Jasper County Courthouse
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Missouri Heritage Properties Program

The Missouri Heritage Properties Program recently announced by Gov. Matt Blunt will provide $500,000 in grants to preserve Missouri's heritage and revitalize historic downtowns. The new program will be administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and is funded with monies from the Missouri Historic Preservation Revolving Fund.

The initial phase of this effort to preserve historic publicly owned buildings will give priority to historic county courthouses. In making the announcement, Blunt said these prominent buildings "serve as the center for political and governmental life, and are important anchors in the heart of our communities. This new initiative introduces an innovative opportunity to use historic preservation funds to generate economic growth and investment in Missouri downtowns and historic buildings. It builds on the momentum and positive economic changes we have seen in downtowns across the state as a result of the DREAM (Downtown Revilization and Economic Assistance for Missouri) initiative that I introduced to ensure small towns have the same access to available resources as their larger neighbors."

The program provides a financial incentive for the preservation of important National Register-listed or National Register-eligible properties that currently cannot benefit from other assistance programs such as the state and federal tax credits. During the first grant cycle, priority will be given to projects furthering the preservation of county courthouses, but future rounds might target other publicly owned buildings such as city halls, municipal auditoriums, libraries, etc. Buildings selected must still be used for their historic purposes. Museum properties would not qualify. .

The grant application process will be very competitive. Final applications will be scored based on the proposed project’s contribution to Missouri’s statewide preservation priorities and the technical quality of the application. DREAM community applications will receive extra consideration for the grant process. Applications must be postmarked or received at the SHPO by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2007.

For more information about the Missouri Heritage Properties Program, the grant application process or the National Register eligibility of your county courthouse, please contact the State Historic Preservation Office at 573-751-7858 or 800-334-6946.