Historic Preservation Program

​​​Welcome to Historic Ann Arbor! 

On these pages you will find information on Ann Arbor's fifteen local historic districts, which range in size from a single property to 344 properties. Work in these districts is reviewed by the Historic District Commission (HDC) and by city staff on their behalf. 

A new feature on this site is the Ask Ann button in the lower right hand​ corner. Ask Ann can search for any information on this website and often speeds up finding the information you need. Questions like "Are paint colors regulated in historic districts?" and "Can I replace my wood windows?" will give you short answers and links to more information. 

Old Fourth Ward Survey​ Complete

Good news! The Old Fourth Ward Historic District Resurvey Project is complete and the survey report and individual property forms are available to the public. 

The original Old Fourth Ward Historic District ordinance was adopted in 1983. The ordinance was further amended in 1984 and 1989. In September, 2024 the Old Fourth Ward Resurvey Project was completed, with a description, history and photographs for each of the district's 344 properties. 

• Old Fourth Ward Survey Report- 2024 (PDF)
• Survey Forms: East Ann Street​ (PDF)​
  
• Survey Forms​: Catherine Street ​ (PDF)
• Survey Forms: Detroit Street​ (PDF)
  
• Survey Forms: 117-411 North Division Street(PDF)
  
• Survey Forms: East Huron Street (PDF)
  
• Survey Forms: 324-713 East Kingsley Street ​(PDF)
• Survey Forms: 715-820 East Kingsley Street (PDF)​
  
• Survey Forms: North Division and Elizabeth Street​ (PDF)
  
• Survey Forms: North Fif​th Ave, Glen Ave, and High Street (PDF)
  
• Survey Forms: North Ingalls Street​ (PDF)
  
• Survey Forms: Lawrence Street (PDF)
  
• Survey Forms: North Thayer Street (PDF)
  
• Survey Forms: No​​rth State Street​ (PDF)
  

This information is also available by clicking on Surveys and Reports in the left sidebar of this page. 

The survey report and property forms will be used by the Historic District Commission to aid their decision-making, by city staff when answering historical inquiries about the city and neighborhood, for future grant-writing, and for residents and others to learn more about the history of this central Ann Arbor neighborhood and its structures. 

​​​Staff Services ​​

• Information on the City's historic districts
• Review of building permit applications for property within historic districts
• Assistance with applications for work in historic districts
• Assistance with historic district regulations

​Current Historic District Commission Packet

Historic District Commission agenda and packet information is now available at the City of Ann Arbor's Legislative Information Center. 

• Access the calendar page​.
• Select "Historic District Commission" from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.
• Click on the "Search Calendar" button. 
• Staff reports can be found by clicking the "Meeting Details" link for each meeting date.​
  

Is This Property in a Historic District?

Two ways to look up whether an address is in a historic district: ​​​

​1) On the City Assessor's website (from a2gov.org click Departments then Assessor ), click Online Assessment and Property Tax Data, then Continue to online tax data. Search by address, then look under General Information for Historical District: Yes/No. Please note that listings for Personal Property​ by address in the Assessor's database do not contain accurate historic district information; this is only shown accurately under the parcel listed for each ​address. 

2) See maps of each historic district​.​​