Request for Proposals: Ohio Modern Statewide Historic Contex

Joined: 30 Apr 2009 Posts: 1

Ohio Modern: Preserving Our Recent Past
Statewide Historic Context

The Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) of the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) seeks professional services to prepare a statewide historic context document outlining the important social, political, and economic trends that shaped land use decisions, architectural styles, property types and building technology in Ohio from 1940-1970. The Ohio Historic Preservation Office was awarded a Preserve America grant from the National Park Service to carry out this project. Additional support and partners for the project include the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Humanities Council, the City of Dayton and the University of Dayton. The budget for the statewide historic context project will range from $50,000 to $60,000. The Ohio Modern project includes a reconnaissance and intensive level survey identifying and evaluating mid-20th century properties and neighborhoods in the City of Dayton and selected neighboring suburban communities and transportation corridors. A separate contract has been awarded for this aspect of the overall project and the survey is underway.

Project Overview: The Ohio Modern Statewide Historic Context will establish significant themes and identify important property types, and the work of seminal architects, builders, and developers in Ohio associated with the recent past (1940-1970) through:

• Completion of a statewide historic context document that provides:
o Framework for identifying and evaluating recent past resources by gathering information and concisely explaining significant themes. The narrative and timeline will identify important patterns, events, persons, and cultural values.
o Definition of property types associated with each historic theme within the context, an assessment of their significance and integrity, and a broad analysis of how each property type may meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.
o Mapping to help illustrate patterns of development, concentrations and distribution of property types.
o Recommendations for future research, survey needs, and potential National Register of Historic Places nominations.
o Bibliography.

• Assisting the OHPO in hosting a public forum to present the historic context results.

Scope of Work: A statewide historic context will be developed for broad themes representing the time period of 1940-1970. The historic context document will follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Preservation Planning (developing historic contexts). The project will use relevant guidance provided in the National Register Bulletins, Historic Residential Suburbs, Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places and How to Complete the National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form. The consultant will be required to:

• Meet with the project manager in advance of work to:
o Review consultant’s proposed methodology, historic themes and anticipated property types.
o Receive Recent Past bibliography and other research sources provided by OHPO.
o Develop and discuss specific research questions to be addressed in the historic context.

• Conduct primary and secondary source research on post-World War II themes and property types and oral history interviews with community leaders, designers and builders associated with construction and housing developments from this period. Project will involve gathering information about materials and construction methods associated with buildings of this era.

• Meet with local historians, historical societies and other professional organizations or experts on the recent past time period to help provide historic background and research sources.

• Assist the OHPO in organizing and presenting information from the statewide historic context document in a public forum and posting the information on the OHS website. Includes preparing a Power Point presentation highlighting information from the context including important themes, events and significant property types documented during the project.

• The consultant will provide periodic updates on progress of the project.

Deliverables:

• Statewide historic context document meeting Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Preservation Planning (Developing Historic Contexts). Eight printed copies and .pdf required.
• Transcripts of oral interviews with architects, developers, builders, community leaders representing historic themes and construction activity associated with the time period.
• Power Point presentation for public forum.
• CD or DVD of high quality (minimum 3MP camera or higher, on “Best” image quality setting) images of selected representative properties and signature properties for use in future OHPO publications, web site, and presentations.

Timeline and Schedule: The timeframe for the Ohio Modern Statewide Historic Context project is approximately nine months. The project start date is October 5, 2009 and the approximate due date for all reports and deliverables is June 30, 2010.

Selection: Selection will be made by September 30, 2009. The project principal(s) must meet federal professional qualification standards as published in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 48 FR 44716, in the areas of History, Architectural History, Architecture or Historic Architecture. Selection will be based on the following criteria:
• Qualifications of firm and project principals.
• Degree to which proposal addresses Scope of Work.
• Relevance of prior experience
• Ability to complete project in a timely manner
• Cost to complete project inclusive of all fees

Submittals: Interested parties must submit the following by September 18, 2009:

• Background information of firm and qualifications of all individuals who will be directly involved in completing the project and their specific responsibilities associated with the project.

• Narrative discussing project methodology. Present research methodology and research questions that address the needs of the project. Include outline of major themes to be addressed in historic context document.

• Estimated schedule for completion of project. Schedule must include research methodology tasks and a timeline with milestones identified for all deliverables. Milestones must include: estimated date of completion of first draft of historic context document, estimated date of completion of second draft of historic context document, date of completion of final historic context document.

• Demonstration of prior relevant experience of the firm and the specific individuals completing the project.

• Cost to complete the project inclusive of all fees

Submit to:
Barbara Powers [Project Manager]
Inventory and Registration
Ohio Historic Preservation Office
Ohio Historical Society
1982 Velma Avenue
Columbus, OH 43211-2497

For questions, contact Barbara Powers at 614-298-2000 or via e-mail: bpowers@ohiohistory.org.