OCRA PR



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




Sept. 10, 2019





Crouch awards Historic Renovation Grants

*INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 10, 2019) *Today, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the *_Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs [ [link removed] ]_* announced that seven properties will receive funding through the Historic Renovation Grant Program.

Maintaining Indianas historic fabric and character is vital to growing the states economy and attracting talent, said Crouch. Preservation efforts like the Historic Renovation Grant Program can ensure a future for vacant or neglected commercial properties that might otherwise be lost.

The Historic Renovation Grant Program, in its third year, is a comprehensive grant program designed to preserve and rehabilitate historic properties in order to further incentivize downtown economic development. The funding for this year has been exhausted through the projects listed below and the program is now suspended until more funding is allocated next legislative session.

Restoring and protecting these historic sites help these communities attract visitors and grow their local economy, said Jodi Golden, Executive Director of OCRA. We are excited this grant is helping our rural communities continue to thrive while preserving a piece of Indiana history.

Each property received funding for the renovation and preservation of exterior features. Such renovations include roof replacement, masonry restoration, repair and replacement of windows, faade renovation and/or chimney improvements.

*Grant recipients:*


* Derek and Christine May are awarded $83,200 to restore a historic barn in the City of Attica. Behind the 1865 Italianate style home, the family added a barn in 1910 for horses. The rebuilt barn and part of the repaired home are planned to be an event venue for a variety of events including weddings, historic tours, community luncheons and more.
* AP Backstay Lofts LLC is awarded $100,000 to complete the renovation and restoration of the historic Backstay Welt building into Back Stay Lofts in downtown Union City. The project will restore the building shell and faade, relocation of an elevator and the construction of 50 apartments. The building will have more than 5,000 square feet of community space for WorkOne, Frank Miller Lumber Training Center and the City of Union City.
* Ann Knebel is awarded $11,175 to preserve the Peter Muller House in the Town of Ferdinand. Built between 1865 and 1870, this Georgian, Italianate house has been transformed into a mixed-use property with half being occupied by a nonprofit organization, "Traditional Arts Today, Inc," and the remainder is residential.
* James Buckingham is awarded $17,994 to preserve 418 East Line in the Town of Geneva. The building was built in 1895 after the majority of the town was destroyed by fire. The current owners purchased the building in 2018 to restore the facade to its original state and open an antique store, "Limberlost Antiquities".
* Morgan Building and Land is awarded $32,200 to renovate 419 Main Street in downtown Lafayette. The building was constructed between 1863 and 1869, by Granville H. Hull. The building will have both commercial and resident use once the renovation is complete.
* AP BenHur LLC is awarded $100,000 to rehabilitate the Ben-Hur Hotel in downtown Crawfordsville. Built in 1912/1913, AP Development will be re-developing the building as a 57 room boutique hotel, with 10 apartments on the top floor and a restaurant, retail and hotel offices on the first floor.
* AP Development LLC is awarded $100,000 to transform the YMCA Evansville into 62 units of affordable housing called Central Lofts. The building was built in 1913 and was designed by Shopbell & Company, who was a preeminent architect in Vanderburgh County in the early 1900s. The building boasts unique architectural features, most prominently the three-story gymnasium with a two-level walking track and spiral staircases.

Starting in fiscal year 2020-21, two funding pools will be available for applications. $400,000 will be available to fund projects requesting more than $50,000 and $200,000 will be available to fund projects requesting less than $50,000.

Eligible applicants include non-profits, individual, partnership, firm, association, joint venture, limited liability company, corporation or non-profit affordable housing organization. Applicants with an eligible historic commercial structure have the opportunity to apply for project funding between $5,000 and $100,000 at a maximum request of 50 percent of the total eligible project cost. For more information, visit www.in.gov/ocra/hrgp.htm [ [link removed] ]

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"Under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch, [ [link removed] ] who also serves as the Secretary of Rural Development, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) mission is to work with local, state and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to assist communities in shaping and achieving their vision for community and economic development. For more information, visit ocra.in.gov. [ [link removed] ]"





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Melissa Thomas
Office of Community and Rural Affairs
<[email protected]>[email protected]
(317) 727-7682
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