According to the National Register of Historic Places from the US Department of Interior, the house at 93 East ave is a contributing structure to the nationally recognized Norwalk Green Historic District. And there’s a map showing the boundaries of that district and with the identification of the buildings that are included.
That would be lot 13 according to the map
Buildings in this historic district can get a 20% federal tax credit. The guidelines for what can be done with federally designated historic buildings, according to the Dept. of Interior website, are administered locally, and can be viewed here..
It seems that rehabilitation, including the commercial use as a hotel, is allowed under the guidelines.
What is Rehabilitation?
“Rehabilitation” is defined in the regulations governing Historic Preservation Certifications (36 CFR Part 67) as:
The process of returning a building or buildings to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient use while preserving those portions and features of the building and its site and environment which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural values.
center>
This vacant gas station (above) was rehabilitated for use as a coffee shop (below). Photos: Bob Olin, Sherman Perk
Rehabilitation not only encourages the repair of historic buildings, it allows appropriate alterations to ensure their efficient contemporary use. Examples include the continued use of hotels, stores, and private residences, as well as the adaptation of vacant schools into apartments, warehouses into offices, and industrial buildings into commercial space.
The steps for obtaining a federal designation don’t seem that complicated, and are outlined here. From the statute:
(c) The agency shall, in consultation
with the State Historic Preservation
Officer, apply the National Register
Criteria for Evaluation contained in 36
CFR 60.6 to all potentially eligible
properties that may be affected by the
proposed action. If a property appears
to meet the Criteria and the State His-
toric Preservation Officer agrees, the
agency should follow the procedures in
§63.3. If there is a question whether the
Criteria are met, the agency shall com-
plete the procedures in §63.3(d). A ques-
tion on whether a property meets the
Criteria exists when the agency and
the State Historic Preservation Officer
disagree or when the agency deter-
mines that a question exists. The De-
partment of the Interior will provide
general and specific advice concerning
the identification of historic properties
and will bring to the attention of a
Federal agency any information re-
ceived from the public regarding poten-
tial historic properties in the area af-
fected by its plans or projects.
I’m sure that the debate will continue in the comments. If there are other documents or links that would aide everyone to follow the discussion, please let me know.
