Downtown Oxford took a big step toward potentially securing a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

On Jan. 18, the State Historic Preservation Review Board in Lansing nominated the historic part of town for the official federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects that have significance in terms of American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture.

According to Glenn Pape, executive director of the Oxford Downtown Development Authority (DDA), it was “smooth sailing” at the board meeting.

The only comment from the board, he said, was that “Oxford is such a jewel,” the presentation “didn’t do it justice.”

“I thought, ‘You can’t beat that,’” Pape said.

According to the 123-page National Register nomination form, downtown Oxford’s historic district consists of approximately two blocks of commercial buildings that front North and South Washington St. (M-24), plus two commercial buildings along E. Burdick St.

The district’s boundaries were “drawn to encompass the historic commercial core area and exclude the adjacent modern commercial development and parking lots,” the form states.

Village President Joe Frost, who also serves on the DDA board, was quite excited about the nomination.

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “Not every town, not every community qualifies for the National Register. But we certainly have a collection of historic buildings and resources that make the case (for being on the list).”

“It’s something that we should be proud of and it’s something that we should (feel) honored by because not every downtown will make it,” he continued. “Downtown Ortonville, for example, will never make it to that list. This is the national list of the most important and significant buildings in our (country).”

More than 93,000 properties representing 1.8 million buildings, sites, districts, structures and objects are listed in the National Register. Almost every county in the U.S. has at least one place listed.

“It’s going to be a point of community pride,” Pape said. “People have always (referred to it as) historic Oxford. Now, (we’re going to get) the federal government . . . to agree with us . . . (Oxford will be) on the map as a historic place . . . It does allow us to take advantage of some of (those) cultural tourism dollars that are out there.”

Created in 1966, the National Register is administered by the National Park Service, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“(Oxford’s nomination) needs to go on to the National Park Service for their final approval,” Frost said. “Generally, once it passes the state level, it’s fairly good-to-go because they’ve already worked out any potential kinks.”

“Michigan has a history of providing very detailed nomination forms. They have a much higher standard than some other states seem to do, so the federal approval is mostly a formality based on my discussions with the folks at SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office),” Pape noted.

It appears the only delay in the approval process is the partial shutdown of the federal government that’s been going on since Dec. 22. But even if the shutdown ended tomorrow, it would still be a while before Oxford found out if it got the nod.

“We’ll know roughly two months after the government opens up the parks department,” Pape said. “That’s our expectation at this point.”

There is “definitely” an economic benefit to being listed in the National Register, according to Frost, who served as Oxford’s DDA director from 2015-17.

“Buildings on the National Register qualify for historic preservation tax credits and that’s an economic development tool to revitalize and rehab these buildings,” he said. “Our hope is that future owners, or current owners, will partake (of) those programs.”

“That’s the primary reason why we chased after (a spot in the National Register),” Pape noted.

Frost noted there are “a lot of misconceptions” when it comes to the National Register. He said people often think it means “the government’s going to tell you what you can and can’t do with your property.”

“That’s not the case,” Frost said. “It’s (an) honorary (status) and unless you’re using any sort of federal funds, you can still do whatever you want to your building.”

Being on the list “places no restrictions” on property owners, according to the National Park Service. Unless a property receives some form of federal assistance, such as money or licensing/permitting, owners are free to do everything from renovations to demolition.

“We’re not going to have a panel of nine people saying, ‘No, you can’t paint your door that color,’” Pape said.

An inventory contained in Oxford’s National Register nomination form lists 41 buildings within the district. Of these, 34 are classified as “contributing” while seven are considered “noncontributing.”

To be a “contributing” resource, a property must have been around during the district’s historic period of significance, which for downtown Oxford began in 1876 and ended in 1968, and it must still possess a majority of the architectural features that exemplify that era.

“Noncontributing” means a property either came after the period of significance, has been drastically changed in such a way that its original form and/or materials and features are gone or the building is in such poor condition that it can no longer be repaired in a reasonable manner.

All of the buildings, structures and objects in Oxford’s district date from circa 1880 to the present. Eighty percent of these buildings were constructed between 1876 and 1968. Fifty-two percent of the contributing buildings were constructed from circa 1880 to 1899.

Ranging from one to three stories in height, the buildings represent a variety of architectural styles such as Italianate, Queen Anne, Neo Classical Revival, Art Deco, Colonial Revival and the Mid-Century Modern movements, according to the nomination form.