PRESERVATION MOVEMENT CONTEXT STUDY SE

1 SCOPE OF WORK National Historic Landmarks Modern Historic Preservation Movement in the Southeastern United States Historic Context Study Scope This scope of work directs the contractor to prepare a Historic Context Study addressing the modern historic preservation movement in the Southeastern United States, with particular emphasis on the emergence of organized, municipal- and district-scale preservation efforts during the early to mid-20th century. This context study will inform future National Historic Landmark (NHL) evaluations and updates, including reassessment of existing NHL designations where preservation history may constitute an area of significance. The study will be used as a comparative and analytical framework, not as a nomination document. The contractor shall provide all materials, supplies, labor, supervision, coordination, and management necessary to complete the work as and when required, as specified in this scope of services. Confidentiality The information developed under this task order is the property of the U.S. government and shall be kept in strict confidence. Performance Period The work shall begin following the issuance of the delivery/task order, proceed by the schedule for submittals, and be completed no later than 15 months after the award. Points of Contact Contracting Specialist (CS): Keith Smith Contracting Specialist Contracting Operations (ConOps) East Interior Region 2 South Atlantic Gulf National Park Service (DOI) Keith_smith@ios.doi.gov 470-819-0793 Cell -- 1 of 12 -- 2 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): Alesha Cerny National Historic Landmarks Program Interior Region 2-South Atlantic-Gulf Atlanta Federal Center-1924 Building 100 Alabama Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 276-5092 alesha_cerny@nps.gov Purpose The purpose of this project is to develop an NHL-appropriate historic context for the modern historic preservation movement in the Unites States, focusing on the period during which preservation emerged as an organized, systematic, and increasingly institutionalized practice. The study will examine the evolution of preservation from largely commemorative and private efforts into coordinated municipal, nonprofit, and governmental programs, with particular attention to district-scale preservation, local regulatory frameworks, and professionally informed preservation philosophies that developed during the early to mid-20th century. This context will define preservation activity itself as a historical phenomenon, distinct from the age, style, or associative significance of the historic resources that preservation efforts sought to protect. The resulting historic context is intended to support comparative evaluation and thematic refinements for NHL designation, including future updates to existing NHL documentation. The study will provide analytical tools to assess how preservation planning, advocacy, regulation, restoration, and interpretation may constitute areas of historical significance. By establishing a framework and comparative baseline, the study will enable the National Park Service (NPS) to more fully evaluate the role of preservation history in NHL eligibility and to situate individual cities, districts, organizations, and initiatives within a broader national narrative of modern historic preservation. Project Background National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places that possess exceptional ability to illustrate and interpret American cultural heritage. The NHL Program, established in 1935, is administered by the NPS on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior and is responsible for helping to preserve and protect the almost 2,600 NHLs nationwide. Through this program, the NPS works in partnership with preservation officials, private property owners, and other stakeholders to support the nomination, stewardship, and long-term preservation of nationally significant historic properties. The program’s emphasis on national significance requires a rigorous, analytical approach to evaluation that situates properties within broader patterns of American history and culture. A distinguishing feature of the NHL Program is its reliance on comparative analysis developed from a national perspective. While National Register of Historic Places nominations must demonstrate that a property played an important role within a significant area of history, they do not necessarily require a comprehensive understanding of all comparable properties nationwide. In contrast, NHL nominations are expected to include a complete and thoroughly researched analysis of all known similar properties within a defined historic context and to document the -- 2 of 12 -- 3 relative national significance of a nominated property in comparison to those resources. This expectation places a premium on well-developed historic contexts that clearly define themes, property types, periods of significance, and evaluative criteria at the national level. Historic context studies are therefore essential tools for the NHL Program. They provide the analytical foundation necessary to identify and compare resources associated with a particular theme, movement, or historical development and to assess their relative importance with the national narrative. In the case of the modern historic preservation movement, a clearly articulated historic context is critical to evaluating how preservation planning, regulation, advocacy, restoration, and interpretation may themselves constitute areas of historical significance. This project background establishes the need for a focused historic context study to support consistent, defensible NHL evaluation and future updates to existing NHL documentation. Statement of Work A historic context provides the political, social, cultural, and economic background necessary to understand a particular idea, event, movement, or individual within a specific time period. The completed study will apply this approach to the modern hi…