From the Federal perspective (the National Register of Historic Places is part of the National Park Service), a property owner can do whatever they want with their property as long as there are no Federal monies attached to the property.
I think you probably mean the metaphor of piercing eyes, it means someone who has a really intense look in their eyes. Sometimes it could be that the colour of their eyes is quite different, like a really icy blue colour. piercing eyes are eyes that can see straight through a person. SUPP is right.
Staring â an open-eyed look of interest or amazement â is most often used as a verb but can also be an adjective. The man asked what you were staring at and his staring eyes seemed to look right through you. The word staring comes from the root word stare, a fixed gaze. Its early meaning was to be rigid, or to stiffen, and later became to look fixedly at.. Staring is often rude, unless the person you are staring at is putting on a performance. Staring at the sun is not a good idea, since it can damage your eyes.