Texas Administrative Code › Title 13 - CULTURAL RESOURCES › Part 2 - TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION › Chapter 12 - TEXAS HISTORIC COURTHOUSE PRESERVATION PROGRAM › Section 12.5 - Definitions

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
When used in this chapter, the following words or terms have the
											  following meanings unless the context indicates otherwise:
(1) Texas
										Historic Courthouse Preservation Program. Means the grant or loan program created by Texas Government Code
										§§
									442.0081 -
										442.0083.
(2) The Courthouse Fund Account. Means a separate account in the general
										revenue fund. The account consists of transfers made to account, payment on loans made under the historic
										courthouse preservation program, grants and donations received for the purposes of the historic courthouse
										preservation program, and income earned on investments of money in the account.
(3) Texas Courthouse Preservation Program Advisory Committee. Means a
										committee that serves the commission in matters concerning the courthouse program.
(4) Courthouse. Means the principal buildings which serve as the primary
										seat of county government of the county in which it is located, and its surrounding sites (typically the
										courthouse square). The courthouse includes additions or annexes physically attached to the building that
										were constructed for the purpose of expanding the functions of the courthouse, but it does not include other
										freestanding buildings on the site.
(5) Historic courthouse.
										Means a building that currently or previously served as a county courthouse, as defined in paragraph (4) of
										this section, and which entered service as a courthouse at least 50 years prior to the due date of the grant
										application, using the first commissioners court meeting as its first date of service. A historic courthouse
										may include additions or annexes physically attached to the courthouse for at least 50 years prior to the due
										date of the grant application.
(6) Historic courthouse project.
										Means an undertaking to preserve or restore a historic courthouse.
(7) Master preservation plan or master plan. Means a comprehensive planning
										document that includes the historical background of a courthouse, as well as a detailed analysis of its
										architectural integrity, current condition, and future needs for preservation. The commission shall
										promulgate specific guidelines for developing the document.
(8)
										Conservation Easement. Means a voluntary legal agreement whereby the property owner grants the Commission an
										interest in the property for the purpose of preservation of historic, architectural, scenic and open space
										values, also may be called a preservation easement.
(9)
										Construction Documents (also known as contract documents). Means the written and graphic instructions used
										for construction of a project which are prepared by an architect and their engineering consultants. May also
										be called architectural plans and specifications.
(10)
										Restoration. Means the act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property
										as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its
										history and reconstruction of missing features from the restored period. (As defined by the Secretary of the
										Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (1995 edition, or as revised)).
(11) Reconstruction. Means the act or process of depicting, by means of new
										construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or
										object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic
										location. (As defined by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties
										(1995 edition, or as revised)).
(12) Preservation. Means the act
										or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of a
										historic property. (As defined by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic
										Properties (1995 edition, or as revised)).
(13) Rehabilitation.
										Means the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and
										additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural
										values. (As defined by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties
										(1995 edition, or as revised)).
(14) Full restoration. Means a
										construction grant to undertake a project to restore a courthouse to its appearance at an agreed upon
										restoration period, which includes removing additions and alterations from later periods and reconstructing
										features missing from the restoration period. This treatment applies to the site, exterior of the courthouse,
										and interior public spaces such as the corridors, stairways, and courtrooms. Secondary spaces may be
										preserved or rehabilitated rather than restored. Additions or attached annexes must be removed if they
										post-date the selected restoration period. Retention or removal of site features from outside of the
										restoration period may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
(15)
										Restoration period. Means the date selected for the purpose of defining the full restoration of a courthouse,
										representing the most significant time in the courthouse's history. Selection of the restoration period must
										be justified based on documentary and physical evidence and surviving integrity of historic materials from
										that period, and it must be described in the master plan for the restoration project. The restoration period
										represents a time when the building in its entirety exhibited a cohesive architectural style exemplifying the
										work of an architect or a period when the building experienced a significant historical event.
(16) Match requirement. Means the percentage of the total project cost that
										must be provided by a county or municipality.
(17) Current cash
										match. Means monies to be paid by a county or municipality as part of the preservation project described in a
										current request for grant or loan funding.
(18) Current in-kind
										match. Materials and labor to be donated as part of the preservation project described in a current request
										for grant or loan funding.
(19) Planning match. Means county or
										municipal monies spent on an approved master preservation plan or approved construction plans and
										specifications.