Dear Ms. Hague,

Thank you for your letter about the Woodstock Festival Site.  I have enclosed information that explains the application, evaluation and review process for the State and National registers of Historic Places.  The first step in this process is to complete the enclosed Application for Technical Assistance.  Since we have already determined that this resource meets the criteria for listing, you will not need to prepare a building-structure inventory form.  However, we ask that you submit the completed Statement of Owner Support with your submission.  As I mentioned on the phone, owners of private properties have the right to object to listing of their properties on the National Register.  A notarized objection by the sole owner of a private property will prevent that property from being listed on the National Register.  In general, it is the policy of this office not to proceed with register listing in cases where the owner does not consent.  Since a determination of eligibility for the festival site has been made, this property already has the full protection granted to National Register listed properties, and all project work undertaken with the state or federal funds or involvement is being reviewed under these provisions. 

A nomination sponsor is required to submit a fully documented draft National register nomination.  I have enclosed several National Park Service publications that will assist you in preparing the draft.  The most important is Bulletin16: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form.  You should follow this guide closely in preparing the draft nomination.  Resources that are less than fifty years old are not eligible for nomination unless they are of exceptional significance.  Because they are an exception to the criteria, these resources require extremely thorough and well-documented nominations.  I have also enclosed Bulletin 22: Guidelines for Evaluating and Nominating Properties That Have Achieved Significance Within the Last Fifty Years.  This will provide guidance about the type and level of information required.  Because of the specialized nature of this resource and its relatively recent history, I strongly suggest that you consider engaging the services of a preservation consultant who has experience in preparing National register forms, particularly for properties that are less than fifty years old. 

For your information, I have included an example of a completed nomination form for a resource of recent date and exceptional significance.  The nomination for Stonewall documents an event that occurred only a month before the Woodstock Festival, so it should provide a good model.  In this case, the author’s extensive use of oral history was an effective way to substantiate the exceptional importance of the site. 

Completed drafts should be sent to me at the above address.  Since the review process normally involves several revisions, it would be best if you sent me the copies of the draft essays for items 7 and 8 in double-spaced format on plain paper.  Once we are comfortable that the draft meets the standards for documentation, we can worry about getting it onto an official form.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 518-237-8643, ext. 3261.

Sincerely,

Kathleen LaFrank

Program Analyst

Field Services Bureau

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