County Selects Projects For Historic Preservation Challenge Grant

This just in from county officials:

Hillsborough County Commissioners last week agreed to award more than $1.2 million to several local groups, companies and venues to support historic preservation projects. The grants are offered through the County’s Historic Preservation Challenge Grant Program.

The County adopted the Challenge Grant Program in December 2011 to promote historic preservation and heritage tourism and create new jobs. Under the plan, non-profits can apply for grants up to $250,000 with a minimum of one-to-one match. The money must be used to rehabilitate historic buildings, or to promote festivals, offer tours, print brochures, or other projects that would help build the heritage tourism industry.

The following will receive the grants for round two of the application process:

Heritage Tourism Project Allocations

• MOSI - $24,950 to restore and expand the Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree grove, which provides historical links to Florida’s history through trees.

• Tampa Downtown Partnership - $13,650 to provide a marketing campaign that introduces “Touring Tampa,” and promotes the diverse tours offered to visitors to our area.

Heritage Tourism Project Building and Sites Allocations

All of the recipients below are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Florida Historical Marker Program, or designated as a Tampa Local Landmark.

• Broadway Development - $250,000 to contribute to the renovation of the Las Novedades Building on 7th Avenue in Tampa.

• The Chiselers - $250,000 to restore 178 exterior windows in the Tampa Bay Hotel, built by Henry Plant in 1891, now part of the University of Tampa.

• Ybor City Museum Society - $250,000 to rehabilitate the Al Lopez home and develop the proposed Al Lopez Baseball Museum.

• Italian Club Cemetery - $150,000 to construct a new mausoleum in North 26th Street in Tampa to generate income for the long term preservation of the historic cemetery.

• Cherokee and Associates - $100,000 for exterior stabilizations to the Labor Temple, 2004 North 16th St. in Tampa, the meeting place for Tampa’s labor force in the early 1900s.

• St. James House of Prayer Episcopal Church, 2708 N. Central Ave. in Tampa - $64,000 for renovations to the exterior of the historic structure built in 1922.

• Tyler Temple Lofts, LLC - $52,000 to restore stained glass windows in the main sanctuary of the Sanctuary Lofts, 502 E. Ross Ave. in Tampa, which were built in 1910.

• Michael Murphy - $34,000 to repair and restore the Ybor Casita Art Gallery (Silver Meteor art gallery) and performance venue, 2213 6th Ave. in Tampa.

• The Hillsborough Education Foundation - $33,000 to rehabilitate exterior balconies of the El Centro Espanol de West Tampa on North Howard Avenue, which were built in 1912 using membership dues from cigar workers in Ybor City and Tampa. 

• Temple Terrace Preservation Society, 405 Riverhills Drive in Temple Terrace - $22,500 to construct a replacement of the historic bat tower in Riverhills Park located in Temple Terrace.

• Tampa Realistic Artists, Inc. - $18,000 for restorations to the Old Hyde Park Art Center, 705 W. Swann Ave. in Tampa.

• St. Peter Claver Catholic School, 1401 Governor St. in Tampa - $16,250 for renovations to the exterior of the historic building, which was established in 1894.

For a list of grants awarded during Round 1, visit the County’s Historic Preservation website. Another funding round will begin in 2013.

What do you think about the projects that were chosen? Tell us in the comments.