The Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation (DAHP) announced today that applications to request funding through the Heritage Barn Rehabilitation Grant Program are available. Part of the state’s Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative established in 2007, the grant program assists with rehabilitation projects designed to stabilize and preserve designated Heritage Barns across the state.
Since the program’s inception, Heritage Barn Grant funding has provided assistance to 32 Heritage Barns throughout Washington.
“This program has helped people save barns that otherwise would have been gone forever,” says Jerri Honeyford, Chair of the Barn Advisory Committee that oversees the initiative. “We owe a debt of gratitude to those barn owners who, through dedication and significant personal expense, continue to provide stewardship for our treasured agricultural heritage.”
Rehabilitation grants are awarded through a competitive application process. In two funding rounds, the Barn Advisory Committee has reviewed over 170 grant applications. Criteria for funding include, but are not limited to, the historical significance of the barn, urgency of needed repairs, and provision for long-term preservation. Priority is given to barns that remain in agricultural use.
“The Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative has been a popular and successful program for our agency,” noted Dr. Allyson Brooks, director of the State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation. “With 457 designated Heritage Barns located across all 39 counties statewide, the program has effectively raised awareness about the challenges facing historic barns while encouraging many owners to embark on their own barn rehabilitation projects independent of the grant program.”
Historic agricultural structures listed in the Heritage Barn Register, the Washington Heritage Register, or the National Register of Historic Places, are eligible to receive grant funds. To be eligible for listing in the Heritage Barn Register, barns must be over 50 years old and retain a significant degree of historic integrity. All nomination/application materials related to the Heritage Barn Register and the Heritage Barn Rehabilitation Grant Program can be downloaded from DAHP’s Web site at http://www.dahp.wa.gov . Barn owners with questions about the program are encouraged to contact Chris Moore at (206) 624-9449 or via email at cmoore@preservewa.org . Grant applications are due on Mon., Oct. 17 2011, with grant awards slated to be announced in early December 2011.
