Economic Impact Report
Historic Preservation: An Overlooked Economic Driver
The first of its kind, this report analyzes the collective impact historic preservation has on Rhode Island's economy in four main areas: Heritage Tourism, Historic Tax Credits, Quality of Life, and Sustainability.
Historic preservation pays dividends for Rhode Island – its economy, its environment, and its quality of life. Because historic buildings, sites and neighborhoods are so fully integrated into the life of Rhode Island, there is a risk that the contributions of those resources will be overlooked or taken for granted.
This report was commissioned to measure historic preservation in Rhode Island in four areas: heritage tourism, the jobs and income generated through the historic tax credit, and the contributions of historic preservation to quality of life and to the environment of Rhode Island.
In 2017, Preserve Rhode Island and the Preservation Society of Newport County commissioned PlaceEconomics to conduct a study on the impact of historic preservation on Rhode Island's economy. The study's findings reinforce our long-held position on the importance of historic preservation in the state's economy and support our work advocating for policies that encourage preservation and reuse of historic buildings.
This study was generously supported by the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission.