Founded by General William Larimer, Jr., in 1858, LoDo retains much of its railroad and industrial past. The area, easily accessed via Union Station or the 16th Street Mall, is best enjoyed on foot. Pedestrians appreciate the distinctive street wall created by warehouse loading docks, some of which are used for outdoor dining or retail displays.

LoDo's 3,500 residents include families, young professionals, and empty nesters who appreciate the area's proximity to outdoor parks, the Pepsi Center, and Coors Field. Housing options range from stunning, million-dollar lofts to handsome, below-market-rate apartments.

The emergence of LoDo as a vibrant neighborhood stems from strong leadership and community support. A $240 million voter-approved bond issue in 1989 enabled the city to tear down viaducts and dramatically improve the streetscape. Although residents, shoppers, diners, and tourists have replaced miners, the legacy of Denver's past remains palpable in LoDo.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Historic Heritage

• Original settlement for City of Denver (1858)
• Fire destroys wooden buildings (1863); leads to use of characteristic red brick
• Nearly all 100-plus existing historic buildings are renovated for use as offices, hotels, and residences, many with ground floor retail
• Union Station is named national (1972) and local (2004) landmark. Larimer Square Historic District (1973) and Lower Downtown Historic District (1988) added to National Register. Lower Downtown Design Review Board established in 1988
• Design Guidelines for Lower Downtown Streetscape (1991) guide use of $240 million bond issue funds
• District-specific design guidelines (2002) supplement those for Landmark Structures and Districts (1995)

Strong Leadership

• Preservationist Dana Crawford sees possibilities for LoDo's transformation; turns Larimer Square's historic buildings into festive marketplace (1969)
• Mayor Frederico Pena (1983-1991) stays course during fight creating historic district
• Planning Director William Lamont, Jr., FAICP (1983-1991) provides political backbone; lets planners advocate for and develop coalition to support historic district designation opposed by property owners
• After leading Historic Denver, Jennifer Moulton becomes city planning director (1991-2003), ensuring district's protection through support of Lower Downtown Design Review Board
• Entrepreneur turned Mayor John Hickenlooper (2003-present) spurs redevelopment by investing in several LoDo restaurants (late 1980s)

Reliance on Planning

• Industrial zoning changed to mixed use (1974); premiums (increased floor area) encourage adaptive reuse, underground parking; building height limits imposed
• Downtown Area Plan (1987, updated 2007) reveals community desire to protect LoDo; instills political will to overcome property owners' opposition
• Lower Downtown Neighborhood Plan (2000) brings together elements from earlier plans and design guidelines into cohesive document with well defined strategies

Amenities

• Cherry Creek Trail provides safe access to nearby Cherry Creek Park; Centennial and Commons Parks located at northwestern boundary
• Home to Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (1996) and 30 art galleries
• Coors Field (1995) and Pepsi Center (1999) bookend neighborhood
• University of Colorado, Denver on LoDo's southern edge; also Denver School of Nursing and two culinary schools in neighborhood

Sustainability

• Transit and trails eliminate need for automobile. Iconic Union Station (1881) undergoing $480-million transformation, including construction of a 22-bay underground bus facility, light and commuter rail stations, and extension of the transit mall shuttle bus
• Nearly all LoDo housing is multi-family; inclusionary zoning (2002) requires new owner-occupied developments of 30-plus units to make 10 percent affordable. Restored Barth Hotel houses more than 60 low-income and disabled seniors
• LoDo selected for pilot project by Living City Block to create an environmentally and economically sustainable block within the urban landscape by 2014

Originally home to Colonial Spanish land grants and later several plantations, Riverside began to develop shortly after the Civil War. Most of the early residential development occurred along Riverside Avenue, with many large elaborate homes occupied by prominent business and political leaders. Development increased once Jacksonville annexed the neighborhood in 1887, and trolleys were extend into the neighborhood from downtown.

A disastrous downtown fire in 1901 led many families to flock to Riverside, and the neighborhood became a virtual laboratory for aspiring architects and a variety of contemporary styles. During the next 11 years, 13,000 new residential and commercial buildings were erected. Many of the new residences reflected the Prairie style of architecture uncommon outside of the Midwest, where it was developed particularly through the influence of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Avondale — with its curved roadways and grassy rights of way — took its cue from the 19th century English Garden City movement and the City Beautiful movement. This portion of the neighborhood features a variety of architectural styles, particular the Spanish Eclectic, Italian Renaissance, Tudor Revival, and modernistic Craftsman, beneath moss-draped oak trees, many facing small pocket parks.

City protection efforts have included adoption of a historic preservation element to the comprehensive plan in 1990, formation of the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission, and approval of design guidelines. In 1997, Riverside-Avondale was designated as a City of Jacksonville Historic District, which ensures that work is done consistent with the design guidelines. The design review process is complemented by a 2008 zoning overlay that further protects its character and economic vitality.

