Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Peeping Cooper

with Cooper
7 May 2026 4 min read 50m
TL;DR

Cooper explains the criteria for nominating buildings to the historic registry and reveals what architectural style Conan would embody. The conversation blends architectural expertise with humor as Conan and Cooper explore what makes certain buildings worthy of preservation.

Key Moments
Cooper
“The National Register looks for buildings that are at least 50 years old and have some kind of historical significance—whether that's architectural, cultural, or connected to an important person or event.”
When explaining the basic requirements for historic registry nomination
Conan
“So you're telling me I could nominate my childhood home just because I'm famous?”
Asking playfully if celebrity status alone qualifies a building for nomination
Cooper
“Not quite—it has to be the building itself that matters historically, not just who lived there. Though if you did something significant there, that could help.”
Clarifying the distinction between a building's intrinsic historical value and its association with notable people
Cooper
“If Conan were a building, he'd probably be Art Deco—flashy, entertaining, with clean lines but designed to grab your attention.”
When asked to characterize what architectural style Conan would represent
Conan
“Art Deco? I thought I'd be more of a brutalist concrete structure that makes people deeply uncomfortable.”
Conan's self-deprecating response to being compared to Art Deco architecture
About Cooper
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Cooper is an architectural historian from Ohio who specializes in historic preservation and the nomination process for the National Register of Historic Places. He works with communities to identify and document buildings worthy of historic designation. In this episode, he discusses what makes a building historically significant and engages in a playful exercise imagining what type of structure Conan O'Brien would be.
Takeaways
1
Historic registry requires 50-year age minimum Buildings must be at least 50 years old to qualify for the National Register of Historic Places. The age threshold ensures that nominations focus on structures with genuine historical distance and proven staying power rather than recent construction.
2
Significance comes from architecture or events, not just inhabitants A building's historical value derives from its own architectural merit, cultural impact, or connection to significant historical events—not simply from famous people who lived there. This distinction prevents the registry from becoming cluttered with celebrity homes lacking intrinsic historical importance.
3
Community nomination process democratizes preservation decisions Local communities and architectural historians can submit nominations rather than relying on top-down government designation. This grassroots approach ensures buildings of local significance aren't overlooked by distant authorities.