Preservation Maryland’s Historic Property Redevelopment Program has recently been awarded major funding awards from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development as well as The 1772 Foundation.
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Preservation Maryland is the recipient of a generous $500,000 award from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development which will support expansion of the organization’s revitalization work in Hagerstown, Maryland. The award, which was announced by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on March 9, 2021, was provided specifically to “stimulate community revitalization in the historically African American Jonathan Street neighborhood.” In addition, the City of Hagerstown received $325,000 in support of projects in the community – making the total investment of over $825,000 in the community in this funding round.
As a result of this significant increase in support, Preservation Maryland is now in the development stage of several high-profile rehabilitation and revitalization projects in the community which will be announced later in the year.
Jonathan Street archaeology project partners, 2020.
The organization’s work in the Jonathan Street community, which played a significant role in spurring the latest round of state investment, began in 2020 with the purchase of a threatened log cabin constructed in the 1830s. The cabin is currently being rehabilitated to become owner-occupied, single-family affordable housing. The history and archaeology of the cabin was covered extensively by local media, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and Maryland Public Television.
In addition to support from the State of Maryland, the Connecticut-based 1772 Foundation also recently provided new funding to Preservation Maryland for the organization’s historic property redevelopment program. The 1772 Foundation plays a leading role in promoting and funding preservation projects around the nation and is backing the Preservation Maryland program with an award of $125,000; their largest award given this funding round.
Nicholas A. Redding, President & CEO of Preservation Maryland, explained, “With this generous investment in our revitalization program, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand our work to breathe new life into Maryland’s historic communities.” Redding continued, “None of this would be possible without our many local partners and generous individual, corporate and foundation donors who have helped us reach this point in our story. As an organization that’s now 90 years old, there’s no better way to celebrate than by doing – and saving places that matter for the benefit and future of communities.”
Burtis House, ca. 1982. Photo from the Maryland Historical Trust.
In addition to the Jonathan Street project, Preservation Maryland is also taking on a leading role in a dynamic climate resiliency project at City Dock in Annapolis, Maryland. There, the historic Burtis House, which is being transferred to the City of Annapolis, will be stabilized and elevated by Preservation Maryland as a part of the larger revitalization of City Dock. In 2020, the organization received a $100,000 grant from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority and $75,000 from the State of Maryland to fund the project and is also partnering with the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Park Service on this important effort.