Juniata Terrace hears preservation requirements

National Register to decide if Juniata Terrace is historic place

LEWISTOWN -- The Juniata Terrace Borough Council heard a presentation from Elizabeth Rairigh, division manager for Preservation Services at the Historical Preservation office, during the council's monthly meeting Tuesday evening.

This meeting was required when the council considered listing the Juniata Terrace as a District in the National Register of Historic Places.

Rairigh presented her findings to the community and shared the process to become a Historical District in the National Register.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's Historic places worthy of preservation.

To be considered eligible, a property must meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. This consideration involves an examination of the property's significance, age and integrity.

According to the eligibility rules, a property must be at least 50 years old and meet at least one of the four criteria. The property must have association with either a significant event(s) or significant people as well as architecture. Those seeking a spot on the list of historic places must have the ability to provide information about the history or prehistory of a property.

A property must be significant in some way; being old or the first doesn't necessarily mean anything. The property must have integrity, which is best defined as, could someone from the time period when the property was significant walk by today and recognize the area, the homes, the land? Would it look the same?

"The Juniata Terrace is one of the few industrial villages still in operation today. We have been able to preserve the original layout even with the changing of the times. We have a rather unique story", said Caitlin Noland, Juniata Terrace Borough Council secretary.

The process of getting listed in the National Registry consists of a review by the National Register of Historic Places staff who determine whether they think the buildings or district meets all requirements.

Once eligible, property owners can apply for grants and tax credits. The National Register preps a property and documents for the Historical Preservation Review Board which is a group of 15 citizens across the commonwealth with expertise in specific areas.

The board reviews all the nominations at one of three yearly meetings and makes recommendations.

The Juniata Terrace is between the review of the nomination and the board meeting which is slated for 10 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2024. On this date, council members will hear whether they are officially a historical district.

If any interested person wishes to write a letter in favor of Juniata Terrace, they may submit letters to the Borough office, located at 80 Hudson Ave. no later than Jan. 31, 2024.