The National Register of Historic Places is the federal list of properties considered historically significant and worthy of preservation. The list includes properties significant in American history, culture, architecture, engineering, and archaeology. In this presentation Denis P. Gardner, Minnesota’s National Register Historian, highlights the events that spurred creation of the National Register, and he explains the concepts that help us determine what makes a property eligible for listing in this special inventory of places. Gardner finishes his talk by featuring properties in this area that are a part of the National Register.

Denis P. Gardner is the National Register Historian at the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office in St. Paul, where he reviews the eligibility of properties for the National Register of Historic Places. He is the author of Minnesota Treasures: Stories Behind the State’s Historic Places (Minnesota Historical Society Press) and Wood, Concrete, Stone, and Steel: Minnesota’s Historic Bridges (University of Minnesota Press). His latest book is Our Minnesota State Capitol: From Groundbreaking Through Restoration (Minnesota Historical Society Press).