A new round of federal grants aims to revitalize historic downtowns and local economies by restoring historic buildings.
Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center program will receive $750,000 to boost Main Street economies by supporting the restoration of historic theaters, libraries and commercial buildings, said Anne Ball, senior program director of Maine Downtown Center.
She described the funding as a “critical catalyst” to Main Street economies.
“Bringing this type of historic preservation funding opportunities to our Main Street communities is one of the most important things MDF’s Maine Downtown Center can do,” she added. “We are grateful to the National Park Service for funding this transformational work.”
The center will use the money to provide grants through its sub-grant program called REvitalizeME Downtown. Funding comes from the National Park Service’s Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program.
Rural downtowns
The grants go to historic preservation projects that foster economic development in Maine’s rural downtowns. This is the fourth time in seven years that the foundation received the competitive funding.
Previous awards funded projects in Skowhegan, Eastport, Bath, Norway, Dover-Foxcroft and Gardiner, Rumford, Machias, Ellsworth and Augusta.
In Gardiner, the grant was used to rehabilitate the Johnson Hall Opera House, as part of a $4.9 million renovation.
“The grant enabled us to repair our historic windows and masonry and really close the gap on our five-year capital campaign for Johnson Hall, which is a downtown community hub and significant historic theater,” said Michael Miclon, the theater’s executive director.
Next steps
The program will offer grants through a competitive program to historic property owners for preservation, restoration and rehabilitation projects in the downtown areas of communities currently served by the Maine Downtown Center.
The goal is to encourage infrastructure development and leverage private sector investment, increasing the commercial, educational, residential, or civic use and value of historic properties.
Application and eligibility requirements will be available in June.
Maine Development Foundation is one of 14 grant recipients nationwide.
