Sustainability & Historic Preservation

What do historic tax credits have to do with environmental and economic sustainability?

• One-third of all solid waste dumped in landfills is from construction debris

• Embodied Energy – total expenditure of energy in the creation of the building and its materials

• 56,000 gallons of gasoline is wasted – energy of average historic building carted off to landfill

• In Ohio, $1 million dollar in rehab of an historic building creates 22.9 jobs and ultimately $823,000 in household income

• New construction – half materials and half labor

• Rehabilitation – 60 to 70% labor – good, well-paying jobs

• Historic Preservation is overwhelmingly done by small firms

• Preserve an historic building – preserving land

• Rehabilitate historic building – reducing waste generation

• Reuse an historic building – ultimate in recycling

Over-the-Rhine Green Historic Study

• Explored barriers and opportunities to developing green historic buildings

• Managed by Over-the-Rhine Foundation and Gray & Pape

• Funded by OHPO/NPS (CLG Grant), Duke Energy and generous pro-bono services

• Study designed & evaluated four prototypical building types in Over-the-Rhine

• 1313 Clay – originally stable for Brauer Dairy – reuse as owner’s residence and rental apartment

• 1420 Pleasant – small tenement apartments – reuse as larger more marketable apartments

• 1700 Vine – originally storefront with upper residential units – reuse as storefront, owner’s residence and rental apartment

• 1202-1204 Main – originally hotel for vaudeville performers – reuse commercial space at street level, condos on upper floors

• Assessed ability to meet Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED) certification, USGBC

• Also comply with SOI Standards for Rehabilitation

• All four buildings cost-effectively met, at minimum, LEED certification

• Designs met SOI Standards for Rehabilitation

The Value of Communication• We discovered that most “conflict”

between meeting LEED certification and proper historic preservation results from a mis-understanding of other disciplines, or an inadequate understanding of options – important to look at the whole picture.

• Early communication critical to success!

• LEED certification and Tax Credit certification require documentation of existing conditions – before you start work!

• Both processes also require that the project is documented along the way, and verification that you did what you said you were going to do.

• Bottom line – green historic tax credit projects are doable!

Historic Preservation Consulting Services

• National Register Nominations, Tax Credit Certification, Local Historic District Designation, Design Guidelines, Historic Preservation Plans

• Part I, Part II and Part III• Research, prepare nominations, forms,

photo documentation, coordination• LEED/Historic Tax Credit projects

Thank You

• Michael J. Matts, Director Historic Preservation & PlanningGray & Pape, Inc.mmatts@graypape.com 513-287-7700