IEDA awards more than $107,000 in grants to enhance historic preservation in Iowa

DES MOINES — The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awarded $93,846 on Feb. 3 in Certified Local Government (CLG) grants to historic preservation projects in Des Moines, Mt. Pleasant and Red Oak, as well as Benton, Louisa, Madison and Muscatine counties. Also, the city of Keokuk will receive a $13,460 grant to plan for future historic preservation.

“Historic preservation not only encourages public appreciation locally, but it boosts a community’s visibility to outsiders who want to experience those stories and places for themselves,” said IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham. “Giving people reasons to travel and stay longer supports community revitalization and is a vehicle for economic development.”

The CLG program encourages governmental partnerships, provides training and technical assistance and supports preservation of historic resources at the local level. Iowa’s CLG program is one of the largest in the nation and is administered by IEDA’s State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service. Funding comes from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service.

The latest awards will support CLG projects that include:

The nomination of two downtown districts — in Earlham and Mount Pleasant — to the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation.

A plan for a comprehensive citywide historic survey in Des Moines.

A survey of Red Oak’s historic East Hill district, which features many homes that were constructed for the city’s founders.

While not yet part of the CLG program, Keokuk received a Planning for Preservation grant, which aims to help Iowa communities establish a strong foundation for future historic preservation efforts in their community.

Funding for the selected CLG projects will be distributed in the form of matching grants.