Cultural & Historic Values

 Introduction to CHV Credits

The goal of this credit category is to ensure that every project team takes the cultural and historic value of the site and existing buildings into account.  Respect for our region’s historical use of land and “locally available materials” is critical as we build new relationships with the land.  Our greatest chance at creating a future of which we can be proud – and which best treats and respects our singular and diverse region – is to begin with an educated understanding of how we have historically developed and used the land, water, wind, and sun to our best advantage with minimal harm.  We need to retain what our ancestors learned about building in the Greater Yellowstone region.  We can craft our new development plans to respectively reflect and incorporate the built environment and sites of the past. 

As the team moves forward with the project, it is imperative that adverse impacts to our historic resources be eliminated or kept to an absolute minimum.  Adverse impacts are those which take historic resources away from us, forever.  Creative approaches to retaining our historic properties will enhance our projects and give them a distinctiveness that will engage our souls.  We preserve what inspires us and in turn, we inspire and educate others.  As we approach projects for which adverse impacts cannot conceivably be avoided, we have an obligation to document the remains of the historic resource.  This provides a path to the past even when the physical resource is gone.

Generating a simple “Statement of Significance” for each historic property will provide a basis of understanding what the cultural and/or historic resource is and why it is worthy of our attention and sensitive treatment.  Used in conjunction with the “Spirit of Place” statement (defined in PPI Pre ), the “Statement of Significance” will be a reference point for project decision making.

The credits in this category include:

•          Planning so that cultural and historical characteristics of the site are retained and treated sensitively

Innovation is encouraged and exemplary performance will be awarded additional points.

Cultural and Historic Values Design Team

Core Team Members

Julie Braun, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID

Allyson Bristor, City of Bozeman Planning Dept., Bozeman, MT

Lesley M. Gilmore, CTA Architects Engineers, Gallatin Gateway, MT

Francie Hankins, Preservation Idaho, Boise, ID

Meghan Powers, Plan One Architects, Victor, ID

Paul Shea, Yellowstone Historic Center, W. Yellowstone, MT

Consulting Members

Jon Axline, Montana Dept. of Transportation, Helena, MT

Joel Bertolino, Carbon County Historic Preservation Officer, Red Lodge, MT

Jennifer L. Buddenborg, Natural Trust for Historic Preservation, Denver, CO

Paul Reichert, Montana Heritage Commission, Helena, MT

Facilitator

Barb Beck, Beck Consulting, Red Lodge, MT

CHV Table of Contents