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Worth Saving
The Newsletter of the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office
December 2015
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| | Vintage signage in downtown Hendersonville, NC |
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Rehabilitation Highlights
Rowan County, Salisbury, Oestreicher/Wallace Dry Goods Building
The 1899 Oestreicher/Wallace Dry Goods Building in the Salisbury Historic District was rehabilitated in 2013 for use as a restaurant on the first floor. This project was spurred by the use of the federal and state income-producing historic tax credits with a private investment rehabilitation cost of $261,000.
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| | Oestreicher/Wallace Dry Goods Building, before and after rehabilitation |
Craven County, New Bern, Mohn Building
The 1927 Mohn Building in the New Bern Historic District was rehabilitated 2012-2013 for office use. This project was spurred by the use of the federal and state income-producing historic tax credits with a private investment rehabilitation cost of $1,265,000.
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| | Mohn Building, before and after rehabilitation |
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In the Field: Ocracoke Island
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| | The Will Willis Store in Okracoke, 2015 |
Ocracoke Island, in Hyde County, is one of several islands within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Considered a "true" island, it is not connected to the mainland by sandbars or infrastructure. Although it is accessible by air travel, the island continues to welcome most visitors by sea. Commodities, supplies and mail are transported to and from the island much as they were a century ago.
Nestled in the heart of Community Square stands a small, one-story commercial building sheathed in asbestos shingles and capped with a hipped roof. A long wooden pier stretches from the Square's parking lot to the deck of the store, which wraps around all four sides. Constructed c. 1930, the Will Willis Store and Fish House was more than a roof and four walls; it was the epicenter of community life within this remote fishing village, where villagers would not only shop, but often congregate awaiting the arrival of the Aleta, a mail boat delivering news from the mainland and beyond.
Although the property no longer operates as a store and fish house, it remains open to the public as a museum. One of the few remaining commercial buildings of its type, the Will Willis Store is considered a contributing element in the National Register-listed Ocracoke Historic District.
In November 2015, Restoration Specialist Reid Thomas and Environmental Review Specialist Amber Kidd met with members of The Ocracoke Foundation to discuss restoration plans for the property and provide technical assistance. Discussions explored the benefits of elevating the property to protect it, especially from storm surges resulting from hurricanes. Like many preservationists in other coastal communities, The Ocracoke Foundation is concerned about changes in the natural environment that can affect historic properties and threaten their future.
The Will Willis Store also proves that preservation of place is not always about the size, style, or type of a building; sometimes it's all about heart.
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Public Radio East: State, Local Officials Weigh In On New Historic Tax Credit
State sponsored tax credits for revitalizing historic buildings have returned after a brief hiatus, but would-be renovators may not get as much help as they did before. NCDNCR Secretary Susan Kluttz and HPO staffer Reid Thomas, Restoration Specialist based in the Eastern Office, weighs in during this nine-minute segment; listen to it here.
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| | The Blount-Harvey Building in Downtown Greenville, one of the renovation projects assisted by the state historic tax credit program (Photo courtesy of www.themartinsborough.com) |
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2016 CLG Grant Applications Available
The FY 2016 Historic Preservation Fund grant application for Certified Local Governments (CLGs) is now available! We estimate that funding will be between $90,000 and $95,000. The postmark deadline for FY 2016 grants will be Friday, February 26, 2016. This information has been sent to all the CLGs and is posted on our website at www.hpo.dcr.state.nc.us/grants/grants2016.html. Please contact Michele McCabe if you have any questions or to discuss potential application ideas.
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Rare Single-Room School to be Restored & Preserved
One of the last standing one-room school buildings in the state is in Fairmont, North Carolina, and community members are working to preserve this piece of history. Once known as the Yellowhammer School, it now stands abandoned. Read more online.
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The Yellowhammer School, 2015 (Photo courtesy of WNCN)
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ACHP & Section 106 Training Opportunities
ACHP staff instructors will offer Section 106 training in cities nationwide next year. Join them for interactive courses that feature practical guidance and opportunities to apply learning in case-based exercises. The Section 106 Essentials covers the fundamentals needed to carry out or participate in a federal historic preservation review. A case study and small group exercises provide opportunities for participants to apply the ACHP's regulations to real-life scenarios. Register by December 31, 2015 and take advantage of the $450 early bird rate. To register, go to http://www.achp.gov/106select.html. Browse the 2016 ACHP Training Schedule PDF.
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For Your Entertainment and Edification
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| | Eichler home in the Southern California community of Fairhaven (Photo courtesy of Darren Bradley, Modernist Architecture) |
- Despite a housing crisis in Silicon Valley, a Palo Alto neighborhood is adopting "single-story overlay" zoning to protect its Modernist middle class Joseph Eichler homes.
- A phone booth... on the National Register??? Yes, Arkansas has done it.
- Recently The Week magazine gave a glowing review for the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art's exhibit on the "midcentury cultural Camelot" we North Carolinians call Black Mountain College; exhibit details are here.
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Events, Awards, and Grants
March 8-10, 2016: NCSHPO Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day, Washington D.C.
March 16-19, 2016 National Council on Public History Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD. Visit this website for more information.
March 19-20, 2016 7th National Forum on Historic Preservation Practice, "A Critical Examination of the Next 50 Years," Goucher College, Baltimore, MD. Click on this link for details about the call for papers for this conference.
April 10-13, 2016 "Keeping History Above Water," Newport, RI. This international, multi-disciplinary conference will focus on challenges and solutions for preserving historic structures and neighborhoods in coastal communities. See http://www.historyabovewater.org/. If you have questions, contact [email protected].
June 1-4, 2016 Save the Date! 2016 Vernacular Architecture Forum Conference, "From Farm to Factory: Piedmont Stories in Black and White," Durham, NC. For information, visit this website, where details will be added as planning progresses.
June 21-23, 2016: "Century of Design in the Parks," NPS Symposium, Santa Fe, NM. For more information, visit this website.
July 27-31, 2016 Save the Date! National Alliance of Preservation Commissions FORUM 2016, Mobile, AL . A historic preservation conference and training program focused on the issues of preservation commissions and commission staff. More information can be found on the NAPC website.
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Annual CLG Grants from the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, see article above.
National Trust offers grants to Main Street towns through its Historic Properties Redevelopment Program. Click here to learn more.
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Please send any comments or suggestions to Ramona Bartos at [email protected]. Please forward this newsletter to others who might be interested in the information.
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The activity that is the subject of this publication has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior, and administered by the NC HPO. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of NPS or NC HPO. This program receives federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U. S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington DC 20240.
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