Working with the city to protect the neighborhood's character has been Riverside Avondale Preservation. Established in 1974, it helped secure listing of the neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places and as a local City of Jacksonville historic district, as well as initiating a variety of programs and services to promote and encourage preservation efforts.

Despite its rich architectural heritage, Riverside Avondale was not immune to suburban flight. By the late 1960s, the housing stock was deteriorating and crime was rising. As commercial development replaced many beautiful old homes, neighbors banded together to oppose measures that threatened the neighborhood's residential fabric.

Nearly four decades later, Riverside Avondale is more than just a neighborhood; it's a destination for thousands who attend its weekly arts market, stroll along the riverbank, shop and dine in one of its quaint commercial corridors, relax in its parks, or attend worship services at one of its historic churches.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Architectural Diversity, Neighborhood Ambiance

• Home to Florida's most diverse collection of architecture; neighborhood showcases 15 styles, including Colonial Revival, Spanish Eclectic, Queen Anne, Craftsman, and Tudor Revival
• Composed in part from two National Register districts — Riverside (1985) and Avondale (1989); combined into one local district (1998) that is a mile wide and three miles long; 70 percent of its 5,000 structures contribute to historic status
• Moss-draped oaks frame streets; spacious, well-tended lawns surround riverfront estates
• Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) established (1974); secured historic district designation, encourages individual preservation efforts, develops events and activities. RAP and the neighborhood were leaders in the initiation of the historic preservation movement in Jacksonville

Reliance on Planning

• Responding to loss of historic urban fabric, Jacksonville Area Planning Board publishes Riverside Area Study (1973), resulting in formation of Riverside Avondale Preservation
• RAP fights inappropriate zoning and insensitive institutional expansion, helping change city's approach to planning and zoning in historic districts
• City adopts historic preservation element as part of its comprehensive plan (1990); Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission
• Designated as a City of Jacksonville Historic District (1997), which requires all work to be reviewed for consistency with the design regulations
• Historic district zoning overlay (2008) protects character, economic vitality; establishes building height, scale, and setback provisions
• Four of district's commercial areas included in city's Town Center Initiative (2002); $1 million allocated for each to enhance streetscape, stimulate economic growth
• RAP creates district strategic plan (2009), articulating vision for 2020

Neighborhood Diversity

• Ethnically, racially, and economically diverse; African Americans are 50 percent of the population in some areas
• Housing options include high-rise assisted living facilities, modern and historic apartments, riverfront estates. Riverside Avondale Development Organization (1998) keeps housing affordable by renovating and constructing homes
• Five commercial centers, each with distinct personality, serve neighborhood
• Eighteen houses of worship including Protestant, Catholic churches; Buddhist center

Diversity of Transportation Options

• Since first streetcar lines extended during the second half of the 19th century, neighborhood connected to the city's downtown by trolley
• Five Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus lines stop in Riverside Avondale
• Two-mile-long Northbank River Walk connects Riverside Avondale with downtown

Diversity of Amenities

• More than a dozen schools, including Florida State College at Jacksonville's Kent Campus
• St. Vincent's Medical Center (1928) started as 200-bed facility on riverbank;  an expansive modern facility now incorporates the original building, and the hospital is a renowned state-of-the-art regional healthcare center
• Abundance of parks and open space is neighborhood hallmark; Olmsted Brothers designed Memorial Park with signature statue, "Winged Victory"; Avondale's initial plan includes 16 pocket parks; five large parks offer recreational options (including 16-court public tennis facilities)
• Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens ablaze with rare horticultural specimens throughout year; 5,000 works encompass 8,000 years of art history
• Framed by soaring neo-Gothic arches of Fuller Warren Bridge, Riverside Arts Market, a public-private partnership, is all-weather outdoor venue for entertainment, farmers markets, and events

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright moved to Oak Park in 1889 at age 21. The neighborhood contains 23 buildings that he designed or remodeled, including his own home and studio, before he left the village in 1913. Characterized by their horizontal form, low-pitched roof lines, restrained ornamentation, and open floor plan, the Prairie style homes in Oak Park are among more than 1,700 residential and commercial properties that contribute to the area's designation as a local and national historic district.

Incorporated in 1902 and just nine miles from Chicago's downtown Loop, Oak Park developed its first plan in 1925. A village-wide architectural survey, completed in 1970, formed the basis for many community plans and village actions, including the 558-acre neighborhood's designation as a local and national historic district.

