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To any person who owns a historic building in need of rehabilitation, there is help. In fact, there are a bewildering number of resources available," says Constance La Lena, a Trinidad-based consultant with a twenty-five year career in historic preservation. Her business, Restoration Design, takes all the guesswork out of finding the programs available and navigating through them to find those that best fit a particular project. "I love to help people put projects together," she notes, "and then, see them through to completion."
Connie LaLena - Restoration Design
By passing the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Congress gave official recognition to the importance of preserving the historical and cultural foundations of our nation and established a policy of partnership with states, local governments, Indian tribes, private organizations and individuals. The spin-off from this directive has strengthened local and state-wide preservation efforts, but also has served to create confusion about which agency or organization to contact, and most importantly, where to get help. Listed below are only some of the available resources.
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Connie LaLena of Restoration Design and Danny Trujillo of
B.A.V. Construction working on the Las Animas County Court House project. |
Colorado Preservation, Inc., Denver, is Colorado's only state-wide private non-profit historic preservation organization, which includes education and technical services among its programs. Its annual "Saving Places" conference is a good place to start learning about Preservation techniques and resources. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, chartered by an act of Congress but now independently funded, has a regional office. The Colorado Historical Society administers a number of programs through its Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, including the state and national registers, state and federal tax credits, inventory projects, and technical literature. The Society's State Historical Fund administers gambling tax revenues which are available as grants to historic preservation projects. The Colorado Historical Foundation, Denver, has an active easements program and is developing a revolving loan program for historic preservation. Likewise, in New Mexico, the Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs, Santa Fe, administers preservation programs including the state and national registers, state and federal tax credits, and a below-market loan fund for preservation projects. The New Mexico Preservation Alliance, Santa Fe, is a state-wide non-profit preservation organization that partners with others to bring resources to projects throughout the state.
Other financial resources for people with preservation projects include affordable housing tax credits, enterprise zone credits, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's 203 (K) rehab mortgage loan insurance program.
"Most people who want to fix up an old building don't realize just how many options are available, financial or otherwise," said Constance. "I delight in steering people through a complex maze of resources for assistance." Restoration Design's services comprise every aspect of the project from conception to hard construction, and can include historical and structural research, state and national register nominations, grant writing, grant administration and financial reporting, tax credits, project design, financial partners, building a professional project team, Secretary of the Interior's Standards, project specifications, construction contracting, and on-site supervision.
Constance has served clients in all states, Canada, and Mexico, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia; U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service; Ontario, Canada, Ministry of Culture; and Museo Hombre Naturaleza & Cultura, Mexico.
In Trinidad, to date her grant writing has brought more than $600,000 to local projects. Currently, she’s the project coordinator for the grant-funded restoration of the windows at the Las Animas County Court House, and is coordinating a comprehensive historic structure assessment which will prioritize future needs and funding options for the building. She is also assisting the owner of a wonderful historic old homestead near Juan Baca Canyon, north of Thatcher. "And, another marvelous project I'm privileged to be working on is the Stone Mansion Bed and Breakfast where we're putting together a funding package that includes state and local tax credits, and grants to perform needed work on the building, in addition to preparing all the proper application forms for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The really great thing about working in Trinidad is — my clients are just a short walk away," she laughs. "I can really watch the project closely!" Call Constance at 719/ 846-8788 for assistance and a free list of organizations and governmental agencies that offer benefits and resources for historic preservation projects.
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