The New Haven Museum also has a collection of historic photos here.
How do I fund a restoration project?
A designated historic building or building listed as contributing to a Historic District may be eligible to receive state or federal tax credits to help preserve the building and fund preservation projects. Click here to learn more and contact the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to apply. The Trust is happy to assist with the application process. Please note: SHPO must approve of the project scope of work and tax credit application before the project begins.
The Trust also has a small matching grant program to help restore distinctive exterior features on historic buildings. Learn more here.
My neighbors did ____ to their building, why can’t I?
If your building is located in a Local Historic District, there is additional protection in place to assist with the preservation of the building, and the municipality’s Historic District Commission (HDC) will need to provide a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) before any restoration work or changes are made. Learn more about Local Historic Districts here and apply for a CoA here.
Just because your neighbor made a change to their building, such as replacing the windows in a different style, it does not mean you will automatically get approval to do the same work. Your neighbor’s building may have had the alteration or inappropriate repair done before the Local Historic District was established, or your neighbor may have performed the work without a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA), which could be subject to enforcement for fees for the violation. Visit the Historic District Commission’s website to learn more about what type of work requires a CoA, learn about the application process, and apply.
The Historic District Commission (HDC) has Guidelines to help direct you to the appropriate restoration strategy. The HDC follows the National Park Service’s Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties in their consideration of Certificate of Appropriateness applications.
Why doesn’t the Trust stop the demolition/alteration of ___ historic building?
Advocacy is critical to the Trust’s work and mission. The Trust follows potential alterations and demolitions to historic buildings through review of the City Plan Commission applications, the Historic District Commission applications, Demolition Delay notifications, communication with City Staff, local newspapers, and tips from neighbors and Trust members. With this information, the Trust works diligently to educate owners, developers, and the City of buildings’ historic status, discusses recommended restoration treatments, funding opportunities, and talks through options that are alternatives to demolition. The Trust also works closely with the State Historic Preservation Office to involve them in projects negatively impacting historic properties. Through this advocacy, the Trust has been able to save several of New Haven’s important historic buildings, work with owners to move historic buildings, impact the alteration or restoration work to better align with the Secretary of Interior Standards, and influence the design for new construction projects within a historic district.
Unfortunately, not all historic buildings are able to be saved despite our advocacy, education, and outreach and despite a building’s historic status. Buildings on the State and National Register as well as the Historic Resources Inventory have less protection than those buildings within Local Historic Districts, and at times Trust’s recommendations are disregarded by the owner. Though there’s a 90-Day Demolition Delay for historic properties, for certain properties, there’s little the Trust can do to stop an alteration or demolition if the owner chooses not to be a good steward to the building or respect its historic status. Depending on the project, the State Historic Preservation Office may be able to step in, however in these cases, mitigation terms for negatively impacting a historic building or district may be the only outcome that can be negotiated with an owner.
How do I learn about the Trust’s events?
Sign up for the Trust’s newsletter or follow the Trust on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter to keep up-to-date on our upcoming events and lectures. We keep a calendar of upcoming events on our website here. Please note, many of our events fill up quickly, so register right away if you are interested in attending! Some events are also member-only events. Learn more about membership here.
How can I support the Trust?
Membership is the best way to support the Trust. Learn more about membership here.
We also rely on donations to keep many of our programs running. Donate to the Trust here.
Interested in volunteering with the Trust? Reach out to us here.