A model of smart growth — its compact design features a connected street grid with alleys and sidewalks — the neighborhood has embraced transit-oriented design and adaptive reuse. Here residents, tourists, commuters, bicyclists, and motorists move seamlessly through what is one of the most architecturally endowed urban landscapes in the country.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Architectural Diversity

• Nearly 90 percent of 1,934 structures in this neighborhood contribute to its status as a local (1972) and national (1973) historic district
• District contains largest concentration — more than 80 examples — of Prairie style structures by Frank Lloyd Wright and other architects
• District known for mix of architecture; early Gothic Revival and Italianate structures give way to styles from the late Victorian era
• Survey of historic resources (1970) is blueprint for local preservation efforts; identifies 328 structures of significance, recommends creation of historic district
• Historic Preservation Commission (1972) reviews building permit applications affecting properties and landmarks in the district
• Architectural review guidelines (1994), mandatory for modifications to landmarks, protect the unique visual qualities of buildings and surroundings
• Historic Preservation Commission documents every property within district; survey leads to district's expansion (2009)
• District is site of Frank Lloyd Wright home (1889) and studio (1898); today the building is owned by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust; daily tours offered
• Ernest Hemingway, Oak Park's Nobel Prize winning son, born (1899) in historic district; home now a museum. Neighborhood also site of Hemingway's boyhood home (1906-1920), a large house with Prairie-style influences

Reliance on Planning

• First plan (1925) guides Oak Park's transition from rural village to Chicago suburb
• Planning Commission established 1968 to guide development of comprehensive plan (1973, updated 1979); plan recommends designation of historic district and structures
• Comprehensive plan (1990) highlights importance of Oak Park's architectural heritage by including a specific historic preservation objective
• Chicago-Harlem Avenue District Neighborhood Plan (2008) establishes goals including attracting high quality retail, enhancing the pedestrian experience, and improving parking
• Zoning changes modify building height, lot coverage requirement in the single-family and two-family zoning districts to discourage teardowns, out-of-scale buildings
• Certain areas zoned multiple-family residential to reduce likelihood of apartments and condos replacing single- and two-family style homes
• Among first communities to pass fair housing law (1968); recently analyzed impediments to fair housing

Self-Contained, Sustainable

• Several higher-density, mixed-use redevelopment projects constructed near Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Green Line
• Composed of some 97 blocks on the north side of the Village of Oak Park, the neighborhood offers diversity of housing stock; while housing market is competitive, village programs provide loans and grants for first-time buyers
• District served by several train and commuter-rail lines and buses; multi-modal transportation center on western edge; car sharing at two nearby public parking garages
• Car Free Sundays and Idling Gets You No Where reduce auto use; Bicycle Plan (2008) places every Oak Park resident and destination within two blocks of a bikeway
• Neighborhood home to Austin Gardens, site of village's summer theater program; site master plan (2005) serves as blueprint for park's preservation and improvement

During the Depression, some homes were altered to take in boarders, and others carved out small apartments to house returning servicemen after World War II. By the 1960s, families flocked to the suburbs, and many of the neighborhood's houses became rentals — some with multiple apartments. As Ninth Street Hill fell into decline, several landmark structures were razed.

The 1986 formation of a neighborhood association by determined residents served as a catalyst for beautification, preservation, and safety efforts. As families returned to Ninth Street Hill, the association expanded its calendar of events to meet the needs of residents from many generations.

While two historic homes were added to the National Register in 1971 and 1984, it was the Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood Association that pushed through local and national historic district designation, development of a neighborhood-specific plan, and zoning changes. These efforts not only have stabilized this historic area, but they transformed Ninth Street Hill into one of the country's most welcoming, attractive, and active neighborhoods.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Rooted in History

• During era of railroad expansion (1853-1872), Lafayette's most affluent built country estates on what was then known as Prospect Hill
• Neighborhood and street grid was designed for pedestrians; early residents walked to work, shopping, and worship; as Lafayette grew, Ninth Street became one of the busiest arterial streets and served as neighborhood namesake
• Streetcar line extension into neighborhood (1880) popularized Hill living
• Moses Fowler House (1851) purchased in 1940 by Tippecanoe County Historical Association as headquarters and museum; considered best residential example of Gothic Revival style in Indiana; designated national historic landmark (1971)
• Cyrus Ball Mansion (built 1865-69) blends Second Empire and Italianate styles, includes elaborate brick, wood and wrought iron details; added to National Register (1984)
• Eighteen blocks designated national (1997) and local (1999) historic districts

Emphasis on Aesthetics

• Lafayette Historic Preservation Commission (1993) must approve all exterior changes to 81 architecturally significant structures in the historic district
• Historic Preservation Ordinance (2003) offers guidelines for changes to historic properties, provides compatibility guidance for new construction
• New sidewalks, curbs, and trees installed by neighborhood association with some assistance from city; enhanced pedestrian experience and beautified area
• Neighborhood-funded community garden, created on site of abandoned rail tracks, provides colorful display and serves as gathering place

