BARNSTABLE – Historic Preservation is one element of Cape Cod’s character that is a focus of the region’s planning agency, the Cape Cod Commission.
Most of the Cape’s towns have designated historic districts in addition to numerous buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Town of Falmouth has taken the matter of historic preservation one step further in forming a non-profit group to help to save historic buildings in danger of demolition.
According to the commission’s resources on historic preservation, Cape Cod has a wealth of historic resources, from its buildings and historic villages to its cultural landscapes and archaeological sites.
Thousands of Cape buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or located in one of the region’s 22 local and regional historic districts, according to the commission’s historic preservation specialist Sarah Korjeff. Many more historic properties exist outside these protected areas.
The Cape Cod Commission offers technical assistance, regulatory review of projects impacting historic resources, and educational programs to towns in the area of historic preservation.
Through its regulatory program, the Commission reviews Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs) and seeks to preserve and protect the Cape’s historic resources in the face of strong development pressures, according to information from the commission. The Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan’s standards for protection of historic buildings, landscapes, and archaeological resources have guided the preservation of many historic properties within large-scale developments. The standards have also required the re-use and careful alteration of some individual properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Listen below to Cape Cod Commission Historic Preservation Specialist Sarah Korjeff talk about historic preservation efforts on Cape Cod.