Historic Preservation

The Old Town neighborhood of Brunswick was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District in April of 1979. Residents of the area lobbied the City of Brunswick for a historic preservation ordinance and in 1999 the Mayor and Commission of the City of Brunswick passed ordinance number 939, creating the Brunswick Historic Preservation Board (BHPB). Following is the preamble to the ordinance which states the purpose of the ordinance:   

"The City of Brunswick, in support and furtherance of its findings and determination that historic, cultural and aesthetic resources of Brunswick are among its most valued and important assets and that preservation of this heritage is essential to the promotion of the health, prosperity and general welfare of the people; In order to provide a uniform process for providing guidance to owners of historic property in making material changes through the approval of Certificates of Appropriateness, In order to stimulate revitalization and reinvestment in the central business district and residential areas of the City of Brunswick and to protect and enhance local historical, cultural, and aesthetic attractions to tourists and thereby promote and stimulate business;"  

The Planning, Development & Codes Department has been charged with staff duties for the BHPB, and acts as the Board's secretary.  The ordinance states that any changes to the exterior of a structure require that the property owner must submit to the Board an application  for a Certificate of Appropriateness. These changes include: fence installation, window replacement, and patios. General maintenance  such as: replacing rotted wood (with the same material), and painting do not require a Certificate.   

Applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness, copies of the Brunswick Guidelines and copies of the Secretary of the Interior's Guidelines may be downloaded from the links below or picked up from the Planning office. Planning staff will be happy to answer your questions and can  be reached at 912-267-5527.