Reliance on Planning, Smart Growth Principles

• Neighborhood plan (1998) seeks to protect heritage, character, and form of early neighborhood; recommends downzoning
• Rezoning (1999) eliminates R3 district, which allowed relatively high-density housing, to preserve residential character and protect against nonconforming uses
• Houses are grand but lot size is modest, minimizing distances and making neighborhood convenient and enjoyable for walking
• Initially home to street car line, today area is well served by public bus system
• Larger homes used as apartments, increasing neighborhood density and diversity

Engaged Residents

• Ninth Street Hill embraced development of more modest housing (early to mid-1900s), welcomed more diverse population
• Following neighborhood decline, residents created dues-free neighborhood association (1986) which assumes automatic membership of homeowners, renters, and landlords
• Residents established Lafayette's first neighborhood watches in the late 1980s

Amenities, Events, Activities

• Home and Garden tours market neighborhood as a special place; walking tours guide visitors to 20 homes and attractions with interpretive markers
• Art Museum of Greater Lafayette (1909) sits on neighborhood's northern border and is home to some 800 works, many focusing on art of Indiana
• Tippecanoe County Historical Association opened Moses Fowler House as historical museum (1941); currently undergoing renovation
• Neighborhood association sponsors full calendar of events such as Festooned Fourth Flag Display, Children's Box Parade, winter Luminaria Display, Movie Nights

Strategically placed public art — cascading fountains, cast iron trees, imaginative murals, and the renowned trompe l'oeil Community Bridge — intrigues passersby. The 1.3-mile mixed-use linear Carroll Creek park, designed to remove the downtown from the 100-year floodplain, is a recreational and cultural treasure, featuring brick paths, an amphitheater, and two dozen water mosaics. The city's initial $11 million investment in the park has leveraged $150 million in new construction, infill development, and historic renovation.

In Frederick, the seat of county and city governments, a brick station built in 2001 serves as a transit hub downtown, including service to Washington, D.C. A variety of uses — housing, restaurants, museums, shops, and government offices — help animate the streets as residents and tourists move about downtown.

Each year downtown Frederick attracts 1.4 million visitors, a number that can be attributed to its location, natural beauty, progressive government, ongoing planning, and active citizenry.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Historic Preservation

• Frederick Towne Historic District is Maryland's second and the nation's 13th local historic district (1952). Frederick Historic District added to National Register (1973)
• Vast range of architectural styles, including Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Neoclassical Revival
• Adaptive reuse widely embraced; nearly all historic properties renovated to serve industrial, commercial, residential, and public uses
• Historic Preservation Commission (est. 1952) approves all exterior work on all buildings, outbuildings; design guidelines approved in 2001, updated in 2008
• Height restrictions (1986) ensure view of clustered spires will not be obstructed

Commitment to Planning

• Downtown Development Plan (1970), created when retail began to leave for malls, establishes vision of downtown as city, county economic engine; deflects urban renewal efforts
• Carroll Creek Commission, created after devastating 1976 flood, spearheads planning and development of Carroll Creek Linear Park and flood control project; resulting master plan (1991, updated 2003) led to $65 million in public and $155 million in private investment
• Establishment of Frederick Town Historic District and Carroll Creek overlays (2003) allows for more unified infill development, preserves community character
• North Market Retail Plan (1995) develops strategies to combat high vacancy rates,  control adult-themed businesses; East Street Corridor Plan (2001) spurs physical and economic revitalization efforts for Carroll Creek Park, East Street extension (to I-70), and commuter rail station; Community Legacy Plan (2003) coordinates public, private efforts

Live, Work, Play Neighborhood

• Five thousand residents living in single-family homes, townhouses, condos, and apartments; transitional shelters, Section 8 rentals, and scattered-site rentals for disabled adults. Density bonuses for affordable housing development
• City and county government major employers; home to 600 businesses including specialty foods stores, boutiques, banks, home-furnishing, antique shops, 40-plus restaurants; 5,000 people work downtown
• Elementary, middle, and high schools within walking distance, as are government agencies, a new public library, and social service organizations
• Carroll Creek Park connects downtown to Baker Park

Engaged Leaders, Citizens, and Organizations

• Antebellum buildings saved from Confederate torch (1864) when town leaders raised $200,000 from local banks
• Former Mayor Ronald N. Young (1974-1990) was the catalyst for revitalization efforts aimed at reclaiming failing downtown
• Downtown Frederick Partnership — group of business owners, residents, and organization representatives — is umbrella organization for more than 20 events
• City and its nonprofit fundraising arm host more than a dozen events downtown attended by 200,000 each year

