In 1966, the National Historic Preservation Act created a National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the official list of places in the United States declared worthy of preservation. Every property is evaluated according to a standard set of criteria that provide the framework for understanding why it is significant. Crafting Preservation Criteria sets out these criteria for students. From artworks to churches, from 'the fifty year rule' to 'the historic scene', students will learn how places have been historically evaluated to be placed on the National Register, and how the criteria evolved over time.