ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — In St. Paul’s Lowertown district, historic buildings stand in restored glory. The former U.S. Post Office and Union Depot pay tribute to the city’s rich past. Decades later both have been renovated for modern use.

“It’s part of who we are,” Carol Johnson said.

Johnson clearly appreciates historic preservation and says the Minneapolis Mill District and Stone Arch Bridge are to be treasured.

“We identify ourselves by looking at the structures that have been around awhile and have a history to them,” Johnson said.

That’s a big reason the Minnesota Historic Preservation Office wants citizens to weigh in. The agency is conducting a public survey to help it shape the Statewide Preservation Plan over the next 10 years.

“Really the goal of doing a plan is to identify those resources that we don’t want to lose,” design reviewer Catherine Sandlund said.

Sandlund is heading up the survey and says the plan is not to stop progress and modern development, but rather to help guide it.

“To help us identify some of those things we may not be thinking about,” Sandlund said.

So that further development doesn’t erase what matters most to us. From the small family farms to our city’s stately mansions – once vital downtown commercial districts and archaeological sites.

“From our landscapes to our buildings to how we’re using our resources. All those things help tell the story of the state of Minnesota,” Sandlund said.

Historic preservation is also meant to include our people’s cultures, music and languages. Also the foods that sustained pioneers and early native Americans like wild rice. Preserving the aquatic habitats for rice is also included in such plans.

Just as important to the state history are the many historic ox cart trails and fur trading canoe routes which once crisscrossed Minnesota.

“We have to remember our history. It’s rich, it’s important. We want to be able to show our children that here’s where we came from,” Karla Ekdahl said.

If you’d like to participate in developing the preservation plan, the survey will be open through January 10th, 2020. For more information, click here.