Art, Entertainment, and Culture

• State Arts and Entertainment District (2003); tax deductions, exemption from state admission and amusement tax, and property tax credit for arts-related improvements
• Public art prominent; numerous murals, including award-winning trompe l'oeil Community Bridge, a plain concrete bridge transformed into ivy-covered stone bridge. Carroll Creek Park includes tile water mosaics, fountains, sculptures
• Home to several live theaters (including Weinberg Center for the Arts), an amphitheater, museums, and art galleries

Located on what was once an inland bay, it took more than three decades to fill the tidal mudflats. The work, begun in 1858, enlarged Boston by 450 acres or nearly 60 percent. Farsighted zoning and building restrictions led to a cohesive, elegant neighborhood where streets were laid out in a series of oblong blocks.  Commonwealth Avenue, a 32-acre tree-lined mall modeled after the Parisian boulevards created for Emperor Napoleon III, became the neighborhood's central axis.

Today the Back Bay serves as an outdoor museum of 19th- and 20th-century city planning and what is considered to be the finest district of Victorian townhouses in the country. Its assemblage of elegant parks and unique open spaces is unmatched in neighborhoods of comparable size. It boasts a 24-acre Public Garden with Victorian statuary, swan boats, botanical displays, and the three-mile long Charles River Esplanade designed in the 20th century as a linear waterfront park with Hatch Shell, popular for its Fourth of July concerts with the Boston Pops.

Contrasting with its green spaces, historic architecture, and residential areas is Back Bay's concentrated mixed-use district with unique boutiques and high-end national and international shops and restaurants on Newbury and Boylston streets. The neighborhood's economic engine is served by the line of skyscrapers that form the city's "high-spine" along Boylston Street. Created during the past 40 years, the latter corridor features striking examples of New England's tallest — and most controversial — contemporary architecture, including the John Hancock Building designed by renowned architects I.M. Pei and Partners.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Mixed uses

• Supermarket, public and private schools, colleges, houses of worship, library
• Land uses differentiated, providing relative tranquility near the river; diversification increases as one moves from river toward Boylston Street; wide sidewalks
• Sixty-one percent of residents walk, bike, or take public transit to work
• Served by three green and one orange line subway stops; 11 MBTA bus routes. Bike share station at Boylston Street; Newbury Street has motor scooter parking

Architectural Diversity, Public Spaces

• Two of America's most important, stylistically influential post-Civil War buildings — the Boston Public Library (1887), designed by Charles Follen McKim in the form of a classical Renaissance palace, and Trinity Church (1887), H.H. Richardson's masterpiece — face each other across Copley Square
• Designed in Gothic Revival style by Charles Amos Cummings and Willard T. Sears, Old South Church (1875) is home to one of oldest U.S. religious communities
• Back Bay Architectural District established by state law in 1966; named to National Register of Historic Places in 1973
• Commonwealth Avenue, heart of Back Bay; 240-foot width, elm-shaded pedestrian mall runs a mile from Public Garden to Charlesgate East; links neighborhood parks with Olmsted's "Emerald Necklace"
• The Esplanade, part of the "Emerald Necklace," features 2,000 trees and six miles of paths along the bank of the Charles River
• 2.4-acre Copley Square, redesigned several times since 1883, has central green space, fountain, seasonal farmers market, and high visibility park

Planning History

• Historic street grid (1860s) unites Back Bay internally; provides high degree of connectivity; multiple paths allow travel within and to and from neighborhood
• Initial zoning and building restrictions include height limits, deep building setbacks, and mandated use of masonry and brick building materials
• Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) invokes state law (mid-1960s) to redevelop state rail yard as Prudential Center
• Back Bay Architectural Commission (1966) promotes high standards of design and protects residential portion of neighborhood
• Code modifications allow for special districts where zoning is specific to project. First modification granted to John Hancock Company for landmark tower
• Responding to opposition to New England Life Building (1985), BRA initiates public participation process for rezoning of Boylston Street
• Since 2000, more than 800 new units of affordable housing built under city's inclusionary housing program

Engaged Citizenry

• Neighborhood Association of Back Bay (NABB), established in 1950s, successfully opposed high-rise along Commonwealth Avenue; University of Massachusetts' development proposals (late 1960s); scaling back Park Plaza (1970s); changing tower heights for New England Life Building (1983); and high-rise project over the Massachusetts Turnpike Extension (1996-2000)
• NABB works with city to establish 70- to 90-foot residential district height limits (1970); reduce heights (to 65 feet) and floor area ratios (3:1) on Newbury Street (1980); reduce heights along Boylston Street (mid-1980s)
• The Back Bay Association established in 1923 represents businesses, retailers, major corporations, churches, and institutions in the neighborhood. With more than 300 members today, it ensures continued commercial strength of the area and initiates programs to improve, promote, and protect the quality of life in the Back Bay

Although not the city's oldest neighborhood, this was the first in Las Vegas to embrace the 19th century Garden City planning philosophy. Originating in England, garden cities feature park-like, secluded settings and tree-lined, curvilinear streets. Developed primarily between 1931 and 1956 for those who created the "Entertainment Capital of the World," the neighborhood contains architecture ranging from Period Revival to post-World War II ranch.

