NEWS

Evansville Buildings on the Road to Rehab

Two Evansville buildings will benefit from a state grant program designed to stimulate downtown economic development by providing funds to rehabilitate historic properties.

Investing in Downtown

Developers in Evansville will use a combined $112,000 from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ Historic Renovation Grant Program (HRGP) to create ground-level retail and upper-floor apartments at the 1888 Siegel’s Building and the 1900 O’Donnell Building.

Gene Warren, a valued advisor of Indiana Landmarks, is tackling the redevelopment of the Siegel’s Building, which recalls an era when Fourth Street was the location of some of the city’s most popular stores. Located at Fourth and Locust, the building anchors a block of Victorian commercial storefronts. Originally built to house a haberdashery, the Romanesque Revival building held a number of businesses over the years – most recently Siegel’s Uniform Shop.

John O’Donnell, proprietor of the Sanitary Plumbing Company, moved his business to the building at 22 NW Sixth Street in 1905. A specialist in steam and hot water heating, O’Donnell made improvements in 1911, including installing a plate glass store front and adding a second story for apartments. The building retains its historic prism-glass transom and cast-iron storefront manufactured by George L. Mesker & Co., a local firm whose storefronts can be found throughout the Midwest. Carl Arnheiter is developing the O’Donnell Building.

O'Donnell Building, Evansville

Grant funding from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs will help Carl Arnheiter rehabilitate the O’Donnell Building in downtown Evansville.

Applicants located within an Indiana Main Street or non-entitlement community can apply for HRGP project funding between $10,000 and $100,000 at a maximum request of 35% of the total eligible project cost. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Historic Preservation and Archeology (DHPA) reviews applications for the HRGP to ensure submissions meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.

Read more about the HRGP projects in Evansville. For more information about the Historic Renovation Grant program contact the Office of Community and Rural Affairs at 1-800-824-2476 or see https://secure.in.gov/ocra/files/Workshop_Historic_Renovation_Grant_Program.pdf.

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