Post-World War II Institutional Buildings: Expediting Section 106 Review through a Better Understanding of Practices at a National Level

In the postwar era, many Americans moved from cities to newly developed suburbs. This extensive postwar construction is or is approaching fifty years old and must be considered for eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Institutional buildings, the community-focused resources tied to the spread of residential development, are found in large numbers across the country. These include schools, hospitals, city halls, courthouses, fire and police stations, libraries, churches, veteran’s and fraternal organization buildings, National Guard armories, post offices, airports, and parks. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires that federal agencies and recipients of federal funds consider the effects of construction projects on properties that are eligible for listing on the NRHP. The volume of postwar property evaluations can be overwhelming for state departments of transportation (DOTs), FHWA division offices, and state and tribal historical preservation officers. In addition, evaluations of these properties are highly diverse in physical form and materials, reflecting a wide range of historic trends and architectural contexts, and have not been extensively studied or documented. As a result, evaluations may use inconsistent approaches and require significant time and staff resources. The objective of the research is to develop a constituent evaluation methodology to determine NRHP eligibility of postwar institutional buildings, which would be replicable throughout the United States at different levels of government. The research should provide a definition of common institutional property types and a tool for evaluating ubiquitous, vernacular versions of institutional resources that pose the greatest challenge to practitioners and consulting parties.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6065
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $450,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 20-148

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Weeks, Jennifer

• Start Date: 20260608
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction projects; Evaluation; Methodology; Structures
• Identifier Terms: National Historic Preservation Act; National Register of Historic Places
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01992194
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 20-148
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jun 9 2026 4:14PM