Arizona's historic places benefit from lottery ticket sales

[Source: Arizona State Parks press release] -- Why preserve historic places? The places of Arizona's yesteryear should be preserved and incorporated into present day living. It provides a sense of place and gives us insight to where we came from and direction on where we are going. Preservation cannot wait. Arizona voters created the Heritage Fund back in 1990 and stipulated that a percentage of the funds go towards state historic preservation projects. Since that time Arizona State Parks has supported 519 projects statewide and awarded more than $19.8 million towards Arizona's historic preservation.

Heritage Fund Historic Preservation projects awarded in the 2nd grant cycle totaling over $1 million:

Central Arizona

• Buckeye Main Street Coalition, Inc. - $92,529 for Buckeye's Courthouse and Jail for stabilization work to the 1912 Buckeye Courthouse and Jail.
• Glendale - $57,009 for weatherizing, stabilizing, and repairing exteriors of four contributing Floralcroft Historic District properties.
• Tempe - $33,000 to prepare a National Register Nomination and rehabilitate the red tile roof on the 1915 D.J. Frankenberg House.
• Mesa - $100,000 for rehabilitation of the 1920 Alston House into office spaces for community organizations, and a community center for residents of the Washington Park/Escobedo neighborhood.
  

Northern Arizona

• Prescott - $16,000 for restoration work on the 1928 Elks Opera House second lobby including removal of the dropped ceiling and mural and artwork restoration.
• Peeples Valley-Yarnell Historic Society - $23, 357 for renovation and restoration of the 1927 Peeples Valley Schoolhouse and attached teacherage.
• Springerville - $100,000 for repair and stabilization of the 1884 Springerville Elementary School.
• Arizona Board of Regents for & on behalf of Northern Arizona University - $15,936 for orchard restoration to preserve historic tree varieties; and develop information to interpret the historical and biological importance of the 1912-1933 Slide Rock orchard.
• Center for Desert Archaeology - $96,892 for "Planning for Little Colorado River National Heritage Area Feasibility Study" in Apache County. Significant economic benefits are expected for the region as an outcome of this project.
  

Western Arizona

• Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area - $100,000 for Yuma's Railroad at the Swing Span Pivot to facilitate the telling of the arrival of Arizona's first train in 1877, and how the swing span pivot bridge allowed rail and steamboats to co-exist.
• International Sonoran Desert Alliance - $50,000 for the 1917 Ajo Curley School Rehabilitation and Stage Door project.
  

Southern Arizona

• The Primavera Foundation, Inc. - $98,600 for restoration to Tucson's historic 1937 Alamo Apartment Building, one of the few remaining two-story motor hotels in Pima County.
• Miami - $99,155 for the 1920 Miami-Bullion Plaza School Building Phase I.
• Pinal County - $100,000 for the 1891 Pinal County Courthouse Roof repair located in Florence, Arizona.
• Florence Preservation Foundation - $93,750 for rehabilitation to the circa 1882 Cuen House & Butcher Shop/First Telephone Exchange in Florence's Historic District.
• Bisbee Community Y - $16,778 to enhance both the appearance and integrity of the 1920s Bisbee Community Y building basement.

Historic Preservation grant workshops are scheduled in October 2006 for the 2nd grant cycle. Deadlines are the last working day of May for the 1st cycle, and the last working day of December for the 2nd cycle. Contact Vivia Strang, Historic Preservation Grant Coordinator, at 602-542-4174 for more information about the application process or visit the Arizona State Parks website for more information on grant programs.