The National Register of Historic Places
Administered by the National Park Service, the National Register of Historic Places is an honorary list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that meet established criteria for significance. The Missouri State Historic Preservation Office’s (SHPO) National Register and Survey program facilitates the process of identifying and listing significant historic resources (buildings, sites, objects, and structures) in Missouri.
State and federal governments do not place restrictions on private property listed in the National Register. Check with your local government to see if there are ordinances that concern historic properties. For more on the benefits of National Register listing, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions PDF linked below.
The National Register of Historic Places uses a set of criteria established by the National Park Service to evaluate a property’s eligibility for listing. These criteria are discussed in the National Park Service’s National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. This publication also explains how to evaluate a property’s integrity, or retention of its historic character. Additionally, the National Register website of the National Park Service’s National Register website has a lot of useful information.
National Register Acronyms
- CCC - Civilian Conservation Corps
- ECW - Emergency Conservation Work
- MPS - Multiple Property Submission
- MRA - Multiple Resource Area
- NHL - National Historic Landmark
- SHS - State Historic Site
- TR - Thematic Resources
Additional Resources
Is my property listed in the National Register of Historic Places?
The Map of Historic Resources notes the location of individual properties and districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is searchable by address. Currently, Missouri boasts more than 2,500 listings, representing over 48,000 individual resources. Successfully listed National Register nominations are publicly available online.
Is my property eligible for the National Register of Historic Places?
The first step to listing a property in the National Register of Historic Places is typically the completion of an Eligibility Assessment (EA) form for a single property or small contiguous groupings of resources. Although not required, EAs are a means to receive preliminary feedback from SHPO staff on a property’s eligibility prior to beginning the formal nomination process. Since the National Register process can take anywhere from six months to a year, EAs are strongly encouraged. See the section below “Is My Property Eligible for Listing in the National Parks” for more information, including the downloadable EA form. Architectural surveys are generally conducted prior to the submission of a nomination for a neighborhood or district and are required for districts containing more than 75 primary resources. Please visit the “Survey” page for more information on the survey process.
Is My Property Eligible for Listing in the National Register?
This is a question owners of older properties frequently ask, and one the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) staff can help answer.
In order to assess the National Register eligibility of an individual property or a small complex of buildings, the SHPO strongly encourages submission of an eligibility assessment form and current photographs of the property prior to the preparation of a National Register nomination. If you are unable to download the form, you can email your name and mailing address to [email protected] or contact the SHPO at 573-751-7858.
All assessments are based on National Register of Historic Places criteria for eligibility. A property must retain most or all of its historic physical characteristics in order to be eligible for National Register listing. Additional information on the National Register can be obtained by visiting the National Register of Historic Places. Of particular use in completing the eligibility assessment are National Register Bulletin #15: "How to Apply National Register Criteria" and Bulletin #39: "Researching an Historic Property."
Digital submissions are encouraged. For instructions or questions about submitting via Dropbox, please contact 573-751-7858 or [email protected]. To submit a paper copy or on disc, please mail to: DNR/State Historic Preservation Office, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176. Within 30 days from receipt of the above information, the SHPO staff will respond with a written opinion as to the eligibility of the property.
Communities considering nominating commercial, industrial or residential historic districts should begin with an architectural/historic survey. These surveys provide an inventory of buildings and other significant resources in a neighborhood or community, and a historic context for understanding significant events and historic development patterns. Surveys are used to identify National Register eligible properties and to provide a “snapshot” in time that can be used later to mark changes and improvements in the neighborhood over time.
The National Register Process
The Introduction section of the Missouri Guide to the National Register Process explains the National Register process in detail. In short, a substantially complete nomination form is submitted to the SHPO for review and comment. To be considered complete, the nomination must meet certain submission standards. Although anyone can submit a National Register form, some preparers opt to hire a professional to write a nomination. The SHPO maintains a list of professionals who meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historians and/or Architectural Historians.
After a complete nomination is submitted to the SHPO, a staff member is assigned to the project and provides comments to the preparer, who then submits a revision. Once a nomination is deemed ready, it is scheduled for a Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (MOACHP) meeting. The MOACHP is a body of preservation professionals and laypeople appointed by the governor to review National Register nominations and provide input on preservation issues. MOACHP Council members, meeting dates, locations, draft nominations, meeting minutes and recent decisions are publicly available.
A nomination may be submitted at any time, but there are submission deadlines that correspond to specific MOACHP meeting dates. Once the nomination is approved by the MOACHP, a draft incorporating final polishes is submitted to the SHPO. From there, the nomination is submitted to the National Park Service, where a final decision regarding listing is made.
Nominations to the National Register
Missouri Requirements and Due Dates
Nominations to the National Register of Historic Places that contain fewer than 75 properties may be submitted for review by the National Register staff at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) at any time throughout the year to be scheduled for the appropriate Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (MOACHP) meeting.
Requirements for Large Districts
Nominations of a potential district of more than 75 properties will not be reviewed unless a survey is already on file with the SHPO. If no survey is on file one must be submitted to SHPO at least three months before a nomination is submitted in order to allow SHPO staff time to review the material and provide comments on eligibility to the preparer. Survey requirements for districts are described in the introductory chapter of the Missouri Guide to the National Register Process.
The Review Process
Whether prepared by private citizens or by consultants, most nominations – regardless of size – go through at least two drafts before consideration by the MOACHP at one of its meetings (schedule below). All submitted nominations must be reviewed by SHPO staff to ensure that they adequately document the property and its significance and meet the standards set by the National Park Service's National Register program. When needed, staff will provide written comments and/or a marked copy of the nomination to the preparer.
To assist preparers in providing the documentation necessary for the review of their nominations, the SHPO has compiled the Missouri National Register Guide (MO NR Guide) and a National Register Nomination Technical Checklist.