Park Board sites receive $15,000 for historic preservation
Partners in Preservation announced today the group of historic sites receiving a share of $1 million in preservation grants. Mill Ruins Park and Minnehaha Park each received $5,000 for participating in the initiative. Minnehaha Park also received an additional $5,000 for holding the highest voting percentage increase during the final week of voting. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) thanks everyone who voted for either of the parks during the three-week period earlier this fall.
See below for the full list of grant recipients and more information.
Nov. 10, 2011 – American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation today announced a diverse group of 13 historic and culturally significant sites in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area to receive preservation grants for important restoration projects. Twenty-five historic sites participated in the program and competed for votes on Facebook for a part of the $1 million.
American Express and the National Trust encouraged the Twin Cities community to vote online daily for three weeks for their favorite historic place. This year marked the first time that Partners in Preservation voting occurred on Facebook, with people from the Twin Cities, and around the world, getting involved – including a Facebook community who voted, uploaded hundreds of photos and shared their support for their favorite historic places. On October 13, the Basilica of Saint Mary was announced as the winner of the popular vote, receiving a grant of $110,000.
The 12 additional sites announced today were chosen by an advisory committee comprised of civic and preservation leaders, which was co-chaired by Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul, in collaboration with American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Specific criteria were used in the selection process, including public voting results and community support for the project, the preservation needs of the site, historic significance and the role the site plays in the community.
The 13 Partners in Preservation 2011 award winners are:
The Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis: $110,000 to repair the Narthex and the Sacristy of the Basilica, including the repair of decorative ceilings, limestone walls and damaged plaster and restoring the historic paint and gold leaf found throughout the structure.
Emerge Career and Technology Center, Minneapolis: $110,000 to restore the library’s ornate interior, including surviving 1893 interior woodwork, flooring and plaster walls, along with its distinctive wood windows.
Waterford Iron Bridge, Waterford Township: $95,000 to remove and replace the cracked southeast wing wall.
American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis: $90,000 to restore the historic first floor kitchen, dry storage room and butler’s pantry to their original condition.
Pilgrim Baptist Church, Saint Paul: $86,000 to repair heavily damaged sections of brick masonry on the exterior of the building.
Harriet Tubman Center East, Maplewood: $84,000 to update the Center’s public restroom facilities at the first floor.
C.S.P.S. Sokol Hall, Saint Paul: $80,000 to install an air conditioning system in the second floor auditorium, which will allow the space to be used for public events year-round.
Historic Pilot Knob, Mendota Heights: $75,000 to bury existing power lines that currently disrupt the natural landscape.
The Soap Factory, Minneapolis: $70,000 toward the repair of the failing roof of the main building.
Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, Saint Paul: $50,000 for brick masonry repair and the repair of the church’s prominent concrete columns that define the main entrance of the church.
Fort Snelling Upper Post, Building 67, Hennepin County: $40,000 to restore the rare historic Seth Thomas/Hotchkiss model clock in the clock tower.
Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, Saint Paul: $30,000 to achieve the original architectural vision for the historic ramp with the installation of tower lights and new fencing that is in character with the 1937 structure.
Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery, Minneapolis: $20,000 toward the removal, cleaning, repair and reinstalling of the cemetery’s historic fence.
In addition, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the remaining 12 sites participating in the initiative by granting them each $5,000 in funding. The recipients include:
