From: Maureen Giese <renie.giese@gmail.com> Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2022 20:33:46 -0500 Message-ID: <CAESRZzhxHtUzUfWJX_+0fyPduMqiNJ28DEgt+1QWC1dam54SEA@mail.gmail.com> Subject: Re: Having a plaque made for an historical downtown building, any legal restrictions from the State of WI ? Building located in an historical designated area.
Thank you all for answering my "Placing a Plaque on a Downtown Historic
District Building." Waterloo is a small downtown with a 2 yr Business
Association group trying very hard to create a downtown area where
buildings are remembered from the past ....but many are empty. One
building that was a "Community Building" that was very popular in the past
from early high school graduations to family reunions to "home shows" to
whatever makes a community "alive" is now restored for wedding venues and
other events. The newly formed Business Association wants to place plaques
on buildings that owners would like for all to remember what those walls
would tell if they could talk about "life in early Waterloo" a small town
striving to keep the charm of a small community. Only those owners of
buildings that would like a plaque telling briefly the history will be
considered...all signage objectives will be honored. Many thanks for all
suggestions as we work together to keep landmarks exist for the future
viewers of what was and what will be remembered.
Maureen Giese Waterloo Area Historical Society and also member of the
Waterloo Business Association
On Mon, Jun 13, 2022 at 6:44 PM Jason L Tish <
jason.tish@wisconsinhistory.org> wrote:
> Hi Maureen-
>
> There are no state or federal rules on how or where you can install
> historic markers. And the content of markers is completely up to the person
> or organization designing/installing them.
>
> Surprisingly, there is very little guidance on establishing a historic
> plaque program, or the technicalities of fabrication and installation. I'll
> reiterate Rick Berstein's referral to Erie Landmarks
> <https://www.erielandmark.com/establishing-a-plaque-program/#:~:text=Plaque%20programs%20provide%20one%20of,purchased%20by%20the%20owners%20of>
> , a plaque fabricator.
>
> Here's what I share with folks thinking about a community-wide signage
> program for historic properties. Some of this may be relevant to your
> situation.:
>
> 1. Criteria
> 1. Make a policy on which properties are eligible for a plaque
> under your program. Also consider whether property owners will be required
> to apply for a plaque or will plaques will be offered to all eligible
> property owners.
> 2. Funding
> 1. Decide how plaques under your program will be funded. Be
> transparent about this when you advertise the program so applicants are
> aware of funding limitations
> 3. Ownership
> 1. Think about who will own the actual plaque after it is
> installed. Will it be donated to the property owner, or will the
> city/organization retain ownership after installation.
> 4. Permission
> 1. It's best to get the consent of the property owner prior to
> designing the plaque. Again, consider whether property owners will
> be required to apply for a plaque or will plaques will be offered to all
> eligible property owners.
> 5. Material
> 1. Once the decision has been made to install a plaque, the
> specifications of fabrication and installation must be worked out. Plaques
> can be made of a variety of materials including aluminum, steel, metal
> alloys, and even ceramic. Costs vary widely, so shop around for fabricators
> to compare materials options and costs.
> 6. Content
> 1. The content is up to you. Again, there are no rules or standards
> for the content of there markers, except the proper name of the *National
> Register of Historic Places*.
> 7. Location (of installation)
> 1. Before a plaque is made, consider where it will be mounted.
> There are many options: on a post, double or single-sided, on a concrete
> slab on the ground, on a rock, on a building.
> 8. Method (of installation)
> 1. Fabricators will help you determine how to mount their plaques.
> One important consideration is that if a plaque will be mounted directly on
> a building, the mounting hardware should cause as little damage to historic
> materials as possible. For example, if mounting on a brick building, bolts
> should be drilled into easily repairable mortar joints rather than into
> bricks.
>
>
> Hope this is helpful .
>
> -Jason
>
> <http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/>
>
> Collecting, Preserving, and Sharing Stories Since 1846
> <http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/?utm_source=Email%20Signatures&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=signature%20clicks>
>
>
>
> *JASON TISH*
>
> CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT COORDINATOR
>
> PRESERVATION EDUCATION COORDINATOR
>
> Wisconsin Historical Society
>
> 816 State Street, Rm. 305
>
> Madison, WI 53706
>
> 608.264.6512
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* localhistory-request@listserve.uwec.edu <
> localhistory-request@listserve.uwec.edu> on behalf of Olive Gross <
> gross622@gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Monday, June 13, 2022 15:37
> *To:* localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu <localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu>
> *Subject:* Re: Having a plaque made for an historical downtown building,
> any legal restrictions from the State of WI ? Building located in an
> historical designated area.
>
> Maureen,
>
> You might check with the Jefferson County Parks & Recreation Department,
> listed under Jefferson County to Google.
>
> Olive - BRWHS
>
> On 6/11/2022 11:02 PM, Maureen Giese wrote:
> > Any information regarding placing a plaque stating when the building
> > was established/built. Historical use of building in the past. Do not
> > need a Wis Landmark sign, just an informative brief sign telling of
> > early use and when built to brighten up our local downtown historic
> > district.
> >
> > Any information is appreciated. Also places where a sign company is
> > located.
> >
> > Maureen Giese Waterloo Area Historical Society & Waterloo Business
> > Association
>
