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      Exterior Rehabilitation Assistance

      The goal of the Exterior Rehabilitation Program is to promote the preservation of historic buildings through proper rehabilitation. A successful rehabilitation is one that retains, preserves and protects as much of the original historic fabric as possible. It also preserves the original character-defining architectural elements of a particular building.

      The City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office provides exterior rehabilitation assistance to help residents sensitively rehabilitate historic homes while promoting reinvestment in Phoenix's historic neighborhoods. The program makes monies available to private property owners to complete exterior rehabilitation, repair or restoration work on historic homes continuing to serve a residential purpose. Owners of historic homes that are either in city-designated historic districts or are individually listed on the city's historic property register are eligible to apply. The Phoenix Historic​ Property Register is available on the city website.

      The program reimburses owners on a 50/50 matching basis for pre-approved work with grant funding between $5,000 and $20,000 per project. In exchange for receiving financial assistance, the property owner agrees to sell the city a conservation easement to protect the historic character of the property's exteriors.​​

      Application Information

      ​Funds for the Exterior Rehabilitation Program are awarded through a competitive application process.  Given the annual limits of available funds, not all applications submitted may be funded.  Consequently, it is important to plan projects carefully and to prepare applications in accordance with the instructions in this Program Guide.  Further information can be obtained by contacting the HPO.

      The application packet consists of the items below.  Please review all items thoroughly before submitting the application.  Note that only the application form and the attachments specified in Section V of the application need to be submitted (the Program Guide and sample documents below do not need to be submitted with the application).

      Starting in 2024, applications will no longer be accepted via email. Grant applications and all attachments, including the Historic Property Inventory Form, cost estimates, engineer's report (where necessary), photos, site plan, elevations (where necessary) and archival documents (where necessary), must now be uploaded to the city of Phoenix Serv-U file sharing site.

      ​Applicants intending to submit a grant application must contact the Historic Preservation Office by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 to request a link to the city of Phoenix Serv-U file sharing site. Late requests will not be granted. Each applicant will receive a unique link that will only be accessible to the applicant, city staff and grant panel members. Links will be available starting Monday, September 23, 2024.

      Once the applicant receives the link, all grant materials must be uploaded to the city of Phoenix Serv-U file sharing by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 15, 2024. Files uploaded after the deadline will be rejected. Please also note that applications missing crucial elements (such as cost estimates, photos or site plan) will not be considered for funding.

      Virtual Grant Workshop

      To assist applicants with the grant preparation process, the Historic Preservation Office held a workshop on Thursday, September 12, 2024. A link to the recorded workshop is available below. Prospective grant applicants are encouraged to watch the video prior to submitting an application.  

      Grant Workshop Video​

      Eligible Improvements

      All work performed must be exterior work, which results in the repair, improvement, reconstruction, maintenance or enhancement of the facades or exterior faces of the subject property. Eligible exterior work may include:

      • Roof repairs/replacement
      • Foundation repairs 
      • Structural rehabilitation/reinforcement
      • Exterior wall repairs
      • Masonry/stucco repairs
      • Exterior window and doors repairs
      • Porch and step rehabilitation
      • Cornice and parapet repairs 
      • Re-painting (if a part of an eligible repair)
      • Historic garage, guest house or carport rehabilitation
      • Reversal of previous inappropriate alterations
      • Demolition of non-historic additions​
      • Reconstruction of original architectural elements based on documentation/evidence​​
      • Interior work may be eligible only if necessary to stabilize or structurally support the building's historic exteriors.​

      ​Costs

      Engineering costs (soft costs) may qualify if they are related directly to eligible work and if costs are incurred within two (2) years prior to and/or one (1) year after application date and amount to no more than 20 percent of the total funding request. This can include historic structure reports and construction drawings and specifications.

      The program does not fund new construction, additions, work on additions that are not historic, acquisitions, landscaping, fencing, site improvements or interior work (unless related to structural stabilization).

      ​​Meeting Historic Design Guidelines

      Priority is given to projects that perform exterior rehabilitation, repair or restoration work in close accordance with the city's General Design Guidelines for Historic Properties.

      These guidelines encourage improvements that retain the original character of a residence and that extend the life of historic building materials, features and finishes. Where preservation of historic building materials is not reasonable or cost effective, in-kind replacement may be acceptable.

      Project Selection

      When reviewing applications, the city considers the merits of the proposed project, the quality of the application and the support the project provides to the advancement of the city's Historic Preservation goals. Priority will be given to applications that:

      • Clearly demonstrate adherence to the city's Preservation Philosophy and General Design Guidelines for Historic Properties.
      • ​Demonstrate proper rehabilitation techniques based on historic preservation principles (such as following the city's technical bulletins on masonry repointing, paint removal, steel or wood window repairs and wood shingle roof replacements).​  Bulletins are available here​.​​
      • Clearly address the most critical physical needs of the building.
      • Substantially improve the visual appearance of a historic neighborhood, district streetscape or an individually significant property.
      • Return a non-contributing property in a historic district to contributing status.​
      • Encourage the investment of private funds to rehabilitate, improve, maintain, preserve, protect and enhance deteriorated historic properties.
      • Completely address each question on the application and include detailed bids for all proposed work items.

      ​Points also are awarded to applications that reflect appropriate research on the architectural elements and history of the house.  In addition, the significance of the house, overall quality of the application and adequacy of construction bids play a role in the overall application score. ​