Historic preservation is becoming increasingly associated with the overall image of the City of Salisbury on a regional, as well as statewide basis. Salisbury's first officially recognized efforts in the area of historic preservation began in 1972 with the establishment of the Historic Salisbury Foundation. The decision to create the Foundation grew out of a movement to upgrade and rehabilitate the West Square Neighborhood near downtown Salisbury. Three years later in 1975, Salisbury acted to create its own local Historic District Commission to administer the newly created Historic District Overlay Zoning. Later that same year the Department of Interior officially recognized the Salisbury Historic District consisting of the West Square Neighborhood and the downtown area of the City.
Over the past 13 years some seven areas in the City of Salisbury have been placed on the National Register:
It should be noted, however, that only the original Salisbury Historic District is covered by locally administered historic district controls.
Today it would appear that Salisbury is at a crossroads in its historic preservation movement. On one hand there are many citizens in Salisbury with an active interest in historic preservation who would like to see historic district controls extended over a larger area of the community. On the other hand, many residents living in the historic districts currently lacking local historic district controls are hesitant to endorse the extension of controls to their areas. Perhaps the single greatest challenge and need facing the City of Salisbury today in the area of historic preservation is to bring these various interest groups and citizens together for exchanges of information and education about historic preservation.
Finally, it should be noted that the Strategic Growth Plan's policies on historic and cultural preservation reflect an attitude of active and productive use and reuse of historic resources in the City tempered by a concern for their conservation.
| POLICY 10.1 | The identification, restoration and active use of structures, buildings, monuments, and neighborhoods of historic or architectural significance shall be encouraged as a means of enhancing their economic and cultural value to the planning area. National registration and designation of local historic areas shall be encouraged, when appropriate. |
| POLICY 10.2 | Multiple and appropriate adaptive reuse of the city's historic resources shall be encouraged. |
| POLICY 10.3 | Development of the tourism potential of the area's architectural and historic resources shall be encouraged. |
| POLICY 10.4 | The destruction of architectural, historic and archaeological resources in the planning area shall be discouraged. |
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