The ?recent past? is a term commonly used to describe historic and architectural resources younger than fifty years old.

The fifty year mark is based on the so-called ?fifty year rule? is the generally held belief that a property cannot be listed on the National Register of Historic Places unless it is at least fifty years old. Actually, this rule is not a rule at all, it is an exception to the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. As stated by John J. Sprinkle, Jr. the Deputy Director of the Federal Preservation Institute, ?this ?rule? is only an exception to the criteria that shape listings within the National Register of Historic Places. Of the eight ?exceptions? [or criteria considerations], Consideration G, for properties that have achieved significance within the past fifty years, is probably best-known, yet also misunderstood preservation principal in America.? ^[1]

Because with each passing year a new group of resources crosses the fifty-year threshold, the term ?recent past? describes an array of resources, all of which were, at one point, considered ?too recent? for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (unless they were exceptionally significant).

The preservation of these ?underage? resources, has gained increasing attention in recent years.

Notes and references