Increasingly diverse, today more than 1,000 people live in mostly single-family houses and duplexes. The neighborhood is within easy walking distance of the city's downtown government and core casino business district, and residents have convenient access to basic goods and services as well as to mass transit service. A restored pocket park serves as the neighborhood's gateway, easing the transition between homes and surrounding commercial areas.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Historic Nature

• John S. Park Historic District is the only Las Vegas historic district to be designated both locally (2003) and nationally (2003)
• District includes two adjacent subdivisions. Development of Park Place Addition (1931-1952) coincided with demand for housing associated with Hoover Dam construction. Vega Verde Addition (1941-1956) corresponded to demand for housing connected with establishing Nellis Air Force Base
• Historic district has 160 houses, 34 of which are non-contributing; some houses modified but neighborhood retains original look
• Oldest homes reflect popular Colonial-Revival architecture; later ones have a Minimal Traditional or ranch-style look. District contains several of the last remaining Tudor-style houses in southern Nevada
• Historic Preservation Commission reviews building permit applications for proposed work that will impact a designated historic resource
• Design guidelines (2006) define seven district characteristics and methods of preservation; illustrate typical architectural characteristics of historic housing styles

Embraces Planning

• First Las Vegas neighborhood to adopt vision espoused by 19th century English Garden City planners; street layout does not follow existing grid; curvilinear streets have limited access from the busy commercial streets bounding neighborhood.
• First complete planned subdivision in city approved by FHA for loans to homeowners
• Neighborhood plan (2001), developed by neighborhood association under guidance of city's Neighborhood Services Department, outlines five areas of concern and strategies; paves way for historic district designations, preservation of community character
• $1.47 million restoration of Mary Dutton Park (2003) establishes neighborhood gateway;  14-foot stainless steel sculpture of  plow and water created by neighborhood resident to show how Mary Dutton farmed land in the 1920s

Engaged Residents

• Neighbors formed John S. Park Neighborhood Association (1995) to protect unique area; today one of city's most powerful and influential voluntary groups
• City adopted neighborhood planning process (1998); city planners helped neighborhood association develop plan (2001); application for local and national historic designation (2003) was a resident-driven effort
• Residents successfully blocked Titanic-themed casino and resort, Stratosphere casino and resort roller-coaster, and expansion of a major adult-themed business
• Most advanced and well-developed block watch in Las Vegas; neighborhood holds annual clean-ups, biannual block parties

Sustainable Neighborhood

• Compact and easy to navigate by foot, neighborhood is adjacent to emerging arts district and a commercial district offering shopping, ethnic restaurants
• Mass transit service to all areas of the valley via Las Vegas and Charleston Boulevards
• Tree canopy coverage is 34 percent — 23 percent higher than city average. More than 20 residents in this mid-century, large-lot neighborhood of conventional landscaping invested more than $65,000 to convert lawn turf to xeriscape landscaping. Las Vegas adopts Urban Forestry Initiative (2008) to increase tree canopy citywide

Making this possible is a harmonious balance between Hyde Park's residential areas and its vibrant business district with 175 shops, salons, boutiques, restaurants, dry cleaners, tailors, bankers, architects, and other businesses. On Sundays, between May and October, there is a farmers market just a half block south of the business area's public space, Hyde Park Square.

Established in 1896 as Mornington Village for the area's most affluent citizens, the community soon changed its name and was annexed by the City of Cincinnati in 1903. The focal point of the neighborhood's national historic district is the Georgian Revival-designed Cincinnati Observatory. Surrounding the facility are a variety of Victorian, French Second Empire, and Classical homes built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Elsewhere, Hyde Park has more affordable housing, including condominiums and multi-family apartments.

