The goal of the Exterior Rehabilitation Program is to promote the preservation of historic buildings through proper rehabilitation. A successful rehabilitation is one that retains, preserves and protects as much of the original historic fabric as possible. It also preserves the original character-defining architectural elements of a particular building.
The city of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office provides exterior rehabilitation assistance to help residents sensitively rehabilitate historic homes while promoting reinvestment in Phoenix’s historic neighborhoods. The program makes monies available to private property owners to complete exterior rehabilitation, repair or restoration work on historic homes continuing to serve a residential purpose. Owners of historic homes that are either in city-designated historic districts or are individually listed on the city’s historic property register are eligible to apply. The Phoenix Historic Property Register is available on the city website.
The program reimburses owners on a 50/50 matching basis for pre-approved work with grant funding between $5,000 and $20,000 per project. In exchange for receiving financial assistance, the property owner agrees to sell the city a conservation easement to protect the historic character of the property’s exteriors.
Application Information
Funds for the Exterior Rehabilitation Program are awarded through a competitive application process. Given the annual limits of available funds, not all applications submitted may be funded. Consequently, it is important to plan projects carefully and to prepare applications in accordance with the instructions in this Program Guide. Further information can be obtained by contacting the HPO.
The application packet consists of the items below. Please review all items thoroughly before submitting the application. Note that only the application form and the attachments specified in Section V of the application need to be submitted (the Program Guide and sample documents below do not need to be submitted with the application).
An electronic submittal of the complete application (including all attachments) must be e-mailed to the following address:
historic@phoenix.gov
File sizes that exceed 25 MB must be sent in separate emails. Links to download files from cloud storage services may be provided, although please note that city access to some sites may be blocked, so please verify with staff that all materials were received prior to the deadline.
ALL materials must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 18, 2022. Late applications and applications missing crucial elements (such as cost estimates, photos or site plan) will not be considered for funding.
Virtual Grant Workshop
To assist applicants with the grant preparation process, the Historic Preservation Office held a workshop on Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. Watch video below.
Eligible Improvements
All work performed must be exterior work, which results in the repair, improvement, reconstruction, maintenance or enhancement of the facades or exterior faces of the subject property. Eligible exterior work may include:
Engineering costs (soft costs) may qualify if they are related directly to eligible work and if costs are incurred within two (2) years prior to and/or one (1) year after application date and amount to no more than 20 percent of the total funding request. This can include historic structure reports and construction drawings and specifications.
The program does not fund new construction, additions, work on additions that are not historic, acquisitions, landscaping, fencing, site improvements or interior work (unless related to structural stabilization).
Priority is given to projects that perform exterior rehabilitation, repair or restoration work in close accordance with the city's General Design Guidelines for Historic Properties.
These guidelines encourage improvements that retain the original character of a residence and that extend the life of historic building materials, features and finishes. Where preservation of historic building materials is not reasonable or cost effective, in-kind replacement may be acceptable.
When reviewing applications, the city considers the merits of the proposed project, the quality of the application and the support the project provides to the advancement of the city's Historic Preservation goals. Priority will be given to applications that:
Points also are awarded to applications that reflect appropriate research on the architectural elements and history of the house. In addition, the significance of the house, overall quality of the application and adequacy of construction bids play a role in the overall application score.
