The Army has an immense responsibility to protect and preserve the many types of cultural resources on our military installations. The Army protects historic properties which includes buildings, structures, archeological sites, objects, districts, and landscapes managed under the National Historic Preservation Act. Additionally, the Army protects many other cultural resources including Native American and Native Hawaiian sacred sites, other traditional and cultural properties and items, and archeological artifact collections and associated records.  

The Army was officially established on June 14, 1775. As one of America’s oldest federal institutions, the history of the Army reflects the entire sweep of United States history. Many of the buildings on Army installations that were constructed by the Army over its 246 year history are now historic properties.

From National Historic Landmarks and Districts, historic buildings and the historic houses our soldiers and their families live in, to archeological sites and properties of traditional cultural importance to Native Americans and Native Hawaiians, the Army defends and protects our nation’s heritage.  

National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) are a special type of historic property that possess exceptional national significance in American history, archeology, architecture, engineering, and culture, and are formally designated by the Secretary of the Interior. There are 19 NHLs located on Army installations, including both individual NHL properties and NHL districts comprised of many properties. Many of the Army’s NHLs were actually constructed by the Army, and continue to serve the Army’s national defense mission.

• Ladd Field NHL District, Fort Wainwright, AK
• Fort Huachuca NHL District, Fort Huachuca, AZ
• Pioneer Deep Space Station, Fort Irwin, CA (NHL is located on Fort Irwin but is managed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration under a NHPA Section 106 Programmatic Agreement)
• National War College, Fort McNair, DC
• Yuchi Town Archeological Site, Fort Benning, GA
• Palm Circle NHL District, Fort Shafter, HI
• Wheeler Field NHL District, Schofield Barracks, HI
• Fort Des Moines NHL District, Des Moines, IA (US Army Reserve Command is responsible for specific contributing elements only)
• Rock Island Arsenal NHL District, Rock Island Arsenal, IL
• Fort Leavenworth NHL District, Fort Leavenworth, KS
• Launch Complex 33, White Sands Missile Range, NM
• Trinity Site, White Sands Missile Range, NM
• Watervliet Arsenal NHL District, Watervliet Arsenal, NY
• West Point NHL District, US Military Academy, West Point, NY
• Fort Sill NHL District, Fort Sill, OK
• Carlisle Indian School NHL District, Carlisle Barracks, PA
• Fort Douglas NHL District, Salt Lake City, UT (US Army Reserve Command is responsible for specific contributing elements only)
• Fort Myer NHL District, Fort Myer, VA, and
• Quarters 1, Fort Myer, VA.

The Army is faced with the extraordinary requirement of managing and operating the largest inventory of historic housing in the federal government. The vast majority of the Army’s historic housing was constructed by the Army and continues to house soldiers and their families. The Army has an obligation to preserve its historic housing in compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, and that must occur in balance with the overall well-being of the Soldiers and their families who live in that housing. The Army’s obligation to military families in the context of this large inventory of historic housing presents unique and significant challenges. Army manages over 30,000 historic housing units which fall into seven historical periods, identified in the following interactive maps:

“The magnitude of this challenge requires that we shape our historic preservation compliance actions in new and innovative ways,” Alex Beehler, former Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, and Environment, 14 September 2020.

The Army must provide quality of life for Soldiers and their families who live in historic Army housing; manage the high maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation costs associated with historic housing; address historic building materials that present lead-based paint, asbestos, and other hazards to housing occupants; address the need for additional bedrooms and expanded living space, kitchen and bathroom improvements, modernization of heating, ventilation, plumbing, and electrical systems; and must rapidly turn around homes for reassigned military families; all while preserving the historic and architectural character of the housing. The magnitude of this challenge requires the Army to shape its historic preservation program in new and innovative ways.

Program Comments are a method of National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance that allow agencies to tailor Section 106 to meet agency-specific needs. Program Comments provide the  Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP)  the flexibility to issue its comment and allow Federal agencies to comply with NHPA Section 106 in a single compliance action that addresses a category of undertakings and large class of property types. This is especially helpful to Federal agencies like the Department of the Army who have repetitive management actions occurring in very large inventories of similar property types. Once issued by the ACHP, Program Comments generally satisfy and complete NHPA compliance for the entire class of property types and categories of undertakings for the agency. The ACHP has adopted two Program Comments for historic Army housing.

 Program Comment for Department of the Army Capehart and Wherry Era Army Family Housing, Associated Structures, and Landscape Features (1949-1962)  Issued in 2002, this was the first Program Comment ever approved by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. It addresses all management actions for the Army’s inventory of housing, associated structures, and landscape features dating from 1949-1962.

 Program Comment for Department of the Army Inter-War Era Historic Housing, Associated Buildings and Structures, and Landscape Features (1919-1940)  This Program Comment establishes a new paradigm for integration of historic preservation as part of the solution to the Army’s most critical military family housing concerns and includes the use imitative substitute building materials to maintain the historic character of the housing. The consultation process designed and implemented by the Army for this Program Comment set a new standard and is now a model process for other Federal agencies.  The ACHP issued the Program Comment on 4 September 2020:  

"ACHP members support the Army’s intent to more efficiently manage this historic housing, so it can continue to be safely occupied by our nation’s soldiers and their families. The Army Inter-War Era Housing Program Comment was the result of much discussion and cooperation and will streamline the Section 106 review process while protecting and maintaining historic properties." Aimee Jorjani, former Chairman Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, September 14, 2020.

Army Inter-War era housing design was standardized by the Army Quartermaster Corps. Army Quartermaster Corps standardized design plans reflected prevailing civilian architectural styles and regional variations of the time. Army Quartermaster Corps Inter-War Era housing styles most common are Eclectic styles and include Colonial Revival, Spanish Revival, Tudor, and Mission. Modern styles such as Craftsman were also constructed. Army Inter-War Era houses represent a simplification of these architectural styles, many were modified over time and any one house may exhibit features of several different architectural styles. Predominate regional styles on Army installations across the United States are Colonial Revival in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northwest, and Spanish Revival on installations in the Southeast and Southwest.

The following map tour shows Inter-War Era housing at Army installations across the country. Click the "ⓘ" in the upper left hand corner of each photo to learn more about the style of each house.

Management of the Army's large inventory of historic properties and other cultural resources requires a successful balance between protecting those resources, sustaining the Army’s military readiness mission, and ensuring the quality of life for our soldiers and families. Here are a few stories that highlight the successes of our hardworking cultural resource managers and Residential Communities Initiative housing partners:

The Army recognizes tribal sovereignty as the foundation of the government-to-government relationship that exists between the Army and Federally-recognized tribes. Army policy ensures that Army installations routinely coordinate and consult with Federally-recognized Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations to ensure archeological sites, sacred sites, properties of traditional religious and cultural importance, and other items and properties are considered and preserved, and that treaty rights are maintained. Army installations encompass over 13 million acres, and contain 130 Native American sacred sites, and 90,000 archeological sites. The map tour below highlights just a few of these national treasures.

Just a small portion of the thousands of America's national treasures protected by the Army are portrayed in this story. National Historic Landmarks are located on Army installations from coast to coast, historic homes require innovative approaches to maintain the quality of life for our soldiers and the historic character of our communities, and the Army’s war-fighting readiness mission depends on access to realistic natural and cultural landscapes, creating a unique need for the Army to protect and defend the historic and cultural resources that tell America's story.