After developing organically, Hyde Park became more planning-focused during the 1970s when the neighborhood became the first community in Cincinnati to develop an urban design plan. Working closely with city planners is Hyde Park's neighborhood council, which takes an active role in reviewing requests for zoning changes in order to protect the community's character.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Historic Architecture

• Surrounded by low-rise buildings — many historic and most brick — Hyde Park Square has ground floor retail with residences and offices above; wide sidewalks easily accommodate shoppers and outside diners
• Square's centerpiece is the bronze Kilgour fountain, donated in 1900 by businessman Charles Kilgour; refurbished 1976, restored 2003
• Oldest continually used telescope in the world and national landmark (1980) is here; Greek Revival Cincinnati Observatory (1873) designed by noted architect Samuel Hannaford
• Eclectic mix of homes, some using elements from several architectural styles, surround observatory and form the Observatory Historic District (1874-1916); added to the National Register (1978) and named local historic district (1993); styles influencing design are Italianate, Queen Anne, Eastlake, Shingle, and Colonial Revival

Importance of planning, engaged citizens

• Hyde Park's first plan (1983) resulted from 70 citizen task force meetings during four years. Plan seeks to maintain balance between commercial and residential areas, and to use present business properties to address parking, future commercial growth
• Cincinnati's first urban design plan (1984) prepared for Hyde Park business district; focuses on economy, parking, traffic, pedestrian needs, housing, and streetscape
• New construction and closing of the Hyde Park Theater (1983) led residents and business owners to propose creation of Interim Development Control District. When the interim district expired in 1984, a permanent Environmental Quality District was created to help preserve neighborhood character near Hyde Park Square
• Conservation guidelines in place for the Observatory Historic District (1978); requires certificate of appropriateness from Historic Conservation Board for demolition or construction in district
• Recent zone change study proposes modifications, adopted by city council in 2010, to protect residential character by reducing subdivision of large single-family lots. Changes ensure consistency of new home setbacks with character of each block
• Hyde Park Neighborhood Council (established 1992) represents local interests before city government, monitors zoning change requests, keeps neighbors informed of relevant city programs, such as recent tree giveaway (re-leaf program)

Education Valued

• Hyde Park places a premium on education; 95 percent of residents age 25 and older graduated high school, and nearly 70 percent possess a bachelor's degree
• Neighborhood schools include a national Blue Ribbon award winner, the only Cincinnati public school to receive the "Excellent with Distinction" rating from the state's Department of Education; also finalist in the national "Race to the Top" initiative
• Home to several small parks, Hyde Park sits adjacent to Ault Park, one of Southwest Ohio's premier parks; 224 acres of picnic facilities, nature trails, play areas, gardens
• Neighborhood novelties include Graeter's Ice Cream, which uses French Pot process

The neighborhood's bohemian roots are evident. As it was in the 1920s, The Elms is the place to view art. Today it is surrounded by 16 other galleries along a curving, two-block section of Paseo Drive. Neighborhood residents are heavily invested in the art community, serving on the Paseo Arts Association board and volunteering at First Friday night art walks and a Memorial Day art festival that attracts thousands.

To the south of The Paseo is the Dove Science Academy, a charter school for grades 6-12. The Harding Fine Arts Academy, a public high school, and the Wilson School for Arts Integration, a public elementary school, are located just over the neighborhood's northern and southern boundaries.

Fairlawn Cemetery is home to some of Oklahoma City's earliest mausoleums and the burial site of many of the city's original leaders. Many headstones are sculpted, ornmented, or engraved. Large, mature trees dot the cemetery, which residents use for exercise and as a community living room.

After falling into disrepair in the 1980s when gang activity, drug use, and prostitution were prevalent, the neighborhood has thrived because of the work of local attorney John Belt, the community housing development organization Positively Paseo, and support of the city.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Unique Sense of Place

• Spanish Village Historic District, today called The Paseo Arts District, added to National Register of Historic Places in 1983; Spanish Revival architecture features tile roofs, stucco exteriors and parapets, arched openings, scroll and crest reliefs
• Combination of galleries, restaurants and retail provide artistic ambiance, liveliness
• Colorful bungalow homes comprise more than 60 percent of houses in The Paseo Neighborhood Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004; other styles include Prairie School, Colonial, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival

Engaged Citizens, Organizations

1. In 1976 attorney John Belt began buying and renovating Spanish Village Historic District commercial properties; ultimately he rehabbed 16 structures
2. Intent on increasing opportunities for affordable home ownership, Positively Paseo was established in 1991 as a community development corporation, later becoming a community housing development organization; it renovated or built 20 homes for low- and moderate-income households
3. Paseo Neighborhood Association engages residents in neighborhood improvement; it partnered with city planners in 1988 to develop revitalization strategy
4. Nonprofit Paseo Arts Association (1982) manages gallery, juried exhibitions, Paseo Arts Festival, First Friday Gallery Walks, Gallery Guide, education and awards programs

Planning, Revitalization

• Oklahoma City Council designated the Paseo neighborhood as a pilot redevelopment program (1987), initiating neighborhood planning process; in 1990, after 18 months of neighborhood meetings, The Paseo Plan was incorporated into the Oklahoma City Plan
• Historic overlay adopted for the entire neighborhood (1991); Historic Preservation Commission oversees historic commercial area (1991) and residential areas (1998)
• Streetscape improvements (2004) stimulate NW 23rd Street revitalization along Paseo border
• Local businesses and nonprofits tap state and federal funds and programs for housing rehabilitation. The Breighton — 12 vintage brownstone buildings with eight units each — uses State of Oklahoma Affordable Housing Tax Credits for $4.4-million renovation of historic apartments (1993); Positively Paseo rehabilitates or builds new 20 houses, using public and private funding sources
• City adopts preservation guidelines and standards for historic districts (2003)

