The City of Franklin welcomes you to the historic preservation program website. The historic preservation program promotes the identification, evaluation, rehabilitation, adaptive use, and restoration of the City’s historic, architectural, and archeological heritage.

This website features detailed information about the City’s preservation efforts, including locally designated historic districts, the City’s Historic Zoning Commission and the design review process. In addition, you will find information about federal and local incentives for owners of historic buildings and rehabilitation practices that can help preserve these properties.

We strive to preserve our history for so many reasons. We preserve out of a need for memories and to understand our past. Ask anyone what they love about Franklin and the answers you’ll likely hear will almost certainly involve historic preservation: Main Street, downtown neighborhoods, a local historic site like Carnton or the Carter House, historic open spaces like Harlinsdale Farm and the like. Our city has been shaped by our colorful history and our built environment helps to tell that story.

We preserve to protect our quality of life, our pride of place and our sense of community. We preserve so that we can pass on to future generations Franklin’s rich past. In order to do that, we, of course, need to save local landmarks, but also we need to preserve the eclectic mix of residential and commercial architecture unique to our community. At the end of the day, we want our neighborhoods and commercial districts to continue to tell the story of our history to those who come after us. This can best be done by preserving the condition of our historic resources and by giving them new life and new purpose by making them our homes and places of business.

Taking care of our built environment does more than just save old buildings. It provides a sense of belonging, a collective memory and a sense of pride in our past. Preservation is not about longing for the past or resisting progress. It’s about building on the past toward the future. A preservationist is by definition looking forward and impacting the future.

I hope you enjoy exploring the City’s preservation program website!

Shanon Peterson Wasielewski
City of Franklin
Historic Preservation Officer