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State Funding Available to Help Preserve Historic Buildings

July 22, 2024

COLUMBUS, Ohio – July 22, 2024 – Historic building owners looking to preserve and rehabilitate buildings in their communities can begin the process to apply for state funding available through the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program. Administered by the Ohio Department of Development, the program provides tax credits to incentivize the preservation of historic buildings in Ohio.

“It’s important we continue to preserve Ohio’s rich heritage,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. “The Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program honors our state’s past, while providing opportunities for the future. By preserving these irreplaceable landmarks, we are fostering economic growth, community pride, and a deeper appreciation of our shared history. Whether you have one small building or a large historic district, the tax credit program can help.”

Applicants can start the application process with the Intent to Apply, open now. The Intent to Apply is due by 4 p.m., Aug. 15 and is available online at development.ohio.gov/historic. Interested applicants must submit an intent to apply to be eligible to submit an application. Applicants must also request a pre-application meeting with the State Historic Preservation Office by 4 p.m. July. 31.

Round 33 will be administered on the following schedule:

  • SHPO Pre-App Meeting Request Deadline: 4 p.m., July 31
  • Intent to Apply Submission Deadline: 4 p.m., Aug. 15
  • Deadline to Hold SHPO Pre-Application Meeting: 4 p.m., Aug. 15 (Must contact SHPO to arrange this meeting no later than Aug. 9, 2024).
  • Historic Documentation (Part 1 and 2) Deadline: 4 p.m., Aug. 30
  • SHPO Documentation Review Period: Aug. 31 – Dec. 1, 2024
  • Application/Fee Submission Deadline: 4 p.m., Sept. 30
  • Development Application Review Period: Oct. 1 – Dec. 1, 2024
  • Approved Applications Announced: On or before Dec. 31, 2024

The Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program is administered in partnership with the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office. The State Historic Preservation Office determines if a property qualifies as a historic building and that the rehabilitation plans comply with the United States Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. A building must be individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, contribute to a National Register Historic District, National Park Service Certified Historic District, or Certified Local Government historic district, or be listed as a local landmark by a Certified Local Government to be eligible.

Building owners or developers looking to nominate a building or district to the National Register of Historic Places can apply for assistance through the Historic Preservation Pipeline Initiative. Funding opportunities and application information are available online at development.ohio.gov/HistoricPipeline.

Through 32 rounds of the program, tax credits have been approved for 706projects to rehabilitate more than 960 historic buildings across 91 Ohio communities. The program is projected to leverage more than $10.4billion in private development funding and federal tax credits directly through the rehabilitation projects.

Questions about the program can be directed to Lisa Brownell at Lisa.Brownell@development.ohio.gov.

The Ohio Department of Development empowers communities to succeed by investing in Ohio’s people, places, and businesses. Learn more about our work at development.ohio.gov.

The Ohio History Connection is a statewide history organization with the mission to spark discovery of Ohio’s stories. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered in 1885, the Ohio History Connection carries out history services for Ohio and its citizens focused on preserving and sharing the state’s history. This includes housing the State Historic Preservation Office and the official state archives and managing more than 50 sites and museums across Ohio. For more information, go to ohiohistory.org. The Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Columbus Foundation provide support for Ohio History Connection programs.

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The Ohio Department of Development is committed to providing access and inclusion and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs, and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws. To request a reasonable accommodation due to a disability please contact the ADA Coordinator as soon as possible.

About Downtown Tiffin

The revitalization of downtown Tiffin began in 2011, when a group of community members came together to form “Tiffin Tomorrow”, with the goal of promoting and encouraging economic development in Downtown Tiffin, and creating plans, programs, and actions to ensure long-term vitality and prosperity. In 2014, the City of Tiffin contracted with SIEDC to act as the downtown organization and “Tiffin Tomorrow” came under the SIEDC (now TSEP) umbrella as the “Downtown Development Board,” which serves as the governing board of the downtown organization. In 2015, Tiffin joined Heritage Ohio’s Main Street Program. For more information, click here.

About Heritage Ohio

Heritage Ohio promotes economic growth through the preservation and revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods across Ohio. Heritage Ohio is the coordinating agency for the Ohio Main Street Program and is the designated statewide Ohio preservation partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Through saving the places that matter we can all build a community and live better. Learn more about how to become involved by visiting www.heritageohio.org.

About Main Street America

Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $101.58 billion in new public and private investment, generated 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 325,119 buildings, and levered over 33.7 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.

 
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