Three Southwest Virginia Projects Selected for Federal Funding from Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program

Published September 12, 2024

Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
September 12, 2024

Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

Three Southwest Virginia Projects Selected for Federal Funding from Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program

—The three projects recommended for funding will be based in the cities of Radford and Galax and in Carroll County—

RICHMOND – The Department of Historic Resources announced today that it has recommended three preservation projects in Southwest Virginia for federal funding from the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program.

Last year the National Park Service (NPS) bestowed Virginia $750,000 in grant funds through its 2022 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program (PBHRGP) for the rehabilitation of historic buildings and sites in the Commonwealth’s southwestern region. To administer the award, the Department formed a subgrant program to fund preservation projects led by Appalachian Virginia–based public entities and nonprofit organizations that steward historic places for the public good within the 25-county region.

Earlier this year, after a project screening process, the Department invited 22 out of 31 initial preapplicants to submit a full application for its PBHRGP subgrant program. The Department then received 16 completed full applications. In July the Department’s internal review panel selected three applicants to receive grant awards. The projects will each be funded at $225,000 for a total of $675,000. The remaining $75,000 will be used to hire a project manager to assist all three grant recipients, to fabricate required project signs, and for indirect cost recovery.

Learn more about the projects that have been recommended for funding through PBHRGP-Southwest Virginia in the table below:

Project Name	Applicant	Location	Project Description
Glencoe - Advancing Community Through Preservation	City of Radford	City of Radford	This project will include repairs to building envelope and interior restorations as well as ADA-compliant accessibility upgrades.
Rex Theater -Bringing Back the Balcony	City of Galax	City of Galax	This project will restore the theatre balcony, including making the restrooms ADA-compliant.
Sidna Allen House Restoration	Carroll County Historical Society	Hillsville, Carroll County	This project will include repairs to the building envelope, ADA-compliant accessibility upgrades, and extending city utilities to the building.

Following a review of the three proposed projects by the Department’s director Julie Langan, each project will be submitted to the NPS for preliminary approval before beginning the technical review process that the NPS will initiate. As such, the Department’s funding recommendations are currently considered preliminary.

For more information about PBHRGP-Southwest Virginia, visit its webpage or email grants@dhr.virginia.gov.

About the NPS Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program
Named for the late preservation leader from Vermont, the NPS Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program was established to foster economic development in rural communities across the United States by providing funding for the rehabilitation of historic buildings within those communities. The Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program was issued under Federal Assistance Listing 15.904, also known as the Historic Preservation Fund (authorized through 2023), which uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to provide assistance for a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars.

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