What is a Historic Structure Assessment grant?

A historic structure assessment creates a plan for how to take care of a historic building. The city of Louisville Historic Preservation Fund allows grants of up to $4,000 for a residential Historic Structure Assessment (HSA) and up to $9,000 for a commercial HSA for properties eligible to be landmarked. The purpose of the HSA is to create a priority list for structural and historical architectural elements which need to be preserved or restored. The Historic Structure Assessment grant does not commit the property owner or the city to a future landmark designation. City Staff, the Historic Preservation Commission and City Council will use this information for any future preservation/restoration grant applications.

1. Property owner completes an application for the HSA grant and forwards it to the Preservation Planner for review.
2. Staff will schedule the probable cause hearing before the HPC and notify the applicant of the date and time. The applicant should plan to attend the HPC meeting.  
3. If probable cause for landmarking the property is found, the property owner coordinates with a Preservation Planner to conduct the HSA (outlined by the Scope of Work). 
4. Prior to signing a contract with the preservation professional, the property owner should submit the contract/price estimate to the City for approval.
5. A Professional will conduct the HSA per the provided Scope of Work
6. Submit draft HSA to Preservation Planner for review to ensure minimum standards of Scope of Work met. If any revisions are required, the Preservation Planner will provide comments on the document. A final draft will then be resubmitted to the Preservation Planner for final review and approval.
7. After the HSA is approved, the property owner provides the W9 Tax Form, and the paid HSA Invoice to the Preservation Planner for reimbursement.  
8. Property owner meets with Preservation Planner to discuss next steps.