PROJECTS

Project Spotlight: Making Connections in Friendship

One of CBCA’s guiding principles is helping communities by saving historic buildings from the landfill. That is precisely our objective with the former Odd Fellows Hall in the Village of Friendship. CBCA is currently leading a team for our friends at the Allegany County Landbank to prepare a Feasibility Study for the building that will help its owners make an informed decision about its future.

In the case of the 4-6 W Main St property, a mixed-use building with storefronts on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors, there is a great opportunity to create a hub of activity and opportunity within Friendship.

Historic Districts

CBCA renews historic places as the leader in maximizing the results of Historic Resource Survey work. CBCA has surveyed nearly 17,000 resources in 25 Historic Resource Surveys of all formats, all settings. We have successfully nominated more than 8,000 designated resources in 43 Individual, Historic HD, MPDF and certification formats, many because of survey recommendation. Districts create community benefit: enhanced community identity, investment, and historic tax credits.

The state of New York offers financial resources through their New York Main Street & Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant programs to assist communities and strengthen their economies. These grants are awarded to those “committed to revitalizing historic downtowns, mixed-use neighborhood commercial districts, and village centers.” CBCA successfully manages and administers these programs to aid applicants from the initiation phase to project closeout and fund disbursement. With the help of NYS and CBCA, thousands of small business owners have transformed the exterior and/or interior of their business to reward their employees and customers with a healthier work environment.

Design Guidelines

Design Guidelines are intended to provide guidance to property owners in planning building projects to be compatible with the historic character of a place. They are used as a guide for the repair, maintenance, rehabilitation, and new construction projects undertaken within the target area. The purpose of adhering to Design Guidelines is principally to reinforce and continually invest in the best features of the special character of a place for the benefit of all.

National Register Nominations

The National Register of Historic Places is the Nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. It is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect historic and archeological resources. Properties listed in the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, and culture. Benefits include eligibility for Federal and State tax benefits and qualification for grants and funding for historic preservation.

Financial Feasibility

CBCA collaboratively designs the revitalization of historic buildings and heritage places, to attract new investment and to create new performance. We often prepare a financial feasibility analysis to support a business reason as well as an historic preservation reason for the saving, adaptive use and historic rehabilitation of an historic building for continued service to its community.