[MassHistPres] Updates from the Massachusetts Historical Commission

[Doherty, Jennifer @ SEC]

Updates from the Massachusetts Historical Commission

FY 2025 MHC Survey & Planning Grant Pre-Applications Now Available
MHC has officially opened the FY 2025 round of the Survey & Planning Grant program. For the FY 2025 round, eligible applicants are anticipated to include all local historical commissions, local historic district commissions, municipal planning offices, and other public and non-profit historic preservation organizations.  At the time of this writing total available funding for the FY 2025 matching grant round is still contingent on MHC’s FY 2025 federal budget allocation, which has not yet been determined.  For FY 2025 the MHC/Grantee match shares will be 50/50.

As the State Historic Preservation Office, the Massachusetts Historical Commission is responsible for administering the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Offices, to grant funds to communities and private non-profit organizations for a wide range of preservation‑related activities. These include completion of cultural resource inventories, nomination of significant properties to the National Register of Historic Places, completion of community-wide preservation plans, and other types of studies, reports, publications and projects that relate to the identification and protection of significant historic properties and sites. The goal of the Survey and Planning Grant program is to support efforts to identify and plan for the protection of the significant historic buildings, structures, archaeological sites and landscapes of the Commonwealth.

With this announcement, the MHC is initiating the Fiscal Year 2025 grant round of funding for Certified Local Governments (CLGs), municipal historic preservation commissions, non-profit organizations and other eligible applicants.   (MHC is required under federal law to pass through 10% of its annual federal budget allocation to CLGs.  CLGs in Massachusetts are the municipalities of Boston, Bedford, Beverly, Brookline, Danvers, Dedham, Eastham, Easton, Falmouth, Framingham, Gloucester, Grafton, Hingham, Holyoke, Lexington, Lowell, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Medfield, Medford, Methuen, Nantucket, New Bedford, Newton, Plymouth, Quincy, Salem, Somerville, Sudbury, and Worcester.)  In Fiscal Year 2025 the grant program is anticipated to be available to both CLG and non-CLG municipalities, as well as other qualified applicants. Please note that while all eligible projects will be considered, for FY 2025 MHC will prioritize planning and National Register projects (Categories B.2 and B.3 in the current Guidelines for Survey & Planning Grant Applicants).

A Survey and Planning grant can provide critical support for projects that help to preserve the character of your community. Please consider applying for a grant by completing a pre‑application and returning it to the Massachusetts Historical Commission by Friday, November 15, 2024, 5 p.m. (no faxed or emailed applications accepted).  Additional information, guidelines and the pre-application form are available on MHC’s website<https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/grants/survey-and-planning.htm>.


Fall Virtual Workshops from the MHC
The MHC will host three virtual workshops this fall. See below for descriptions, and register on the MHC’s website<https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/programs/workshops.htm>.

The Basics of Online Research for Historic Buildings, Friday, October 18, 10 am
The Internet provides a wide variety of resources to consult when researching an historic building. Learn more about the various sources and how to pull them together to develop a history of buildings in your community.

Determining Historic and Architectural Significance, Tuesday, November 19, 10 am
One of the most basic actions of local historic preservation work is determining what historic resources in a community are significant for their history or architecture. This process is written into many regulations and programs, from local demolition delay review up to the National Register of Historic Places. This workshop will review how to determine historic and architectural significance for historic resources, which can support the prioritization of local preservationists’ efforts and their regulatory work.

Best Practices for Developing a Strong Local Preservation Program, Monday, December 9, 1 pm
There are many tools in the local preservationist’s toolbox that can be used to develop a local preservation program. A robust local commission, preservation planning, and regulatory tools are all important to have. In this workshop we’ll review how all of these pieces work together and how local commissions can develop a strong, proactive local preservation program.


Preservation Massachusetts Now Accepting Letters of Intent for 2025 Massachusetts Historic Preservation Matching Grant Program
The 1772 Foundation<https://www.1772foundation.org/>, in cooperation with Preservation Massachusetts<https://www.preservationmass.org/>, is making available 1:1 matching grants of up to $10,000 for exterior preservation projects, such as painting, finishes and surface restoration; repair to/restoration of porches, roofs, and windows; foundation and sill repairs; and chimney and masonry repointing on historic buildings owned or leased by eligible non profit organizations.

For the full announcement, important dates, criteria, and program details, visit the Preservation Mass website<https://www.preservationmass.org/ma-hp-grant-requirements-details>. Questions on this grant program should be directed to: scaplanson at preservationmass.org<mailto:scaplanson at preservationmass.org>. Letters of intent are due November 1, 2024.


