About the National Historic Landmarks Program

A National Historic Landmark is a historic building, site, structure, object, or district that represents an outstanding aspect of American history and culture. National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, fewer than 2,600 historic places bear this national distinction.

NHLs may:

be a location with the strongest association with a turning point or significant event in our nation's history.
be the best location to tell the story of an individual who played a significant role in the history of our nation.
be an exceptional representation of a particular building or engineering method, technique, or building type in the country
provide the potential to yield new and innovative information about the past through archaeology.

The National Historic Landmarks program is a Federal designation program. All National Historic Landmarks are included in the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation's historic properties. Before resources can be designated as National Historic Landmarks, they must be evaluated by the National Park Service's National Historic Landmark Survey, reviewed and recommended by the National Park System Advisory Board, and signed by the Secretary of the Interior.

Please see the National Park Service website for more information on the National Historic Landmarks Program.