When it comes to nominating your Phoenix home as a National Historic Residence, you may be better off being a scaredy-cat
Think getting your classic Phoenix home on the National Register of Historic Places is a good idea? Think again!
A couple of years ago, when Phoenix was having a particularly cold winter, I accidently domesticated a feral cat who I had been feeding in my yard. During my first decade of driving, I lived where winters really are cold — off of Lake Erie. I had learned better… hit your hood before starting your engine, in case a cat had crawled up inside during the night for warmth. But I’ve been spoiled in Phoenix, and hadn’t given it another thought when I started out for work that cold January morning. The thump, thump, thump coming from under the hood, and then seeing fur flying when Greg opened the hood to see what was going on, stopped me in horror! I thought I had killed the little feral cat that I had become so fond of. I rushed her to Vanaken Pet Hospital, and almost two months later they returned her to me in a lime green body cast. It wasn’t until we removed the cast from her, several weeks later still, that I realized Marquina is a Polydactyl.
My love for Marquina is how I came to be interested in Hemmingway Cats.
So I thought it was too bad when I read today that the U.S. government is threatening the home of Hemmingway’s cats.
I have no idea, of course, whether the complaints against the museum are legitimate, or perhaps the story of a disgruntled employee. How could I know? That’s a matter for local authorities to ferret out. And so I think it’s odd that the federal government would throw its heft into the matter. Then I noticed what gives them the authority:
U.S. Animal and Plant Inspection Service officials argue that the house, listed as a National Historic Landmark since 1968, requires a federal Animal Welfare License, like a circus or zoo, in order to keep housing the cats.
This reminded me of a house that I recently listed and sold in one of Phoenix’s historic districts. The transaction was an incredibly smooth and amicable one. The sellers were great, and so were the buyers. The buyers’ agent was wonderful, as was the title company and loan officer they had chosen for this transaction. Everything was running like a perfectly tuned instrument until a few days before close, when the loan officer called me for clarification. “The lender wants to know whether the house is on the National Register of Historic Places.” I said, no, the house is in an historic district, but isn’t specifically listed on either the state nor national registers. The loan officer was relieved… it seems that had the property been specifically named, the bank that was lending on the second mortgage wouldn’t approve the loan. Apparently, the bank reasoned that if the mortgage payment were to fall into default, the bank wouldn’t have all the normal rights to make the loan good, because they would have to deal with the federal government. They must have had some bad experience with a mortgage loan on a property listed in the National Register, which had gone into default, so decided to avoid potential for a similar problem in the future — no one wants to take on the Feds!
I’ve had clients tell me that they’d avoid nominating their homes for the Registry because they were afraid they’d be hamstrung from making changes without going through a lot of bureaucratic red tape. It’s a good idea to think through the long term consequences of partnering up with a force so much more powerful than you before being seduced by its charm.
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I think you have received some wrong information about historic designation and wanted to help clear things up. Design review of historic homes is triggered by local historic district designation, not state or National Register listing.
The two most common designations are local designation (Phoenix Historic Property Register) and national (National Register). The National Register listing is honorary, and qualifies owner-occupied historic home owners to apply for substantial local prpoerty tax reductions. There is no related federal government review of your home, and there are no restrictions or encumbrances relating to mortgages.
To qualify for the local property tax reduction, your house has to retain its historic character (particularly from street visible vantage points), but this is a voluntary program, and again does not in any way affect your mortgage or require federal government review. If an owner makes a substantial inappropriate change to the front of their house, then it will be disqualified from the tax reduction program. BUT no one will make you correct the change (provided it was legally permitted) – it’s your choice.
The State Historic Preservation Office oversees the tax reduction program. If historic property owners apply to the City for an exterior rehabilitation grant (e.g., to repair your historic wood windows or re-open an enclosed front porch), that will require consent by the mortgage company (lender) for the city to place a conservation easement on the property (the easement is a condition of receiving the grant), since the easement will be attached to your title in exchange for receipt of public funds. BUT that is only for owners who choose to apply for grants from the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office (and again it has nothing to do with National Register listing).
I am concerned that the information you are relaying on your website is misleading and encourage you to delete it. Some Realtors marketing historic homes have links to our office’s web site which is http://www.phoenix.gov/historic which we would also encourage you to do.
I am happy to answer any questions any current or prospective historic home owner may have (602-261-8699). Thanks.
Barbara Stocklin
City of Phoenix
Historic Preservation Office
602-262-7468
fax 602-534-4571
barbara.stocklin@phoenix.gov