The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation announces its new Barn Grant!
In the past three years, the Connecticut Trust has surveyed almost 1500 barns across the state. This survey has yielded a wealth of information about Connecticut’s agricultural history and buildings, but it has also highlighted the threats that face many historic barns and related structures (see “The Most Important Threatened Historic Places,” CPN, September/October 2006).
In December of 2007 the Trust took a step toward helping these
endangered buildings when the Board of Trustees approved a new grant program
dedicated to historic barns. This program will allow the Trust to help owners
evaluate buildings for structural integrity, for historic significance and for
feasible uses other than agricultural. The goal is to distribute at least
$25,000 in grants by June 30. The grants will be funded through the Connecticut
General Assembly, the Connecticut Humanities Council and the Commission on
Culture and Tourism.
The grants will be offered to non-profit and municipal barn owners, as
well as to private owners—a sector for which little, if any, help is currently
available. Applicants should be able to demonstrate community-level
significance, support from a local historical organization or municipality or
from a local agricultural group, and a public benefit from the
grant.
The Trust’s barns grants can be used for assessments of historic
integrity and structural conditions, nominations to the National Register,
evaluation of adaptive use opportunities, following Donavan Rympkema’s
Feasibility Assessment Manual for Re-using Historic Properties or any
combination of these options. A conditions assessment is defined as:
"a prioritized list of repairs and recommendations, with cost estimate,
and photographs keyed to a sketch".
In addition to the new grants program, the Trust is continuing a number
of other barn-related activities through the winter and spring of 2008. One
goal is to add 800 more listings to the inventory of historic barns by the end
of June. Intern Melissa Antonelli,
of Roger Williams
University will perform much of this
work, assisted by volunteer researcher Charlotte Hitchcock, of New Haven.
To add even more barns to the survey, Preservation Services officer Todd
offers barn survey training sessions for local preservationists all year long.
The next scheduled workshop is July 8th in Farmington.
Finally, in order to share its new-found information about barns and barn
preservation with the public, the Trust is working to expand www.connecticutbarns.org and
exploring the possibility of publishing a book on Connecticut barns.
For more information on Barn Grants or other historic barns initiative
programs, contact Todd Levine at barns@cttrust.org.
We are now accepting pre-applications for the 2009 Barns Grant.
Please send pre-application (with pictures) to:
Connecticut
Trust for Historic Preservation
Barn Grant
940 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, CT 06517-4002
If awarded, the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation will pay 75% of the consultant fees for the Conditions Assessment ($1,500.00 cap), the Feasibility Study ($3,000.00 cap) and/or the State or National Register nomination ($3,500.00 cap). The applicant will be responsible for the remaining 25%.
Eligible for funds: Barn owners must be members of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and can be non-profit, municipal or individual.
Criteria – MUST include at least 2 of the following:
*Barns
over 75 years old.
*Listed in the local historic survey, State Register of Historic Places and/or
National Register of Historic Places.
*Outstanding example of type or era.
*Barn with Scribe Rule framing, evidence of pre-1830 existence.
*Support from local historical organization and municipality. Can also
have support from local agricultural group.
*Demonstration of Public benefit.
