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Louisville Metro Government received a $50,000 grant from the National Historic Preservation Fund to survey properties in the Chickasaw neighborhood with the goal of listing it as a historic district, Mayor Greg Fischer announced Thursday. 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A loan fund will preserve historic properties in Louisville.

Louisville Metro Government and the Owsley Brown II Family Foundation are committing $1 million to Vital Sites, a Louisville-based preservation nonprofit. According to a news release Wednesday, the money will establish a revolving loan fund to assist owners of historic properties in completing eligible repairs to stabilize and revitalize those structures. The fund will prioritize properties in underrepresented neighborhoods.

"We are glad to support Vital Sites’ mission to save and restore historic structures through this new revolving loan fund that will focus on properties in areas of our city where structures are more likely to become dilapidated because of a history of disinvestment," Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a news release. "These homes are steeped in history that deserves to be preserved. This new fund through Vital Sites will help property owners like Gaberiel Jones Jr. and Kaila Washington make much-needed repairs to stabilize, revitalize and renovate important structures throughout our community."

According to a news release, properties must be listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places to receive assistance from a revolving loan program. A preference will be given to properties in the nine neighborhoods of west Louisville and other areas like Griffytown, Beechmont, James Taylor-Jacob School, Smoketown, Shelby Park and Taylor Berry.

"This will be something like an affordable wellness plan to help support the cultural, economic and psychological health of west Louisville residents and all Louisvillians," Christy Brown, philanthropist and head of the Owsley Brown II Family Foundation, said in a news release. "It’s an innovative way for people to grow Louisville's resource of health for the sake of themselves and for the whole community at the same time."

The nonprofit will award low-interest loans to property owners for interior and exterior repairs like painting, siding, roofing, fencing, electrical, plumbing, flooring and more. The maximum loan is $75,000.

To learn more about Vital Sites, click here.

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