HRC Happenings

Historic Survey  

Over the past three years, the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission, in conjunction with the City-County Planning Board and the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, has funded the update of the 1980 survey of historic architectural resources in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. The survey update has involved the photography of historic buildings and sites throughout the county and the collection of related historical background information. The project will serve to help the city and county better direct and manage growth and development while protecting and promoting our historic resources.

Heather Fearnbach, an architectural historian with Fearnbach History Services, Inc., is the survey's principal investigator. The survey's purpose has been to identify and record the full range of historic resources that contribute to Forsyth County's unique character. While some surveyed buildings are of National Register of Historic Places quality, others were included simply to provide context. Including a building in the Forsyth County architectural survey means only that it has been recorded for documentary purposes.

Phase III of the survey update, which began in January 2009, has recently been completed. The goals of this phase were to document overall development patterns from the 1930s through the 1960s and to survey representative and the most significant examples of domestic, religious, commercial, and industrial buildings and subdivisions from the period. At Phase III's conclusion, 17 individual properties and 10 districts were added to the North Carolina Study List.The North Carolina Study List recognizes properties that merit more intensive research and documentation. This preliminary step in the review of properties that may be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places is not a requirement under federal program regulations, but serves as an early screening mechanism to remove consideration of resources that are clearly not National Register candidates. North Carolina is unique in that this process is codified in the state administrative code and that the National Register Advisory Committee (NRAC) is directly involved. The Study List has been part of North Carolina's program since the first National Register nominations were reviewed and submitted from the state in 1969.

Inclusion on the Study List does not prevent any lawful actions by a private property owner involving a building or land. Study List boundaries are preliminary and for planning purposes only. Any Federally-funded projects require historic resources review prior to project commencement.

The following link is to the complete report from Phases I, II, and III of the survey Update. The properties and districts that were added to the Study List during Phases II and III are listed in the appendices at the end of the report. 

Complete Report from Phases I, II, and III of the Survey Update [pdf/1,894kb/pdf]

This Place Matters!

	This Place Matters is a photo-sharing campaign that was started by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2008 to help raise awareness for and celebrate many culturally diverse and unique communities across the United States.
This year the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission is launching a local This Place Matters photo-sharing campaign. The HRC would like to find out what buildings, structures, and places matter to you. Gather your friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, and/or anyone else who shares the same feelings about a particular place and share the passion, excitement, and enthusiasm that you have for that location with us by sending us your photo.
	It is up to you to make sure your favorite houses, neighborhoods, churches, school, downtown building, farm, bridge, statue, hangout, or just someplace that matters to you is included.

How do you get involved in this fun campaign?
Sharing your photo is easy:

1. Print the "This Place Matters" [pdf/770kb/1p] sign.
2. Have a photo taken at your favorite place. Make sure you or someone in the photo holds the This Place Matters sign. It can be one person or a large group of people.
3. Post your photo on the City of Winston-Salem's Facebook page (tinyurl.com/cwsfacebook). Click in the "Write Something" box and add your comments about the photo, then click on "Photo" to browse for your photo and upload. Alternatively, e-mail the photo to michellem@cityofws.org with "This Place Matters" in the subject line. Be sure to include the names of those in the photo and where the picture was taken.
4. Optional: Include a few lines about why this place matters to you!
5. Come see your photo on the city's Facebook page and see the places that matter to others. And tell your family and friends to submit their own!

TV-13 "This Place Matters" video

Remember, feel free to submit as many photos as you like. We want to know about each and every place Forsyth County! The idea of this campaign is to know what places matter to YOU!

1/13/2010