FINDING: Fostering and encouraging the reuse of historic facilities by federal agencies or others creates cost-effective preservation outcomes. In an effort to reduce their real estate footprint many agencies consolidate multiple offices into one central office. Others seek downtown or Main Street locations to serve growing urban populations. Centrally located, federally owned historic buildings help agencies meet consolidation needs, reducing real estate footprints and dependence on costly leased space from the private sector. They also contribute to the economy and vitality of downtowns and communities. Challenges to reuse include such issues as agency preferences, agency requirements, and tenant improvement costs. Some agencies prefer to consolidate in new, larger buildings–which must be purchased, built, or leased–so they may achieve better space utilization rates or enjoy on- site parking. Other agencies simply are unable to achieve savings or space utilization goals in historic buildings, which may require significant or excessive refurbishment to meet safety and seismic codes and other standards. Recommendations: ›› The ACHP should convene an inter-agency workgroup to develop success stories and guidance on consolidation and inter-agency collaboration for co-location in federally owned historic buildings and preservation and training for relevant agency personnel. ›› The ACHP should work with GSA and the FRPC to explore opportunities to integrate information on “historical status” into FRPP property management tools (https://www.gsa.gov/policy- regulations/policy/real-property-policy/asset-management/real-property-asset-management-tools) ›› The ACHP should survey property management agencies to identify obstacles to reusing or “outleasing” historic properties, and the inter-agency workgroup should develop recommendations for overcoming those obstacles. CONCLUSION The ACHP is committed to working with its federal and non-federal partners to realize the goals of this EO and to implement the recommendations provided within this report. While the ACHP can take action on many of these recommendations, it encourages those federal agencies who play the primary role in identifying, protecting, and using historic properties under federal ownership to support these improvements and collaborate with the ACHP and other preservation partners in fully implementing historic preservation goals. The ACHP’s efforts since the issuance of this EO in 2003 in assessing the progress agencies are making in meeting its goals and providing stewardship for historic properties under their control or management demonstrates that the protection of historic properties is vitally important to the federal government and the American people. In every reporting cycle, federal agencies clearly are making progress in integrating historic preservation into their operations. It also demonstrates that the outreach federal agencies do to gather public input and support is vitally important. The successes of these efforts lie in every corner of the United States and its territories, and help tell the story of America.
60 | IN A SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP: A REPORT ON FEDERAL HISTORIC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 2018
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