Historic Preservation

Walk your dog, listen to the birds and catch up on the latest neighborhood news and weather. A stroll through McKinney’s historic district takes you to another time when things were slower and people had time for neighbors and the outdoors.

Meander past mature trees, lush, colorful gardens and houses dating from the 1890’s to the present, but not too fast! The eclectic mix of architecture and landscape tells the remarkable story of the people who built and have lived in McKinney over the decades.

McKinney leadership and residents have made preservation of our history a priority over the years, and as a result, our history has become a significant part of our identity. The Historic Preservation Office was created to support this priority. It is not only residents and visitors of McKinney who appreciate our history, though. We have received national attention for our historic charm and beauty. It is one big reason Money Magazine selected McKinney as the 5th best place to live in America in 2010.

A National and City Priority

While McKinney leadership and residents are committed to our history, we are not alone. Our country sees the value of preserving our history. The preamble of the National Historic Preservation Act, passed by Congress in 1966, expresses the value our country places on historic preservation:

"The spirit and direction of the nation are founded upon and reflected in its historic heritage; the historical and cultural foundations of the nation should be preserved as a living part of our community life and development in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people."

The residents and leadership of McKinney understood the value of these principles and enacted ordinances in the 1980s, identifying historical resources that have meaning and value. The ordinances serve as tools to preserve our resources so they will provide information about our past for present and future generations.

The Many Benefits of Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation is no longer just a matter of preserving old buildings. It is an ever-widening sphere of influence that includes multiple factors. The challenge for the Historic Preservation Office is to meet the needs of and provide services to a diverse constituency at a time when the demand for preservation is growing. Think about everything preserving our history does for our community:

• Economic development
• Tourism
• Open space protection
• Heritage education
• Historic building rehabilitation
• Community conservation
• Affordable housing and mixed-income
• Neo-traditional planning
• Sustainable development
• Downtown revitalization
• Cultural celebration
• Archeology
• Design
• Craftsmanship

Historic places are disappearing, and the resources to meet preservation demands are shrinking. McKinney is answering this challenge through strategic planning involving residents of our community and forming new partnerships to protect our historic resources for future generations. Our dedication to preserving our history, and our creativity in accomplishing this goal, is just one more way McKinney is Unique by Nature.