Tuesday, the Architectural Board of Review (ABR) approved a Façade Enhancement Grant for the recently purchased and rebranded Watchtower Building located at 154 S Washington St., formerly known as the Gold Bond Building.
The ABR approved a grant of $10,000 for storefront replacement for work on the Madison Street side of the building that will open a couple storefront spaces for potential new downtown business.
The property and renovation investment totals nearly $80,000. This year, the ABR approved grants for the owners of 11 buildings in Downtown Tiffin for a total investment of nearly $245,000.
Mayor Dawn Iannantuono said, “I am excited to see a downtown property restored so it can once again be used for business. Locations are limited and the City of Tiffin is happy to provide assistance for the restoration of another property.”
Since the Façade Enhancement Program’s inception in 2014, 113 projects have been approved for the restoration of Tiffin’s historic downtown properties generating $3.2 million in investment.
About the Façade Enhancement Program
The Façade Enhancement Program is a City of Tiffin reimbursement grant that was started in 2014 and provides a 50 percent match of funds for eligible exterior improvements on residential and commercial structures within the downtown historic district, up to $10,000. Each building is eligible to receive up to $10,000 per calendar year. For more information, visit www.tiffinseneca.org (search “Façade Enhancement”).
About Downtown Tiffin
The revitalization of downtown Tiffin began in 2011, when a group of community members came together to for “Tiffin Tomorrow”, with the goal of promoting and encouraging economic development in downtown Tiffin, and creating plans, programs and actions to ensure long-term vitality and prosperity. In 2014, the city of Tiffin contracted with SIEDC to act as the downtown organization and “Tiffin Tomorrow” came under the SIEDC umbrella as the “Downtown Development Committee,” which serves as the governing board of the downtown organization. In 2015, Tiffin joined Heritage Ohio’s Ohio Main Street Program.
