The Mount Vernon Preservation Commission was established as Certified Local Government under a program of the Federal government in 1985 to foster preservation efforts at the local government level. The purpose and intent of the commission as per the Chapter 24 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Mount Vernon are to:
1) Promote the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the public through the recognition, enhancement, and perpetuation of sites and districts of historical and cultural significance;
2) Safeguard the City’s historic, aesthetic, and cultural heritage by preserving sites and districts of historical and cultural significance;
3) Stabilize and improve property values;
4) Foster pride in the legacy of beauty and achievements of the past;
5) Protect and enhance the City’s attractions to tourists and visitors and the support and stimulus to business thereby provided;
6) Strengthen the economy of the City; and,
7) Promote the use of sites and districts of historic and cultural significance as places for the education, pleasure, and welfare of the people of the City.
The goals of establishing Historic Districts are to stabilize and improve property values and to foster civic pride in well-maintained historic properties. The city of Mount Vernon has an ordinance covering property owners in its Historic District, which provides some assurance that neighboring properties will be kept compatible with the overall neighborhood. When major exterior changes are made, these changes will be in harmony with architectural aesthetic characteristics of the historic period.
Mt. Vernon currently has three districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Commercial District, the Ash Park Residential District, and the Cornell College District. A fourth district, the Brick District, (consisting of non-contiguous brick structures throughout the city) was identified as a fourth potential National Historic District. Additionally, there are several other areas in the community that constitute areas or districts of historic significance.
