Nominate a Structure for Historic Designation

The Cumberland Historic Preservation Commission seeks help from the public to identify sites, structures, and objects that should be considered for recommendation for a local historic designation.  The HPC particularly seeks resources for which little documentation might currently be on file, particularly from communities that could be currently underrepresented in the local inventories.

Cumberland is privileged to have roughly seventy-five percent of the building stock constructed prior to World War II. As such, five districts have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places to date – Downtown Cumberland, Washington Street, Decatur Heights, South Cumberland/Chapel Hill, and Greene Street. Additional survey work has taken place to potentially list additional districts, including the first of the mid-century modern neighborhoods, including White Oaks and the Dingle.

Although a general misperception is that properties that are designated as historic are often what is considered “high style”, many of Cumberland’s neighborhoods that are included on the National Register of Historic Places actually consist of workforce, blue collar architectural styles.  Historic sites and structures gain significance for a variety of factors including:

• association with a person, group, event, or series of events of local, state, or national historical importance,
• represents a distinctive example of a particular architectural style or period
• provides a good example of the work or a noted architect or master builder
• It is a work of notable artistic merit.
• It has yielded and will be likely to yield information or materials important in prehistory or history. (When using this criteria, please note the archaeological survey of which the area has already been included)            

Although the current COVID19 health emergency will likely impact the schedule, the Historic Preservation Commission has identified Preservation Month, which is celebrated nationally during the month of May, as the time when this year’s nominations will be evaluated.  Nomination forms can be found by clicking this link:  Nomination Form  Please also contact:  Ruth Davis-Rogers, Department of Community Development, City of Cumberland, 57 North Liberty Street, Cumberland, MD 21502, 301-759-6431, 301-759-6432 (fax),  or email:

Ruth Davis-Rogers