The Lebanon Historic Preservation Commission is currently working to get the Boone County Courthouse Square on the National Register of Historic Places, thanks to a matching grant from Indiana Landmarks’ Partners in Preservation program.
Derek Warren, of the commission, said that the National Register has recently put downtown squares in the Midwest on their radar as places they would like to see adopted onto the register. The actual courthouse is already on the register, he said, but not any of the surrounding area. The courthouse is the only structure in Lebanon to be on the register.
“The square has been tagged as a desirable district,” Warren said. “The people in charge of the register are encouraging us to apply, but it’s definitely not guaranteed.”
Because of the in-depth application required, Warren said cities need professionals to prepare the applications. So Lebanon applied for a grant from Indiana Landmarks’ PIP program, and it was selected to receive $2,250. The matching grant required the city to come up with another $2,250, which Warren said they did from the Lebanon Planning and Zoning Department’s professional services budget. Kurt Garner from KW Garner and Associates was then hired to do the work to prepare the application.
Work required for the application includes going around to each individual building and writing a detailed description, taking photos, and then doing research on it. Garner has been using the historic records at the Lebanon Public Library for the majority of his research, Warren said. He researches historic events that may have taken place in these buildings.
“There is a big misconception that just because a building is old means it’s historic,” Warren said. “There aren’t any notable buildings on the square; they are all labeled as contributing. To be notable, something of notoriety has happened there in history. There are some age requirements, but it’s not all about age.”
Warren added that Lebanon’s square would be important to get on the register because it is complete. Many downtown squares are not complete and have buildings missing. The area outlined in the application includes the Courthouse Square and also snakes around to areas like Memory Hall and the Lebanon Post Office.
A spot on the National Register of Historic Places for the Courthouse Square would be a boost for Lebanon, Warren said.
“More or less, it boils down to a feather for the cap of the city to use as a marketing tool,” Warren said. “We also thought it was important for the property owners, to give them every incentive out there to improve their structures, which ultimately leads to a better Lebanon.”
Property owners of buildings in districts on the National Register get a 20 percent federal tax credit for any preservation work, Warren said. And since Lebanon is in the application process for this district, these tax incentives are already available to building owners.
The application should be completed and submitted by the end of November. After that comes a very long review process, Warren said. The city might not hear back on the result of the application for 12 to 24 months. But one of the end goals is something Warren is already starting to see take shape in downtown Lebanon.
“We’re starting to see downtown changing now,” he said. “Some really cool niche businesses are starting to fill our spaces, something we haven’t had around here for a while. It’s exciting to see.”
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