About the Cultural Resources Office (CRO)

The Cultural Resources Office is the Preservation agency of the City of St. Louis.

The Cultural Resources Office is the Preservation agency of the City of St. Louis.  Its staff is responsible for review of exterior work within of the City's 17 locally-designated historic districts, 130 landmarks, public parks and buildings, and encroachments in the public right-of-way.

The Office reviews proposed demolitions or Building Division Condemnations in those Wards that have been established as Preservation Review Districts and of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as contributing resources within a Historic District. 

The CRO staff performs over 3,000 reviews a year, ranging from large development projects to small home repair applications. The staff assists approximately 600 people a year with technical advice and assistance. 

The City of St. Louis has been named a Certified Local Government by the Department of the Interior. As a CLG, the agency is eligible for special federal grants for preservation projects.  With this support, the Office has completed many National Register single-site nominations throughout the City and is responsible for creating one of the country's largest National Register districts: the Gravois-Jefferson Streetcar Suburb District, that has over 5,000 properties.  The Office has recently completed a thematic survey of over 2,300 Mid-Century Modern commercial, institutional and industrial resources in the City and a survey of the City's historic Flounder Houses.

Since 1990, the City of St. Louis has been a Certified Local Government, designated by the National Park Service. The Cultural Resources Office performs many activities and responsibilities related to that certification. More information: Certified Local Government

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