Historic Preservation

Floor Speech

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Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I have dedicated my career to making the Federal Government a better partner for livable communities. These are places where families are safe, healthy, and more economically secure.

One of the most important tools in making a community livable is the promotion of historic preservation.

It is more than just preserving landmarks or putting up plaques. The historic preservation movement has resulted in preserving over 45,000 historic buildings that celebrate and inform our heritage and our past.

Historic preservation helps us understand who we are, where we went, and what we might be.

I fought to protect these historic treasures that enrich community by recycling buildings that preserve that heritage. Not only do they give definition and character to our communities, but they are also a powerful boost for the local economy.

A building that has been renovated creates many more jobs because it is labor intense and it is located in historically relevant space. Preserving these buildings makes communities stronger, more resilient, and more energy efficient than abandoning historic locations for new construction, which is often outside of the core area.

A green building is one that has been revitalized and rebuilt rather than new construction.

Historic preservation helps revitalize adjacent properties. The value radiates out from the historic property. Historic preservation is a tremendous attraction for tourism.

Because it is so labor intense, the historic tax credit has created nearly 3 million jobs since its creation 40 years ago and has attracted $173 billion in private capital. That means each dollar for credit generates $4 in private investment.

You don't need to be a billionaire developer.

Projects that employ historic preservation on a smaller scale make it possible for a broader range of owners to participate, sharing the advantages.

That is why the National Park Service found that in one study $33 billion in tax credits generated over $38 billion in Federal tax revenue.

This is a program that pays for itself even before consideration of the increased value of surrounding properties and the benefits of tourism and energy savings.

Because it is labor intense, the historic tax credit has created nearly 3,000,000 jobs since its creation barely 40 years ago and has attracted approximately $173 billion in private capital.

This means that each dollar of the tax credit generated $4 in private investment.

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to think of another Federal program that makes such a strong contribution to the sense of place, revitalizing of local economies, promoting tourism, and encouraging other investment.

We will continue fighting to preserve this important private incentive for rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings. It is changing the face of American communities, both rural and urban, by making such an investment protecting our heritage.

By celebrating our past, we promote our future in a way that is cost- effective and respectful of that heritage. I can't think of another program I have been involved with that has had such a profound effect on the livability of our communities.

Historic preservation doesn't just celebrate and strengthen physical community. It speaks to the life and the spirit that is so vital.

Preserving a community's past heritage is an important example across the country for projects large and small that inspire such pride celebrating the past while we invest in the future.

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