Seven Properties Awarded Funding from the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Program
Press release from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission<https://www.pvpc.org/>
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), through the Pioneer Valley Regional Ventures Center, has announced the recipients of the Preservation Works in Western Mass subgrants, funded by the National Park Service Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Program. Seven projects across Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties have been awarded a share of the $650,000 available in funding. All selected projects are scheduled to be completed by August 2026.

Applications were evaluated based on population, regional distribution, variety of project type, community and economic development potential, pre-planning to determine project needs, and the capacity of the active, local working group. The awarded projects are as follows:


·         First Congregational Church, Blandford, Hampden County – $70,000

·         Memorial Town Hall, Monson, Hampden County – $100,000

·         Goshen Town Hall, Goshen, Hampshire County – $85,000

·         Methodist Episcopal Church, Ware, Hampshire County – $100,000

·         Phelps Farm, Forty Acres and its Skirts, Hadley, Hampshire County – $100,000

·         Hardwick Town House, Hardwick, Worcester County – $95,000

·         Richard Sugden Public Library, Spencer, Worcester County – $100,000


“This is the first time that a Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant has been awarded in Massachusetts,” said Kimberly H. Robinson, Executive Director of PVPC. “With these reinvestments, the PVPC also reinforces a commitment to supporting our rich historical significance in the fabric of these towns. Strong community development calls for attention to not simply the look ahead, but securing the icons that tell a powerful story of Western Massachusetts.”

The Preservation Works in Western Mass Bruhn Competitive Subgrant Program supports the following goals:

1.       Provide gap funding to preserve and rehabilitate underutilized or endangered historic community anchor buildings in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.

2.       Spur economic development and community placemaking.

3.       Promote the value of documenting irreplaceable historic and cultural resources.

4.       Support resiliency by connecting all applicants to educational resources for ongoing maintenance and protection.

The Ventures Center is the PVPC’s 501(c)3 subsidiary and is one of only 13 awardees nationally to receive a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant. The subgrants can be applied to projects on National Register-listed anchor historic buildings, in communities with less than 12,500 residents, located in Hampden and Hampshire Counties, and in West Central and Southwest Central Worcester County.

All funded projects must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. The projects will include a range of restoration activities such as roof repair or replacement; exterior rehabilitation such as painting, repointing, or historic siding restoration; structural repairs; window and door restoration; and life safety improvements to include fire suppression and ADA compliance. A term Preservation Restriction will be required on properties receiving funds to ensure their continued preservation.


Publications from Partner Organizations

·         In response to the charge that historic preservation hampers efforts to develop more housing in communities, PlaceEconomics has prepared a white paper<https://www.placeeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/YIMBY-White-Paper-1.pdf> on historic preservation and the YIMBY (yes in my back yard) movement. The white paper shows that, in communities PlaceEconomics has worked in, local historic districts are often a small portion of the land area, and are often denser and more housing-diverse than surrounding areas.



·         The National Park Service’s Technical Preservation Services has begun a new email newsletter with brief case studies of interesting tax credit projects. These case studies show how preservation reviews can be flexible in the adaptation of historic buildings. You can register for the newsletter here<https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/keep-in-touch-with-tps.htm>.


·         Main Street America has prepared a free “Main Street Disaster and Resilience Toolkit”<https://mainstreet.org/resources/knowledge-hub/toolkit/main-street-disaster-and-resilience-toolkit> to support communities before, during, and after natural disasters. As the Main Street approach includes historic preservation, there are important tasks in the toolkit to support the preservation of historic Main Street buildings.


Recent National Register of Historic Places Listings

·         Brockton, Historic Resources of Downtown Brockton Dating to the Height of the Shoe Industry, 1840-1946, Multiple Property Submission

·         Brockton, North Downtown Historic District


Join the Preservation Conversation!
The MassHistPres listserv is an email group of over 700 members – local historical and historic district commission members, municipal staff, consultants, tradespeople, and others interested in historic preservation across the Commonwealth. It’s a great place to ask questions of and learn from fellow preservationists. To join, send an email to MassHistPres-Join at cs.umb.edu<mailto:MassHistPres-Join at cs.umb.edu>, or contact Jennifer Doherty at Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us>.


Update the MHC!
Membership or officer changes on your commission? Be sure to send in updates to Jennifer Doherty at Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us>.


Jennifer B. Doherty
Local Government Programs Coordinator
Massachusetts Historical Commission
220 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125-3314
Office: (617) 727-8470
Remote: (617) 807-0685
Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us>

Register for virtual workshops<https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/programs/workshops.htm>

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