Immediate Successes and Long-Term Implications of MMSC’s Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program
May 30, 2025 | Marla Mills
The Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program is provided by Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior, and supported in part by the Historic Preservation Fund. The program supports the rehabilitation and protection of historic properties leading to economic development of rural communities.
In November 2024 we reported that 13 projects from eight communities across the state were awarded a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grant and at that time three of the projects were under review by NPS. We have come a long way in less than six months!
To recap, MMSC partnered with NPS to provide funding through a low match subgrant program, only requiring a 10% match, for selected buildings on the National Register of Historic Places or those eligible to be listed as confirmed by the State Historic Preservation Office. The scope of this subgrant program included projects that would work on the exterior of the building with an emphasis on making the building more sustainable in the future.
Currently, two of the 13 projects have been completed, two more have been authorized to start their work, one is under construction, and three are in the review process. The remaining five are working toward submitting their project documents for review.
Completed Projects
Zickfield Properties in Cape Girardeau was the first project completed and went through the review process with no issues. This project included a new roof over three connecting buildings along with masonry work on the extended fire walls and chimneys. It was a critical project as the roof was leaking significantly in some areas and the chimneys were crumbling. The project was completed just days before a tornado made a path through downtown Cape Girardeau. The finished project was damaged but repairable and the roof held up under the large amounts of rain that accompanied the tornado.
The second completed project was in Lebanon, known as the Joe Knight Building. The building houses a favorite local restaurant, Mel’s on Madison. This building also received a new roof with its unique awning getting a much-needed replacement, while still maintaining its character-defining features.
Projects Starting
In Warrensburg, masonry work began on the property at 319 N Holden to replace and repair lost and damaged brick along with much needed repointing. The Colonial Hotel in Excelsior Springs and Kellerman Lorimier Hall in Cape Girardeau have been given their authorization to proceed and both are in the process of scheduling their work but should start within the next month.
Projects Under Review
The three projects still being reviewed include 311 S Thompson in Excelsior Springs, the Bailey Building in Chillicothe, and Venue on Brick in Ozark. Owners and MMSC alike are anxiously awaiting their final authorization to move forward.
Projects Working on Project Submissions
The five projects remaining to be submitted have all experienced delays for various reasons. Finding appropriate contractors who can accomplish the work within the Secretary of Interior Standards, in a reasonable timeframe, and within a reasonable budget has been the biggest challenge. One of the properties has changed ownership. But all of them are moving forward and their projects will soon be submitted for review.
Lasting Impacts
MMSC’s partnership with SFS Architecture has been instrumental in ensuring that, even before submission to NPS, the project scope adheres to the Secretary of Interior Standards and that the project was completed following the scope approved in the process. This partnership has evolved into an even longer reaching benefit for these projects as SFS will continue to be MMSC’s partner throughout the term of the Preservation Agreement.
The grant process includes a five-year Preservation Agreement with MMSC as the holding and managing party of the agreement to provide protection for the property’s historic qualities and character defining features as outlined in its National Register listing. As holder of the agreement, MMSC is able to provide assistance to property owners with plans for development outside of the grant project including connecting them with consultants. Working with a consultant provides a valuable resource to assist the property owners in navigating the application of the Secretary of Standards to the work on and in their buildings, providing much needed direction, guidance, contacts, or additional resources. The two completed projects have already taken advantage of this resource immediately after they completed their grant project and moved to the Preservation Agreement phase.
Zickfield’s roof and masonry project received tornado damage almost immediately after completion. The consultant was able to provide assurance and guidance in the best way to mediate the damage. The owners of the Joe Knight building have been working in a phased approach on their large building. As soon as their roof was complete, they wanted to move to their next phase. The consultant has been able to review their plans and help them work toward the best approach to keep what is left of the historic features of their property and still accomplish their vision for the building.
A critical component of the Paul Bruhn grant is education and awareness. This has been visible through discussions with the historic preservation specialists and consultants that have moved property owners from loving their buildings and wanting to do the right things to knowing what those are and how to actually accomplish them.
As a first time Paul Bruhn grantee, MMSC is proud of the accomplishments made in a brief time period. Yet, there are still challenges to overcome. Processes are still being developed to manage the five-year preservation agreement, which commits both the property owners and MMSC together for a considerable amount of time into the future. Time constraints, contractor demands, and life in general sometimes get in the way of the subgrantees’ work and ability to move forward in their project, but the MMSC team has learned a great deal about what is really needed for development to occur and how it can be of real assistance in this process.
More good news to come as the remaining projects move into their review, implementation, and preservation agreement phases.