Artistic Bent

• During 1930s and 1940s, Paseo is the heart of Oklahoma City's arts community
• Many galleries restored to former glory; paintings, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, glass, crafts, fiber art, and photographs from emerging and established artists on display
• Paseo Art Festival (1977) held annually on Memorial Day weekend, features 70 juried artists and attracts more than 40,000 attendees; monthly First Friday gallery walk features work from 60 artists, 17 galleries

The neighborhood was where the city undertook one of its largest construction projects — the building of St. Joseph Cathedral. Costing $400,000 by the time of its completion in 1919, the iconic spires of the neighborhood's namesake can be seen from virtually anywhere in the city.

At the forefront of new trends, the neighborhood was served by one of the city's first streetcars. It was home to two early primary schools and became home to the city's first and finest guest quarters, the Cataract Hotel, when it was relocated from downtown. It also was the first area of Sioux Falls to incorporate locally mined quartzite into the streetscape, and it added trees, virtually nonexistent in the South Dakota prairie at the time, into the landscape.

Today, with the help of local planning efforts and state incentives, the neighborhood is rediscovering its historical roots. Large Victorian homes were converted into multi-unit rentals in the mid-20th century because of increased maintenance costs and the need for military housing for a nearby radio school and air bases. Now these homes are being restored to their original grandeur, bringing back what is generally considered to be the state's finest residential district.

Defining Characteristics, Features

Exemplary Architecture

• Early inhabitants used building materials and architectural styles to express material and cultural attainment; two homes built entirely of quartzite
• Queen Anne style dominates district (1880-1900). Other Victorian and Romantic period houses built before period architecture (early 20th century) becomes in vogue
• Palatial homes incorporate amenities such as towers, turrets, wraparound porches, and porticoes; interiors include curved, leaded, beveled, jeweled, and stained-glass windows; elaborately carved exotic woods used for bookcases, staircases, fireplaces
• Majestic St. Joseph Cathedral (1919) designed in Romanesque and French Renaissance styles by French architect Emmanuel Masqueray; now undergoing restoration
• First South Dakota district added to National Register of Historic Places (1974); 220 structures, nearly half built before 1900

Views and Ambiance

• Established on summit of hill; roughly 78 acres that encompasses 16 full and six half city blocks; striking views of Sioux Falls's downtown and Big Sioux River valley
• Prevalence of locally mined quartzite solidifies sense of place; stone used for residences, hitching posts, retaining walls, curbs, streets
• Twin spires of St. Joseph rise to height of 185 feet, dominating skyline and creating indelible image of Sioux Falls
• Cathedral district residents among first to bring trees to South Dakota prairie; today mature street trees line sidewalks

Link to the Past

• Neighborhood has long embraced activism; in 1900 the Peoples Party held its national convention there to select its second presidential candidate; 30 women formed Women's Alliance in 1901 to respond to a lack of restrooms, rest areas for women travelling city
• Historical markers tell of neighborhood's past, including establishment of Women's Alliance and convening of Peoples Party national convention
• Pettigrew House and Museum showcases life in bygone era; fully restored Queen Anne  house (1889); architectural markers highlight history of other individual homes
• Fifteen transit stops and five bus routes within one block of neighborhood
• Area's Minnehaha Springs originally attracted Sioux Indians who considered the waters therapeutic to sick and infirm; later used to manufacture soda water, cider, mineral waters
• Cateract (meaning powerful falls) Hotel (1871) reputed to be finest in the region; popular meeting place regarded as center of town
• District has two, early educational facilities: North School (now called Hawthorne) originally a two-story, four-room brick building; school features award-winning architectural design (1985) and incorporates Minnehaha Springs building. Dominican Sisters open parochial grade school (1905); in 1926 present St. Joseph School designed

Planning, Historic Preservation

• Sioux Falls's first comprehensive plan (1950s), developed by Harland Bartholomew and Associates, acknowledged need to preserve and maintain neighborhoods
• City plans (1979, 1996, 2010) give increasing emphasis to neighborhood conservation
• City's historic preservation ordinance (1986) established guidelines, procedures to help protect historic character; Board of Historic Preservation advises elected officials
• Ad hoc neighborhood citizens committee regularly consults with planning office
• Eight-year state property tax moratorium exempts any increase in assessed value resulting from rehabilitation of historic buildings