Preservation at the Crossroads Newsletter
November 2025
Historic Preservation Fund FY25 and FY26 Update
The Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology recently received confirmation from the National Park Service of its FY25 award from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The Grants Staff anticipates being able to fund about six competitive subgrant projects and has been reaching out to applicants from last fall’s funding opportunity to confirm whether they are still able to move forward. A list of funded and initiated projects will be published in the next newsletter.
The status and timeframe of the HPF Program for FY26 remain uncertain. Both the House and Senate Appropriation Committees have included funding for HPF in their budgets for the Department of the Interior spending bill. However, many steps remain before this spending bill is passed with a final figure for HPF. The DHPA will announce an HPF FY26 funding opportunity when we have confirmation of federal funding. Interested entities will now have to apply for HPF through an online grants portal managed by the State. However, the required parts of a grant application (narrative, timetable, budget, evaluation criteria responses, support letters, etc.) will remain the same as before.
Please continue to check our website and follow us on social media for status updates about the HPF Program.
Local Government Program Procedures Update and Public Comment Period
The Certified Local Government (CLG) Program is a partnership between local governments, the Indiana State Historic Preservation Office/Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA), and the National Park Service (NPS) to promote nationwide preservation initiatives at the local level. Through the certification process, local communities commit to national historic preservation standards, which are key to America's ability to preserve, protect, and increase awareness of the unique cultural heritage found across the country. CLGs can range from small towns to large urban cities.
Indiana’s statewide procedures for the CLG program were previously revised in 2003. Over the past year, DHPA has been working with the National Park Service to revise procedures to meet current national requirements and address newer concerns, such as electronic commission meetings. A main priority of this update was to promote more interaction between DHPA and the CLG communities through revised reporting requirements. The revised regulations are posted on our website and available for public comment from September 30 through December 1. Comments should be provided in writing to asthomas@dnr.IN.gov.
There is a Microsoft Teams call scheduled to present the major changes to the regulations and allow time for discussion/questions:
Thursday, November 13 at 6 p.m. ET
Microsoft Teams: Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 290 736 213 727 5
Passcode: nQ2Vf3Yp
Dial in by phone
+1 317-552-1674, 697079076# United States, Indianapolis
Phone conference ID: 697 079 076#
Join on a video conferencing device
Tenant key: indiana@m.webex.com
Video ID: 117 086 909 9
Federal Historic Tax Credits
When it comes to Federal Historic Tax Credit projects, it is often the large-scale projects, such as the Bottleworks Complex (former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant) in Indianapolis, or Electric Works (former General Electric Plant) in Fort Wayne, that seem to get the most attention. However, the program is also great for smaller-scale projects, including rental houses or commercial buildings in small downtowns.
A Modern American School
While Gary is often remembered today for its industrial heritage, it also has a deep connection to the development of American education during the early 20th century. Home to the “Gary Plan, an influential education reform aimed at creating a highly efficient public school system, the Emerson School was an example of a “work-study-play” school by proponents of the Gary Plan.
Architecture in Silent Movies
Many have written about the cultural and societal messages portrayed in early 20th century motion pictures. Architectural historians find an added bonus: images of buildings, cities, landscapes, and other built forms preserved and documented at a moment in time. These movies capture the people, styles, furnishings, and ideas of their time, for better or worse.
In Your Downtown: A Look at Indiana’s Jewish-Owned Retail Businesses
Before major big box stores, local stores were pillars of the community. In some of these shops or department stores, members of Indiana’s Jewish communities found success. DHPA intern Brenna highlights some of these historic businesses and how they served Indiana customers.
Preserving Historic Places Conference – Fun in Fort Wayne!
This year’s Preserving Historic Places Conference was the largest conference to date, with more than 360 attendees who participated in educational sessions, tours, workshops, and networking around downtown Fort Wayne venues, including the Grand Wayne Convention Center, Electric Works, Allen County Courthouse, and the Embassy Theater.
Preserving Historic Places is a joint partnership between DHPA, Indiana University’s Committee on Historic Preservation, and Indiana Landmarks. Next year, the conference moves to Franklin, September 29 – October 2. If interested, the call for proposals will be open in January 2026.
For Want of Some Mail
One of our previous interns, Hayden, researched the history of post office construction in Indiana, focusing on the phases of development and standardization of these community resources.
Recent Listings on the National Register
In September 2025, Indiana added 12 listings to the National Register of Historic Places. These listings—a house, commercial historic districts, a school, churches, a farm, a manufacturing building, a railroad terminal, a bridge, and a military site—have added approximately 127 historic resources to the National and State Registers.
For information on Indiana properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures, go to on.IN.gov/SHAARD.
Listening to and Reading about History, Archaeology, and Historic Preservation
The DHPA staff loves podcasts, social media, and resources related to history, archaeology, and historic preservation. In each newsletter issue, we’ll highlight something we’ve found or used.
For those unable to attend this year’s Preserving Historic Places Conference or for attendees who want to follow up on sessions they attended, we have posted slides from select sessions for future reference. Visit https://www.indianalandmarks.org/tours-events/preserving-historic-places-conference/archived-presentations/.
The PlaceEconomics study on the economic impact of historic preservation and heritage tourism in Fort Wayne can be found here: https://engage.cityoffortwayne.org/economic-impacts-historic-preservation-heritage-tourism-study.
The City of Fort Wayne also posted the Opening Welcome and Plenary by Donovan Rypkema on their YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htCiYmmCH-U.
What archaeology, architecture, or preservation pages do you follow? We want to know at DHPAConnect@dnr.IN.gov.
Follow DHPA on Facebook
The Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology is on Facebook. Follow us at www.facebook.com/INdhpa to find out about upcoming events, participate in trivia, find out about things to see and do throughout the state, and learn interesting facts about preservation and archaeology in Indiana. If you have suggestions for topics or questions for future discussions let us know at DHPAConnect@dnr.IN.gov.
Tell us what you think
We are always interested in your ideas. If there is a topic you would like to see in an upcoming issue of Preservation at the Crossroads, email us at DHPAConnect@dnr.IN.gov.