The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) is under serious threat, with FY26 funding nearly eliminated in the President’s proposed budget and FY25 funding still unreleased. Without this critical support, the infrastructure that designates and protects historic places in Durham—from cemeteries to neighborhoods—faces immediate risk.
What is the HPF and Why Does This Funding Matter?
The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), passed in 1966, is the cornerstone of federal historic preservation policy in the United States. It established a national framework for identifying, evaluating, and protecting historic and cultural resources. The NHPA created the National Register of Historic Places, the Section 106 review process for federal undertakings, and designated State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) and, later, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs).
The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), established in 1976 as an amendment to the NHPA, provides the critical financial support needed to carry out the Act’s mandates. Through the HPF, states, tribes, and local governments receive funding to survey historic resources, review federal projects, and support preservation planning—ensuring the NHPA's goals are meaningfully implemented across the country.
The HPF is a federal-state partnership that requires a minimum 40% match at the state level. Notably, it is not funded by taxpayer dollars. Instead, it receives a portion of royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling. From the start, the idea was to invest proceeds from the extraction of one non-renewable resource into the preservation of another—America’s irreplaceable cultural heritage.
HPF in Action: Local Impact in Durham
Preservation Durham and the City/County of Durham have directly benefited from HPF-sourced grants in recent years:
- The Geer Cemetery archeological survey & mapping project, which led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, was funded by a 2020 grant to Preservation Durham through the HPF.
- The West End Cemeteries National Register District project received funding from a Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant to the City of Durham. CLG grants require a local match, demonstrating how HPF funds leverage local investment.
- Currently, Preservation Durham and the City of Durham are partnering on a CLG grant project to document and nominate the Emorywood Estates neighborhood as a National Register Historic District.
Together, these three projects represent less than $100,000 in total project costs—yet none would have been possible without HPF’s matching contributions.
The Bigger Picture
While the potential loss of grant funding for future local projects is significant, an even more critical concern is the impact on our State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices that staff and support the review, compliance, and programs mandated in the NHPA. The NC Historic Preservation Office is essential for reviewing historic tax credit projects, National Register nominations, guiding compliance with federal laws, and managing grant programs. Our State Historic Preservation Office provides critical support to our local historic preservation commission as well through trainings, guidance and even reviewing local landmark nominations.
To make matters worse, the FY25 HPF funding, though approved by Congress, has not yet been released by the Office of Management and Budget. This delay is already creating immediate and serious operational challenges for SHPOs and THPOs nationwide.
Our statewide partners at Preservation North Carolina recently published a detailed piece on the impact of this uncertainty. It’s well worth a read if you want to understand the broader consequences of these funding delays and proposed cuts on preservation efforts here in Durham and across the state.
Preservation depends on action and your voice matters. The National Trust for Historic Preservation created an online tool that makes it easy to plug in your address to get customizable form letters to send to your members of congress. It takes less than 5 minutes and will support the work that Preservation Durham is doing to advocate on these issues.
More articles and resources:
- President’s FY26 Budget Proposal All But Eliminates the Historic Preservation Fund (National Trust for Historic Preservation, 5/28)
- Standing Up For Federal Historic Preservation Investment (Preservation NC, 5/28)
Preservation Durham members welcomed a new member to the Board of Directors at our annual meeting May 13 at the Carolina Theatre. Grace Wilson attended North Carolina Central University where she received both her BS and MS in Mathematics. An active member of several Durham community organizations, Grace realized her love for history, antiques and love for Durham “equaled” Preservation Durham. She has been a regular volunteer for Preservation Durham, participating on numerous committees in the past year including our advocacy and home tour committees.
At our annual meeting May 13th, we introduced a new advocacy initiative: Preservation Priorities. This list replaces our previous “Places in Peril” list and is designed to better communicate the historic places and issues currently at risk in Durham. By highlighting key sites and sharing updates on progress and ongoing advocacy, our preservation priorities aim to engage our community more constructively and transparently in our preservation efforts.
Through this new program, we hope to better reflect the scope and impact of our advocacy work and to celebrate preservation successes alongside our partners and supporters. Visit our advocacy page to read more about what’s on the list.
