An overview of Oxford’s historic locations and its architectural character was given during a fireside chat held Jan. 20.

Oxford Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Joe Frost led the discussion.

During the chat, Frost focused on the National Register of Historic Places and its history.

The National Register was created in the late 1960s, in correlation with the Historic Preservation Act, after a surge in urban renewal began throughout the country, along with the construction of interstate highways.

“Thousands of potentially historic buildings were lost because of infrastructure and improvements.” Said Frost. “Right here in our own backyards, in Detroit and Flint, whole neighborhoods would cease to exist as a result of the construction of the interstate system.”

The National Register has over 90,000 properties listed on it to date, according to Frost.

He related this to Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project to completely rebuild M-24, set to take place in 2019.

“Because of the national preservation act, they’ve already done these reviews to determine whether the project will adversely affect the downtown area. of all federal agencies if they’re using federal money to do anything, whether it’s (to) build a cell tower or a wind turbine, or a road. They do this review to see which historic buildings are potentially affected,” Frost explained.

Frost also talked about some of the history behind downtown Oxford’s buildings, stating that around 24 percent of those buildings were built between 1890 and 1899. Fourteen percent were built between 1880 and 1889. Twelve percent were built around the turn of the 20th century, while two percent were built between 2000 and 2009.

There are 48 commercial buildings within the downtown district which are 50-years-old or older, and would be considered historic, according to Frost.

Frost said the DDA has been working towards designating downtown Oxford to the National Register.

“There is an opportunity in downtown Oxford…once we get on the national register, those tax credits would be available to developers if they wanted to rehabilitate these buildings,” said Frost.

He discussed what it means for a building to be listed on the Register and how to obtain that status.

According to Frost, buildings must be at least 50 years old to be registered on the National Register of Historic Places. They must also exhibit a high level of architectural integrity and historic significance.

Frost also addressed some common misconceptions about owning historical property.

“It’s an honorary designation, so you can change the inside (of the building), you can change the outside. Other than (receiving) advocacy calls from the state preservation office, encouraging you not to change things, you can make changes… It (serves as) protection from the federal government coming in and tearing down something,” explained Frost.

Frost is scheduled to discuss current historic preservation projects in Oxford at Oxford Public Library Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.