State Grants to Fund New and Expanded Projects

On December 6, 2010, the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) approved three grants totaling $1.087 million to the Connecticut Trust. Funding for the three grants comes from the Community Investment Act for the State of Connecticut.

Vibrant Communities

            With this grant the Connecticut Trust will expand its successful Community Cultural Planning Project, funded by CCT’s Strategic Initiative Grant funds (see page 1), to encompass ten municipalities over a two-year period. The Vibrant Communities project will have a two-year budget of $575,000 that re-grants up to $50,000 to each of the selected municipalities and also covers project management and administration. Using grants and intensive public/stakeholder outreach in the ten municipalities, Vibrant Communities will demonstrate how historic preservation is an economic engine that helps make our communities desirable places to work, live and play. The aim is to build a constituency, especially among community leaders and stakeholders, for using historic preservation tools to create livable communities.

            Grants will be given for projects that stimulate investment in stalled historic preservation projects; for underutilized historic places/structures; and for developing town- or city-wide preservation ordinances. Projects that leverage other investment and combine arts, culture, neighborhoods and community spaces with historic preservation will be given a priority. Working closely with the CCT, the Trust will encourage applications for CCT sponsored programs like Certified Local Governments, historic rehabilitation tax credits and preservation/restoration grants, and the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Historic Barns of Connecticut

The Trust received $441,617 in grant funds to complete its ground-breaking Historic Barns of Connecticut project by January 1, 2013. Included in the grant request are funds to write the context statement for a thematic nomination of 200 barns to the State Register of Historic Places and for a final report of publishable quality that will be highlighted at a culminating statewide conference on the future of Connecticut’s barns in fall 2012.

Barns volunteers in Westport at one of our workshops.

Studying effects of local historic districts on property values

            The Trust also received a grant of $70,740 to study the economic effects of local historic districts on property values and to disseminate the study conclusions. Essential to our work in historic preservation is the ability to demonstrate that the tools of historic preservation are economically viable and contribute to the state’s economic growth. This is especially true with local historic district (LHD) designations.

            The CCT is currently commissioning a study of the impact of some of its historic preservation programs, especially the economic impact of the restoration grants and the historic tax credits. A detailed study of the economic effect of historic district designation on private property is a critical next step for CCT. The study will be completely objective, evaluating both positive and negative impacts. Some districts may see an increase in property values; others may not. It is important that we gather this information, especially the negative, so that we can evaluate why.