Downtown Plano added to National Register of Historic Places!

The National Park Service has confirmed that the Plano Downtown Historic District has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation.

The Plano Heritage Commission initiated the designation in February. The National Register designation will provide a prestigious recognition for Downtown Plano, promote tourism and economic development, and provide eligibility for individual property owners to apply and receive state and financial incentives for rehabilitation of buildings. The designation imposes no restrictions on property owners. The Plano Downtown Historic District will now be listed with some of the nation’s most prestigious historic districts including Charleston, South Carolina and New Orleans’ French Quarter.

The National Register of Historic Places is a federal program administered in our state by the Texas Historical Commission in coordination with the National Park Service. There are over 300 districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas today, including four in Collin County (three in the City of McKinney and one in the City of Fairview). Before today, Plano was the largest city in Texas without a district listed on the National Register.

City of Plano staff has been working with a consultant since 2015 to conduct individual property surveys, research historical photos, and prepare the district for National Register nomination.