We are so excited for our annual awards following the success of last year’s ceremony! Nominations are now open online so get in your submissions before July 31st!
Preservation Durham Awards are awarded to those who have engaged in remarkable acts of preservation and public history across Durham County. The awards recognize those who have taken significant care in preserving Durham’s built environment and those who have creatively and innovatively engaged with, transformed, and disseminated Durham’s rich history. The awards seek to broaden our preservation community by celebrating what preservation looks like across Durham County.
For examples of the kinds of nominations we look for, look no further than last year’s recipients: Carie Chesarino for her dedication to creating an archival record of Durham’s modernist architecture; Indigenous Memories for their preservation advocacy and educational programs to highlight the experiences of Indigenous peoples, Maroons, enslaved individuals, and free people of color who lived along the Historic Indian Trading Path; Carl Webb and Peter Cvelich for Provident1898 as an exceptional example of an innovative use of a landmark historic building and creative way to share stories about Durham’s history; Historic Durham Sun Building partners and tenants (pictured above!) for the successful adaptive reuse into a vibrant community hub; John Warasila and Alliance Architecture in recognition of more than 30 years of visionary leadership in historic preservation and adaptive reuse; John Hykes and Craven Miller for Design Bank; and the Pauli Murray Center for the rehabilitation of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s Childhood Home.
Learn more and submit a nomination before July 31st by visiting our website!
Last month, we welcomed over 400 people to tour nine of Durham’s historic homes over the weekend of May 17-18. As the largest event and fundraiser we hold each year, the success of this event is critical to the work we do. We are so grateful to the many individuals who made this possible, including the homeowners, volunteers, sponsors, and our home tour committee! We’re thrilled to announce that we raised $35,000 this year; a fantastic indication of the support of historic preservation in Durham, more essential now than ever.
If you missed out on this year’s tour, we invite you to take the tour virtually on Open Durham and then be sure to join us next spring!
These corporate partners support the many programs and projects of Preservation Durham. Their support is critical to making preservation more accessible - THANK YOU!
Walking tours are back this summer! After the successful launch of the Cocktails and Cornices tour last year, we’re offering six dates for you to check out the tour yourself this year. The tour will be held (weather pending) throughout April-September from 5:30-7pm. The tour is free for Preservation Durham members and $12 for general admission. Check out the tour page for more information and to register for what are sure to be sold out tours.
Our April and May tours sold out so don’t wait to your tickets now for June-September before they are gone!
We excited to be partnering with the Museum of Durham History and the Friends of Geer Cemetery once again to host a conversation with Dr. Adam Rosenblatt, author of Cemetery Citizens: Reclaiming the Past and Working for Justice in American Burial Grounds and genealogist and president of Friends of Geer, Debra Taylor Gonzalez-Garcia! Visit the book talk to learn more about the importance of cemeteries in constructing histories and how this applies to the Geer Cemetery. Join us at The Chesterfield (701 W. Main St) in Suite 2908 at 6:30 on June 2nd for this FREE event! No registration required.
The Fuller-Barnhardt-Freelon House Today
One of the nine homes featured on our 2025 home tour, The Fuller-Barnhardt-Freelon House demonstrates the diversity of lived experiences that can take place under the same roof.
The Fuller-Barnhardt-Freelon house’s longer name indicates the history intrinsic to these three families who lived in the house, spanning from 1931 to 2014.
The Fuller family, including Durham politician and businessman, Frank Fuller Jr., originally owned this home. Fuller was a controversial figure, mostly for his unwillingness to desegregate Durham schools. In fact, many Black residents, including Dr. James E. Shepard, had protested his appointment to the city school board.
During their tenure in the home, Fannie Mae Geer, mother of Ernie Barnes, worked as a domestic worker for the family. Barnes, who would go on to become a notable Durham artist known for his work “The Sugar Shack,” spent time at the house in his youth.
The Barnhardt’s moved into the home in 1947. Louise and Max Barnhardt were Duke alumni. Louise’ father, Andrew Bullington, was a manager at the Liggett and Meyers Tobacco Company, where Max worked under him.
