City Of Dalton Completes Survey Of Four National Register Districts

  • Friday, September 25, 2015

ATLANTA (September 25, 2015)The City of Dalton has completed a historic resources survey of four National Register of Historic Places districts — Thornton Avenue/Murray Hill, McCarty Subdivision, Dalton Commercial, and Crown Mill. The districts were listed in the National Register between 13 and 35 years ago, and updated documentation is critical to future planning for those neighborhoods.

Dalton hired Greenhouse Consultants, Inc., in Atlanta, to produce the survey, which included an inventory of more than 400 historic resources constructed prior to 1974, collecting data on the age and character-defining features of each resource, and the developmental history of neighborhoods.

The information will be used to facilitate local and regional land use planning and educate decision-makers and the general public about the history and significant character of the districts. Additionally, the city may use this new information to amend the historic district boundaries, and/or period of significance, to include resources that have turned 50 years of age since the original districts were listed, and are now considered historic.    

The survey was partially funded through an annual Historic Preservation Fund (FY 2014) subgrant of $10,821 from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service. The subgrants are administered by the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Each year, Georgia's 92 Certified Local Governments (CLGs) are eligible to apply for these matching (60 percent federal, 40 percent local) grants. To be eligible to become a federal Certified Local Government, a city or county must have passed a preservation ordinance and have established a historic preservation commission.

Jeff Granillo, a member of the Dalton Historic Preservation Commission, co-managed the grant project with Kimberly Witherow, executive assistant with the City of Dalton.

“As one of the first communities in the State of Georgia to develop local law recognizing the value of preserving historic resources, Dalton has a long history of historic preservation,” Granillow said. “This updated historic survey is in line with that long tradition, helping to continue to acknowledge and preserve valuable historic resources. The property owners in the districts will benefit from the up-to-date data as the HPC addresses those properties with its guidelines. And the public will benefit because those districts will retain their specific neighborhood characteristics with HPC guidance.”

 He added: “Surveys completed within Dalton at the time of national and local designations in the 1980s and early 1990s were not up to the current Historic Preservation Division standards, woefully out of date, not complete and sometimes lacked substantiated information. The data for the district that is only nationally recognized will assist the HPC in determining the value of pursuing local district designation for any part of the ‘Crown Mill Village’ district that is slated for redevelopment. Already there is passive park infrastructure, a gateway and hiking trail to a mountain Civil War entrenchment, and a planned near-city center settlement for ‘urban pioneering.’ The survey data will greatly enhance the planning for this district.”

 Dalton’s survey was conducted as part of the Georgia Historic Resources Survey Program. Survey data — including resource locations, descriptions, photographs, and select historical documentation —  has been added to Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Graphic Information Systems (GNAHRGIS) database, accessible to the public via www.gnahrgis.org. The complete survey report and supporting documentation is available from the HPD offices and the city of Dalton.

 Stephanie Cherry-Farmer, HPD’s National Register & Survey Program Manager, emphasized the importance of historic resource surveys to the state of Georgia.

 “All historic preservation activities begin with first knowing what historic resources exist,” Cherry-Farmer said.  “Historic resource surveys provide a base for preservation planning statewide, and are an exciting step in the process of encouraging additional preservation activities.” 

 The Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources serves as Georgia’s state historic preservation office. Their mission is to promote the preservation and use of historic places for a better Georgia.  HPD’s programs include archaeology protection and education, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax incentives, the National Register of Historic Places, community planning and technical assistance.

 The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.  

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