Amana Colonies awarded $748K for historic properties

AMANA — The Amana Colonies Land Use District has been awarded $748,375 to provide grants to four to six significant, at-risk historical properties within the Amana Colonies National Historic Landmark.

Grants will be awarded to projects that promise to have an impact on the community and a sustainable future, the Amana Society Bulletin reported last month.

The grant is part of a $12.1 million in Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants from the National Park Service to 17 grant programs in 15 states. The grants support economic development through the preservation of historic buildings in rural communities across the county, the Bulletin reported Sept. 19.

Saving at-risk structures and providing more options for economically viable uses for buildings will help point the way for the future rehabilitation projects, the grant application submitted by ACLUD said.

The Amana Colonies Land Use District offers a local subgrant program — the Historic Preservation Grant Program — to help property owners, according to the Amana Society Bulletin.

The Historic Preservation grants are funded by the Amana Colony/Iowa County hotel-motel tax.

About $20,000 a year is given in small grants to property owners for projects such as historical lantern installation, doorway or siding reconstruction, brick or stone work.

According to the Sept. 19 Bulletin, ACLUD has less than $20,000 to distribute annually, and 10% of contributing structures have been lost. ACLUD has identified 15 structures that would benefit from funding.

“The loss of these structures will negatively affect the preservation and interpretation of our history,” ACLUD said in its grant application.

“Future generations will lose access to these properties and a significant portion of our history will be lost. We area at a tipping point. Our current subgrant program, though successful, has not been able to address the level of need within the community.”

The Amana Colonies Land Use District will provide a $ 1,200 non-federal match.

This marks the sixth year of funding for the program honoring the late Paul Bruhn who served as executive director of the Preservation Trust of Vermont for nearly 40 years. Tax dollars are not spent on this grant program, according to the National Park Service, the Bulletin said.