Historic districts in the United States are designated historic districts recognizing a group of buildings, properties, or sites by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided into two categories, contributing and non-contributing. Districts greatly vary in size: some have hundreds of structures, while others have just a few.
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district significant. Government agencies, at the state, national, and local level in the United States, have differing definitions of what constitutes a contributing property but there are common characteristics. Local laws often regulate the changes that can be made to contributing structures within designated historic districts. The first local ordinances dealing with the alteration of buildings within historic districts was passed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1931.
The Downtown Historic District of San Jose, California is a designated U.S. Historic District area of the city roughly the size of one square block. It is bounded by S. First Street to the west, E. San Fernando Street to the south, S. Third Street to the east, and E. Santa Clara Street to the north, but also includes the south side of E. Santa Clara Street between Third and Fourth Streets.
As of 2007 there are five church buildings in the Sycamore Historic District, located in Sycamore, Illinois, United States which are listed as contributing properties to the district. The Sycamore Historic District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 1978. When it was nominated to join the National Register there were seven church buildings within the district. One of those included is a residential structure that was utilized as a church when it was first constructed; the Arthur Stark House was once home to the Sycamore Universalist Church congregation. In the time since its listing, two churches have been destroyed or demolished. The Evangelical Church of St. John was destroyed by fire in 2004 and the United Methodist Church in Sycamore is no longer extant, replaced by a modern office building.
The High Street Commercial Block is a miniature historic district in downtown Hamilton, Ohio, United States. Three buildings compose the block: the old Second National Bank Building, the Howell-Sohngen Building, and McCrory's. All are three-story masonry buildings in some form of the Italianate style, and while all feature arched windows on their upper stories, the styles of arches and the varied employment of rectangular windows, together with their varied cornices, causes the styling to be diverse. Both the left and central buildings have facades divided into three bays on their second and third stories; the left building has one window in each, while the central possesses one window in the second story bays and two smaller ones in the third. The right building, on the other hand, is a wider structure with a five-bay facade. The complex sits across the street from the later Second National Bank Building, an Art Deco structure from the 1930s.
Central House is an 1860s hotel building located in the 800-person village of Orangeville, in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The building was built by Orangeville founder John Bower and operated as a hotel from its construction until the 1930s, when it was converted for use as a single family residence. The three-story building was the first commercial brick structure in downtown Orangeville. Architecturally, the building is cast in a mid-19th-century Italianate style. Central House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
The Poppleton Block is located at 1001 Farnam Street in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The building was built in 1880 for Omaha lawyer and politician A.J. Poppleton, and was designated an Omaha Landmark on July 13, 1982, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places later that year.
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from certain types of development considered to be inappropriate.
The Cathedral Hill Historic District is an area in Baltimore, Maryland. It lies in the northern part of Downtown just south of Mount Vernon. Roughly bounded by Saratoga Street, Park Avenue, Hamilton Street, and St. Paul Street, these 10 or so blocks contain some of the most significant buildings in Baltimore. The area takes its name from the Basilica of the Assumption which sits in the heart of the district. Despite the number of large religious structures in the area, the district's buildings are primarily commercial in character, with a broad collection of significant commercial structures ranging in date from 1790 to 1940.
Davenport City Hall is the official seat of government for the city of Davenport, Iowa, United States. The building was constructed in 1895 and is situated on the northeast corner of the intersection of Harrison Street and West Fourth Street in Downtown Davenport. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.
Paterson City Hall is located in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The building is located on a block in Downtown Paterson bordered by Market Street on the north, Colt Street to the east, Ellison Street to the south, and Washington Street to the west.
The J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store also known as the Petersen Harned-Von Maur Store Building and the Redstone Building, is a historic building in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District. The former department store building was modeled on the Rookery Building in Chicago.
The Renwick Building is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983, and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties since 2000. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District. It is known locally for the large painted sign on the north side of the building depicting the Bix 7 Road Race.
Woeber Carriage Works, also known as the G. Hager & Co. Carriage Works and the Davenport Plow Works, is a historic building located on Lot 3, Block 20 of the original town of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties on November 15, 2000. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cottage Home Historic District is a historic district and neighborhood located on the near east side of Indianapolis, Indiana. A small portion of Cottage Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places while a larger area is listed on the state and local levels. Known for its preponderance of "cottage-style" homes built with strong Victorian influences, Cottage Home has historically been a working class neighborhood. Numerous industrial buildings are also scattered throughout the district, providing a base of economic activity. Today, however, many of these buildings are vacant, providing a special challenge to preservation and urban renewal efforts.
The Bloomington freight station is a historic train station in downtown Bloomington, Indiana, United States. Constructed in the early twentieth century, it has endured closure and a series of modifications to survive to the present day, and it has been declared a historic site. Used only occasionally for many years, it is one of the most important buildings in a large historic district on the city's west side.
The First Federal Savings and Loan Association Building is a historic building located in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.
