montgomery county today
171
reconstruction, alteration, restoration,
demolition or razing of buildings within
historic districts.
One of the newest historic districts in the
county is in Souderton Borough, with a
district overlay within the downtown area.
Cheltenham Township also has a HARB
that oversees historic districts in LaMott
and Wyncote. However, the township is
also considering an overlay district to
protect properties outside of these areas.
Lower Merion Township has both an
overlay district across the entire township
as well as a HARB that oversees historic
districts in Ardmore, Gladwyne, Mill
Creek and Haverford Station.
National Historic Landmarks and the
National Register of Historic Places
The Historic Sites Act of 1935 allows
for historic resources to be designated as
National Historic Landmarks—
resources with a high degree of historic
integrity which are significant to the
nation and its history. The Secretary of
the Interior, working with the National
Park Service, is responsible for
designating and maintaining the list of
National Historic Landmarks, of which
there are 13 in the county.
The National Register of Historic Places
is the official federal list of important
historic resources. This list goes beyond
just National Historic Landmarks and
includes buildings, structures (like
bridges), objects, sites (such as
cemeteries), and districts (such as the
local districts mentioned above).
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission maintains and publishes a list
of state historic resources that are listed
(or are eligible to be listed) on the
Historic sites in Montgomery County range from
religious to revolutionary. The Beth Sholom
Congregation’s synagogue, designed by Frank
Lloyd Wright, is on the right. The bottom photo is a
Civil War reenactment at Pennypacker Mills.
FIGURE 128:
Communities with Historic Resources Inventories
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Pottstown
Norristown
Lansdale
Collegeville
Jenkintown
Conshohocken
476
276
76
476
t
u
422
t
u
202
611
100
309
Hatboro
Ambler
Pennsburg
73
663
29
29
73
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Partial historic resource inventory performed by the Clio Group
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Historic resource inventory performed by the Conservancy of Montgomery County
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Historic resource inventory performed independently by municipality or other agency
Source: Montgomery County Planning Commission
