May is National Preservation Month

Boston is one of America’s most historic cities, with a built environment that holds the memories and bears the marks of many critical moments in our country’s history, from revolution to abolition to diverse immigration stories.



Due to the proposal of Donald T. Sheehan of the National Trust, the first National Preservation week was in 1973 during the second week of May in an effort to draw attention to the benefits of local, state, and national preservation.



On February 15, 1973, Senator Henry M. Jackson introduced a Joint Congressional Resolution to designate May 6 through 12, 1973 as National Preservation Week, which was signed into law on May 5, 1973.



In 2005, the National Trust expanded National Preservation Week into Preservation Month in an effort to draw more attention to historic places and to promote heritage tourism.



The Council adopted a resolution recognizing May as National Preservation Month. The resolution states that, “the City of Boston is home to a great number of historic places, which should be recognized, protected, and celebrated not only for the sake of the economic benefits of historic tourism, but because of the social and educational benefits of preserving our diverse and unique heritage and the sites that are important to all of Boston’s communities.”