A group of episcopal priests lived for a stint in the home, involved in numerous programs including soup kitchens and support for HIV/AIDS patients. The monks lived in the home until 1993.
The last family to live in the home prior to the current home owners was Nnenna and Philip ‘Phil’ Freelon. Nnenna is a notable jazz performer, composer, producer, and arranger who was nominated for seven Grammy’s during her career. Phil was a celebrated designer, creating the Freelon Group, who would go on to design the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and Durham’s Human Services Complex.
The Fuller-Barnhardt-Freelon House was a huge hit during the tour, both for its detailed history and for the amazing historic preservation of the home.
We are so glad we got to highlight our plaque program during our home tour lecture and home tour this year and know we have a lot of new interest in the program. To learn more about the program and to access resources, visit our website linked below.
The Carolina Theatre- 1926 (under construction)
Round Robin Style Protest of the Carolina Theatre’s Segregation Policies in 1962
As the host of Preservation Durham’s 2025 annual meeting and home tour lecture, and whose cornucopia carvings located in the three pediments above the main entrance acted as Preservation Durham’s original logo, it is apt that we recognize the history of the Carolina Theatre. Originally constructed in 1926, soon to celebrate its 100th birthday, the Carolina Theatre was meant to replace the demolished First Academy of Music. The Carolina Theatre has brought in many acts to the Durham area since its construction, ranging from Katherine Hepburn to the
The Carolina Theatre has also been a center for social activism. In 1962, Black Durham residents protested the theatre for its segregation policies, conducting a round-robin style protest. The patrons would use the white-only box office to attempt to buy a ticket, and when refused, would return to the back of a line. The Carolina Theatre became desegregated in 1963, in large part due to these protests.
To learn more about the nearly 100 years of history of the Carolina Theatre, check out its page on Open Durham!
Local events and news from us and our partners in preservation you may be interested in.
- ICYMI (In Case you Missed It): Coates’ Canons NC Local Government Law Blog posts on historic preservation at the local level by Adam LoveladyPreservation Commission Basics (5/14)Designating Local Historic Landmarks and Districts (5/21)Certificates of Appropriateness and Quasi-Judicial Procedures (5/28)
- Hayti Heritage Center Exhibit on Pfc. Booker T. Spicely: Citizen, Soldier, Martyr, Hero. Open now through June 13th. 804 Old Fayetteville Street.
- Museum of Durham History: Unearthing Stories of Geer Cemetery: Using Archaeology to Reclaim, Restore, and Respect Sacred Space Exhibit, now through Fall 2025. Check out this fantastic exhibit at the Museum of Durham History, in collaboration with the Friends of Geer organization. This exhibit includes artifacts found in the preservation process at the Geer Cemetery, one of the first African American cemeteries in Durham. More information here.
- Cemetery Citizens: A Conversation on Memory & Justice, June 2, 6:30-8pm. The Chesterfield Building, Suite 2908. Join the Museum of Durham History, Friends of Geer Cemetery, and Preservation Durham as we host another Cemetery Citizens book talk with author Dr. Adam Rosenblatt and Friends of Geer President, Debra Taylor Gonzalez-Garcia regarding the importance and process of reclaiming History through cemetery preservation work. Free.
- Historic Tax Credit Workshop. City of Burlington Planning Department. June 5, 6-7:30 pm. Sara Lachenman of Four Over One Design and Meghan Sullivan of the State Historic Preservation Office will share what historic tax credits are, their benefits, and how to use them. More information here.
- The Local Legacy of the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, June 14, 10am-1:30pm. Speakers Anna Agbe-Davies, Anjalique Knight, and Cori Geer-Banks discuss the archaeological survey of the Pauli Murray Center and how Pauli Murray’s work is taught in K-12 classrooms. More information and registration here.
- Juneteenth at Stagville, June 21, 10am-2pm. Free. This is the nineteenth year of the Historic Stagville celebrating Juneteenth. Join Stagville as they celebrate emancipation with stories of emancipated individuals who were once forced to work on the Cameron plantations. More information here.
Copyright (C) 2025 Preservation Durham. All rights reserved.Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe
