Criteria Consideration G of the National Register of Historic Places: History, analysis, and application

Scope and Method of Study: The thesis provides a history, analysis, and application of the Criteria Consideration G, or the "50 Year Rule," of the National Register of Historic Places Program to architecture of the Modern Movement. It provides the historical precedent for age requirements in national preservation legislation and for the Mid-Century Modern architecture style. It analyzes National Register Bulletins and how their ambiguity has allowed for a guideline to become a rule that is constantly and systematically applied. It illustrates these points using Mid-Century Modern commercial and residential architecture in Tulsa, Oklahoma as case studies. Finally, the thesis discusses local overlay zoning as a preservation tool at the local level for preserving Modern Movement architecture and provides a professional opinion of Criteria Consideration G from the non-profit and governmental sectors.;Findings and Conclusions: Although Criteria Consideration G is intended to be a guideline, it has been applied in the preservation field as a rule that has helped create a professional and public bias towards architecture of the Modern Movement. Though it is unclear if Criteria Consideration G should be changed, it is apparent that the ambiguity found in the National Register Bulletins has shaped public and professional perceptions of Modern Movement architecture. Local overlay zoning is the best way to protect any property from demolition, regardless of age. Also, it is at this local level that the future of age limits in the inventories of historic properties will be determined.