The before and after restoration of 841 Manida Street, one of the Historic Preservation Grant winners in 2022. Image Credit: Landmarks.
On October 25, 2023, the Landmarks Preservation Commission announced the seven latest grants from its Historic Preservation Grant Program. These recipients each received between $24,000 and $62,500 for restoration work, including removal of lead paint hazards. Recipients also receive hands-on technical assistance from Landmarks staff throughout the project.
The Historic Preservation Grant Program was established in 1977, and has awarded more than $5.7 million to 177 homeowners and 147 non-profit organizations across the five boroughs. For more information, click here. This LPC program is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). Grants are awarded based on the number of applications received and funding available, income eligibility and financial need, building conditions and repairs, and the effect the grant will have on improving the building and/or historic district.
In addition to this funding, grant recipients receive help with preparing contractor bid documents and selecting qualified contractors. LPC grant program staff will also make site visits once work is underway, seeing the projects through to completion.
The new round of grants includes six Homeowner Awards and one Non-Profit Award:
Homeowner Awards
- 856 Manida Street, Bronx– Manida Street Historic District: $62,500 awarded for paint and vine removal, front façade painting, partial roof repairs, cornice repair and painting, front doors repair, lead paint removal, and removal of a non-historic fence and gate.
- 112-33 178th Street, Queens – Addisleigh Park Historic District: $35,000 awarded for partial slate roof replacement.
- 5 Agate Court, Brooklyn – Alice and Agate Courts Historic District: $36,000 awarded for front door replacement to match the home’s original structure and lead paint removal.
- 14 Agate Court, Brooklyn – Alice and Agate Courts Historic District: $34,000 awarded for front door replacement to match the home’s original structure and lead paint removal.
- 16 Agate Court, Brooklyn – Alice and Agate Courts Historic District: $24,000 awarded for front door replacement to match the home’s original structure and lead paint removal
- 134 Noble Street, Brooklyn – Greenpoint Historic District: $60,000 awarded for cornice repair and painting, brownstone stoop resurfacing, and lead paint removal.
Non-Profit Awards
- 107 West 130thStreet, Manhattan – Central Harlem Historic District: $35,000 for brownstone façade repairs at the primary façade.
Landmarks also announced that work is officially complete on one of the previous grant recipients, 841 Manida Street in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. The landmarked home is part of the Manida Street Historic District, and grant funding went towards a newly restored façade.
Landmarks Chair Sarah Carroll stated, “LPC’s Historic Preservation Grant Program is an example of the Commission’s ongoing commitment to partnering with property owners citywide to help safeguard their historic landmark buildings. The funding from these latest grant awards will help recipients restore and preserve their individual properties, and support the ongoing success of preservation in their respective historic districts.”
Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr., 17th Council District, The Bronx and Chair of the Land Use Committee, “In the 17th district, the Manida Street Historic District reflects the Bronx’s place as one of the central contributors to the finance world in the early 20th century. With time, though, it is imperative that we maintain our connections to the past. In the South Bronx, [LPC] is doing just that by offering financial assistance to homeowners in the Manida Street District to repair their historic homes through federal grants.”
Marlienne Christian Edness, homeowner of 5 Agate Court and grant recipient stated, “The Historic Preservation Grant Program has been instrumental in strengthening and improving the façade of my brownstone home (built in 1888-1889) by providing funds for licensed contractors of my choice to remove paint from the stone and repoint the bricks to restore its natural beauty.”
By: Cassidy Strong (Cassidy is a CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2024.)