A Boost for Preservation

Jim Gillespie is a seventh-generation Jackson County resident who leads by example. With his purchase and rehabilitation of a c.1875 commercial building on Brownstown’s courthouse square, he hopes to inspire additional downtown development.

Gillespie bought the building at 111 East Walnut last September and began work to restore the structure’s historic character. He plans to rent the first floor to a retail tenant and rent the second floor – originally an Odd Fellows Lodge – as live-work space.

The project is one of Brownstown’s first downtown renovations that will be able to take advantage of federal rehabilitation tax credits, thanks to recent listing of the new Brownstown Courthouse Square Historic District in the National Register. Qualifying properties within National Register districts can be eligible for tax credits or rehabilitation grants. To qualify, properties must be income-producing, and renovation work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

The Brownstown district — roughly bounded by Walnut Street between Sugar and Poplar streets, and Main Street between Cross and Spring streets – encompasses the downtown commercial district and the 1872 Jackson County Courthouse. The historic district includes several good examples of architectural styles popular between 1880 and 1910, including Italianate, Queen Anne, and Romanesque Revival.

To learn more about rehabilitation tax credits, visit www.in.gov/dnr or contact Indiana Landmarks’ regional office nearest you.