Main Street Calumet to offer Historic Preservation Tax Credit Workshop Apr. 14

CALUMET -- A Historic Preservation Tax Credit Workshop will be offered from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, at the Keweenaw National Historical Park Headquarters in Calumet.

Cross Country Sports in Calumet is a great example of an award-winning storefront now fully reconstructed with assistance from Historic Preservation Tax Credits. Co-owner Lorri Oikarinen said Keweenaw National Historical Park Architect John Rosemurgy used historic photos to make conceptual drawings of what might be done with this building, located in Calumet's historic district. Architect Truman Obermeyer then provided the actual construction document, based on the drawings. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

Join Robbert McKay, Historical Architect with the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and administrator of the Federal Tax Credit program, for an introduction and overview to the Preservation Tax Incentives.*

"The Keweenaw’s historic downtowns and neighborhoods are links to the past. They give a sense of place, identity, and stability to our communities -- places in which people want to live, work, and explore," said Tom Tikkanen, executive director of Main Street Calumet.

Historic Preservation Tax Credits can take a bite out of the cost of maintaining or rehabilitating a historic building, Tikkanen explained. Combined federal and state tax credits are available for up to 25 percent of total qualified rehabilitation costs with the potential for an additional 15 percent credit through the special competitive enhanced program.

Eligibility for the Preservation Tax Credit program is reserved for structures that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, such as properties in designated historic districts found in Calumet, Laurium, Lake Linden, Mason, Eagle River, Hancock, Houghton, Painesdale, and others throughout the Keweenaw.**

This workshop is sponsored by the Calumet Main Street Design Committee. Call 337-MAIN (6246) for more information or go to www.mainstreetcalumet.com.

The Keweenaw National Historical Park Headquarters is located at 25970 Red Jacket Road, Calumet.

* For more information, refer to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority Web site: http://www.michigan.gov/mshda/. Click on the Historic Preservation Tab, and then go to the Historic Preservation Incentives programs.

** For more listings of historic districts and more details search http://www.nps.gov/nr/research/.