The National Park Service (NPS) maintains a network of 419 parks and sites that protect some of our nation’s most spectacular historic, cultural, and natural resources. However, after 100 years of operation and inconsistent public funding, the NPS faces a deferred maintenance backlog estimated at nearly $12 billion—of which approximately 47% is attributed to historic assets. Leasing of historic buildings in the National Park System is an effective and proven public-private partnership that can be used as part of the suite of options necessary to abate the NPS deferred maintenance backlog. Historic leasing partnerships alleviate the burden on the NPS to maintain historic buildings by reducing maintenance costs and the repair backlog of the park, allow reallocation of scarce resources to other priority projects, create opportunities for private investors, provide services for visitors and residents of gateway communities, and bring iconic historic buildings back to life.

The National Trust's Government Relations and Policy staff developed a series of case studies to highlight historic leasing projects in our national parks that demonstrate the effectiveness of this innovative preservation tool and its impact on the deferred maintenance backlog.

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