| About
Us
Our Mission: “To be the nation’s
leading historic preservation easement holding organization by providing
first class services and operating with the highest standards of
integrity and professionalism.”
The Preservation Easement Trust, Inc is a qualified 501(c)(3)
nonprofit charitable organization that is dedicated to preserving
our nation’s historic buildings and sites through the acceptance
and responsible management of historic preservation easements combined with public education and awareness efforts designed
to foster support for historic preservation.
The Trust believes that our nation’s historic architecture
and cultural landscape are reflections of our heritage and the foundation
for the future. As an advocate for the preservation of our nation’s
historic buildings and sites, the Trust promotes awareness for all
that is architecturally distinctive and historically significant
to ensure its inherent beauty for present and future generations.
The Trust’s primary tool for achieving its goal is the historic
preservation easement, a voluntary legal agreement
that protects historic buildings and sites by restricting certain
types of future alterations and development. The Trust works closely
with property owners to ensure that the easement restrictions meet
their goals and are appropriate to the unique characteristics of
their property.
There are two general types of historic preservation
easements: facade and interior space. To qualify
for a historic preservation easement donation and its
associated federal tax benefits, a property must be either a certified
historic structure or historically important land area.
Once donated, the easement becomes part of the property's chain
of title and permanently remains with the historic property while
the Trust accepts a stewardship obligation to enforce the terms
of the easement in perpetuity. As an incentive, under the Internal
Revenue Code section 170(h), federal law permits the donation of
a historic preservation easement to be treated as a
tax-deductible charitable contribution with the property owner receiving
an income tax deduction equivalent to the fair market value of the
easement.
In addition to being the custodian of historic preservation
easements, the Trust is committed to improving the general public’s
awareness and understanding of historic preservation, and of all
programs that support historic preservation. Only through greater
public education that emphasizes the importance and benefits of
our nation’s historic and cultural heritage can our nation’s
vitality and quality of life be maintained.
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