If left without repair, our most treasured buildings can deteriorate over time.
The Federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) is the US government's most significant investment in the historic preservation of all kinds of decaying buildings, from theaters to prisons to hotels.
Since 1976 — when the HTC was permanently written into the national tax code — it has leveraged over $78 billion to restore more than 41,270 buildings across the US. When private investors choose to rehabilitate a historic structure, they receive a 20% income tax credit as an incentive.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a DC-based nonprofit that works with both the private and public sectors to protect and restore these buildings.
The organization shared photos of a few of the largest HTC projects from recent years. Here they are.
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The Warren Cultural Center in Greenfield, Iowa — $6.2 million renovation.
The Warren Cultural Center, originally named the E.E. Warren Opera House, opened in 1896. It attracted theatrical troupes, musical performers, and local acts, but interest in the building slowly waned over the latter part of the century, except for the few shops that stayed there until 1990.
A $6.2 million restoration in 2012 returned the auditorium and other rooms to their original grandeur. The building now serves as a multi-use hotel, hosting meetings, receptions, performances, and overnight guests.
The Salem Jail in Salem, Massachusetts — $10.5 million renovation.
The Salem Jail opened in 1813. Harry Houdini staged an escape there in 1906, and Albert DeSalvo, known as the Boston Strangler, served time there in the '60s.
In 1984, living conditions were so bad — according to Curbed, detainees used chamber pots for bathrooms — that a few inmates sued the county, and the jail closed in 1991. Until then, it was oldest active penitentiary in the US.
For the next two decades, the building laid abandoned until developers transformed it into 23 luxury apartments and a restaurant. The $10.5 million project used both state and federal tax credits, the National Trust for Historic Preservation says.
The Ghost Ranch Lodge in Tucson, Arizona — $22 million renovation.
Dating back to the 1940s, the Ghost Ranch Lodge was one of the first motels in the US to feature a motor court concept (in other words, it was located on the side of the road). Georgia O'Keefe designed the skull signage for the Spanish Revival-style lodge.
In 2007, it was renovated into 112 affordable apartments for senior and disabled tenants, thanks to a $22 million rehabilitation.
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