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Montgomery Planning’s Historic Preservation Office Awarded Grant for Asian American Historical and Cultural Context Study

The $24,000 grant from Maryland Historical Trust will fund a historical and cultural resource study of Montgomery County’s Asian American communities; Findings may be used for future historic property designations

WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), is pleased to announce that its Historic Preservation Office has been awarded a FY2021 non-capital grant of $24,000 by the Maryland Historical Trust, part of the Maryland Department of Planning.

The grant will allow the Historic Preservation Office to hire a consultant to identify historical and cultural resources associated with Montgomery County’s Asian American history. The consultant will collect oral histories and identify themes related to Asian American history that may be used for future historic property designations. This is significant as Asian American heritage is not currently represented in the Master Plan for Historic Preservation, the county’s inventory of designated historic sites.

“The grant from the Maryland Historical Trust will allow us to do much-needed research into Montgomery County’s Asian American heritage,” said Planning Director Gwen Wright. “This important Asian American heritage study is in direct support of our Equity Agenda for Planning initiative and will help us properly preserve this history as we plan for the county’s future.”

The study will begin with the founding of the county in 1776 through the present, with an emphasis on a period in the late 19th to early 21st centuries when Asian American communities in the county grew significantly. The study is part of the Historic Preservation Office’s efforts to mitigate past inequities, including the exclusion of people of color from our understanding of historic significance.

The Maryland Historical Trust awarded eight non-capital grants totaling $300,000 to projects around the state, including several statewide studies that will research the state’s early women architects, document housing for enslaved workers, and identify trends in school architecture.

About the Historic Preservation Office

The Historic Preservation Office supports the Planning Board and the Historic Preservation Commission by providing for the identification, designation, and regulation of historic sites in Montgomery County. Historic Preservation staff also maintains an archive and library of documentation on historic resources in Montgomery County and provides preservation outreach and guidance on preservation best-practices to the public. If you are interested in historic buildings, sites, and programs in Montgomery County Parks, please visit Montgomery Parks.