The city of Jamestown is one of this year’s Preserve New York grantees.

The grant of $10,000 will fund a Cultural Resource Survey of its westside neighborhoods to help determine the area’s National Register eligibility. The Preservation League of New York state and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts are thrilled to help fund this important work.

Jamestown’s evolution from a frontier village to a thriving industrial urban center in the 19th and 20th centuries is evident in its compact design inclusive of its residential neighborhoods. Post-industrial disinvestment produced undesirable outcomes including homes falling victim to vacancy, abandonment and deterioration. Jamestown’s westside neighborhoods have experienced these challenges exacerbated by collective underappreciation of the city’s history and historic assets. The city has responded with ongoing efforts to improve neighborhoods’ resiliency and protect real estate values. Thanks to a $10,000 Preserve New York grant, Clinton Brown Company Architecture will conduct a Cultural Resource Survey of approximately 500 structures in Jamestown’s westside neighborhoods to determine National Register eligibility. The survey will bring historic preservation to an unrepresented part of the city, an area that merits the identification and protection of its heritage while providing access to the New York State Historic Homeownership Rehabilitation Tax Credit to benefit homeowners and regenerate Jamestown from within.

“We are so pleased to be among the Preserve New York grant recipients. Historic Preservation has increasingly become a priority in the City of Jamestown and has been playing a meaningful role in the development of the city’s future story,” said Crystal Surdyk, city development director. “With the funding provided through this grant, we will be able to continue to gain a better understanding of our cultural resources and historic assets. This understanding will equip city leadership with the tools and information required to act urgently in protecting our most vulnerable assets, and fostering a community culture that values, respects, and embraces Jamestown’s heritage story.”

At its 2021 meeting, an independent grant panel selected 32 applicants in 25 counties to receive support totaling $297,995. Each grant supports important arts and cultural initiatives, as well as economic development related to our state’s arts and cultural heritage. Many of these grants will lead to historic district designation or expansion, telling the stories of communities throughout the state and allowing property owners to take advantage of the New York state and federal historic tax credits. This is even more valuable now with the state Commercial Historic Tax Credit recently expanded for small projects, granting property owners a 30% credit. With the announcement of the 2021 awards, support provided by Preserve New York since its launch in 1993 totals more than $3.3 million to 489 projects statewide.