Facade help through EDA
Does your building in the historic district need a facelift? Want some money to help? Was it sided over with wood, vinyl or stucco? Were windows covered up? Doors replaced with residential doors instead of commercial doors? Buildings and business owners downtown are eligible for EDA forgivable loans to undo building coverups from the 70’s of windows, awnings, doors and fronts.
The EDA loans have funds available for
- Window replacement to original size with clear glass and replacement of tinted glass with clear glass on street level. Uncover, replace or caulk and paint windows on and 2nd & 3rd stories to original sizes (you can tell where the openings were filled in on the main floor and 2nd or 3rd stories with siding and short residential windows)
- Front door replacement
- Tuck pointing brick. Most buildings downtown have brick that could use tuckpointing at the top of building front, around windows and at the sidewalk level. Tuck pointing with mortar to replace caulk or cement which ruins the brick.
- Awning replacement – Take off the buck-a-roo wood awnings that came out in the ‘70s and replace with stripped or solid color canvas awnings.
- Façade restoration- removing siding, stucco & wood from front coverups
- The EDA, MainStreet and the Owatonna Business Development Center, owatonna.biz, can help with forgivable loans and the guidelines for replacement or restoration. Contact Shirley at MainStreet for more information and design guidance: sschultz@owatonna.org
Check out these photos for before and after changes.
