Updating preservation boundaries and criteria to better represent the City of Lebanon’s architectural heritage and ongoing growth.

The City of Lebanon engaged MSA Design to lead a comprehensive study of its Architectural Review Overlay (ARO) District—the first study completed in more than twenty years. With new development reshaping the historic core, the City of Lebanon sought an updated understanding of preservation boundaries and standards.

MSA Design conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the ARO District, which currently includes four National Register Historic Districts. Through GIS mapping, archival research, and on-site surveys, our team documented contributing historic buildings, alterations, demolitions, and properties in need of further study, particularly midcentury resources constructed between 1934 and 1974.

With guidance from a diverse stakeholder group, MSA Design developed a proposed expansion of the ARO District boundary. The revised boundary captures areas with strong architectural cohesion and historic integrity, reflecting Lebanon’s growth throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. City Council approved the expanded boundary in the spring of 2025.

To modernize the city’s preservation framework, MSA Design introduced a new three-tiered classification system to replace the district’s original one-size-fits-all approach. Rather than applying uniform standards to all significant buildings, the tiered system provides tailored levels of protection: the most significant landmarks receive the highest level of review, while less significant structures are subject to fewer restrictions. This system provides clarity, consistency, and appropriate levels of protection.