Downtown Madison Architectural Survey, Public Meeting

The South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office will host a presentation on a downtown Madison historic architecture survey project. The meeting will be held at the Madison Depot Community Room, 315 S. Egan Ave., Madison on Tuesday, July 25, at 12 p.m. CDT. The SHPO, a program of the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, recently contracted with Collaborative Design Group, Inc. to complete a survey of historic architecture in downtown Madison. The program will present the plans for the survey and information about state historic preservation programs. There will also be time for the public to ask questions or share historical information with the contractors about buildings in the survey area, from SD Highway 34 south to the railroad tracks between Blanche and Lee Avenues. The SHPO annually conducts surveys of historic architecture to identify and document historic properties that might be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s official list of historic places worthy of preservation. Properties eligible for the National Register are at least 50 years old and historically significant for their association with important events, people, architecture or archeology. Eligible properties retain enough original features to convey their significance. Properties listed on the National Register may also be eligible for historic preservation grants and tax incentives. Downtown Madison features two properties already listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Madison Depot was listed in 1989 while it was being restored and rehabilitated. The Lake County Courthouse was listed in 1993 for its New Deal-era Art Deco architecture. For more information on the presentation or the survey and National Register programs, contact Liz Almlie with the SHPO at 605-773-6056 or liz.almlie@state.sd.us.