Historic Properties

Owners of historic properties throughout Maryland could receive a tax break for investing money in improvements, under legislation before the General Assembly.The House Ways and Means Committee gave a favorable report last week to the measure, HB 1452, which would authorize political subdivisions to defer increases in the tax assessments that would have resulted from improvements made to historic properties.A Senate version must be considered. If the full General Assembly approves the legislation, exact terms of the tax credit would be set by individual jurisdictions.

Maryland officials agreed Wednesday to buy the historic Annapolis post office building from the U.S. Postal Service for use as part of the government complex surrounding the State House. Without dissent, the three-member Board of Public Works agreed to pay $3.2 million for the 13,000-square-foot building on Church Circle. Built in 1901, the structure is listed on the Maryland Historical Trust inventory of historic properties. Under the deal, the state will lease space back to the Postal Service to continue services for eight to 20 months until it relocates.

More than 4,000 properties in Frederick's historic district could benefit from a 25 percent tax credit beginning Jan. 1.The Heritage Preservation Tax Credit for the Rehabilitation of Historic Property, administered by the Maryland Historical Trust, provides a break for "qualified" capital costs spent in the rehabilitation of certified heritage structures.Certified heritage structures are those listed in the National Register of Historic Places, designated as a historic under local law or located in the historic district listed in the National Register.

It would be easier to redevelop large, historic manufacturing sites in Baltimore County under legislation approved Monday by the County Council. Under the bill, tracts of land 40 acres or larger that are zoned for heavy manufacturing and include buildings on the Maryland Historical Trust's historic properties list could be used for retail, office and residential development. Developers would not have to wait for the county rezoning process — which happens every four years — to turn such properties into mixed-use projects.

DETAILS of the Thomas Fortune House demolition show the need for revision of Baltimore County's zoning code.Historic preservationists decry the surreptitious demolition of the house. Opponents see the case as an example of bureaucracy run amok. Both groups may be correct.The stone house in Timonium -- which was knocked down last month under cover of darkness -- was built 145 years ago by quarry owner Thomas Fortune, who supplied the blocks for the Washington Monument in the nation's capital.

Historic preservationists, alarmed that most county land owners appear more interested in building something new than saving something old, met last week to consider forming an umbrella organization to lobby against the destruction of historic properties."

Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. proposed a plan yesterday to make it easier for owners of historic buildings to receive tax breaks when they improve their properties, drawing praise from preservationists who have assailed the county's record on historic preservation. The measure, expected to come up for a County Council vote Monday, would apply to about 3,000 commercial and residential properties. Owners would get a tax rebate equal to 20 percent of the cost of improvements that exceed $1,000.

An increase in a state tax credit for renovating historic properties has many Baltimore residents joining a record number of Marylanders who have applied for the program. Last year, 113 Maryland property owners filed for the tax credit compared with 59 the year before, meaning the number of historic buildings that will undergo substantial renovations has almost doubled in the past two years. Under Maryland's Heritage Preservation Tax Credit, owners of residential and commercial historic property are allowed income tax credits equal to 25 percent of the cost of renovating the property.

What is the future for Baltimore's city-owned historic properties? The Baltimore Sun has reported that Baltimore City is hiring an appraisal firm to determine the "market value" of 15 city-owned historic properties. Baltimore Heritage has asked MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakeand the director of the Department of General Services to make this process open and participatory to ensure that there is a seat at the table for the many citizens and volunteers who for decades have protected and celebrated these important landmarks.

Every day, Lynne Puckett enjoys the view of the harbor through new glass doors that open from the third floor of her historic home in Butchers Hill.The doors, along with the rest of the renovation work she has done, have added value and comfort to her 1870s rowhouse -- and they opened a way to reduce her state income tax bill this year.More owners of historic properties in Baltimore are taking advantage of two tax credit programs:One is a city program that freezes property taxes at pre-rehab rates; the other, operated by the state, allows owners to regain 25 percent of their rehabilitation costs in the form of a credit on their Maryland income tax.The number of applications to Baltimore's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP)

California residents Caryn and Kurt Burris missed the Star-Spangled Sailabration festivities in June, but they learned all about the Stars and Stripes this month at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. The Burrises toured the birthplace of the national anthem Thursday with their children, Wyatt, 11, and Shelby, 13, while visiting Baltimore to see Kurt's great aunt. "It's an important part of history," Caryn Burris said. "We live in southern California, where everything is so new. It's nice to show the kids where it all started.

The Baltimore Sun recently published the results of its investigation into chronic problems with the way subsidies have been calculated under a property tax abatement program for historic rehabs. But apart from the problems, there's also this question: How effective has the city's program been at encouraging property owners to undertake historic rehabs they might not otherwise do? Consider the case of wealthy entrepreneur Charles Nabit. Before embarking on a top-to-bottom overhaul of his North Baltimore mansion a decade ago, he applied for the credit, which forgives property taxes on the value of improvements for 10 years.

On a grassy hill a mile west of the Patuxent River, historian Ralph Eshelman can see the same bucolic view of fields and placid water anxious British soldiers likely saw when they landed in the summer of 1814 — the first stop in their campaign to burn Washington to the ground. Despite an earlier raid that was repulsed by American militia, the more than 4,000-man British force faced no resistance on Aug. 19 as it swarmed ashore in Southern Maryland. Four days later, after defeating disorganized American defenses at Bladensburg, the soldiers marched into Washington unopposed, setting fire to the Capitol and White House and demoralizing the nation.

What is the future for Baltimore's city-owned historic properties? The Baltimore Sun has reported that Baltimore City is hiring an appraisal firm to determine the "market value" of 15 city-owned historic properties. Baltimore Heritage has asked MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakeand the director of the Department of General Services to make this process open and participatory to ensure that there is a seat at the table for the many citizens and volunteers who for decades have protected and celebrated these important landmarks.

It's a start. Baltimore City's decision to consider selling or otherwise turning over 15 city-owned historic landmarks to new ownership or management is a step in the right direction. But is it well thought out and does it go far enough? For decades the city's enormous collection of historic properties has languished. It has been clear for some time that neither municipal resources nor will are sufficient to provide the stewardship these properties require and deserve. The situation has worsened with every passing year, so I applaudMayor Rawlings-Blake's recent action.

For the better part of two centuries, the stately circa-1804 Dielman Inn has been a dominant features of New Windsor's quiet Main Street and a centerpiece of the town's architectural and cultural heritage. But for nearly a decade, this cornerstone of New Windsor's historic district has stood vacant and dilapidated, ravaged by roof leaks, termites, occasional vandalism and general neglect. Those contrasting factors — the building's overriding historic importance and its precarious condition — have earned the Dielman Inn inclusion on Preservation Maryland's 2010 Endangered Maryland list.

Maryland officials agreed Wednesday to buy the historic Annapolis post office building from the U.S. Postal Service for use as part of the government complex surrounding the State House. Without dissent, the three-member Board of Public Works agreed to pay $3.2 million for the 13,000-square-foot building on Church Circle. Built in 1901, the structure is listed on the Maryland Historical Trust inventory of historic properties. Under the deal, the state will lease space back to the Postal Service to continue services for eight to 20 months until it relocates.

ANNE ARUNDEL County's connections to prominent African-American families and individuals have been chronicled in a new book. "Homelands and Waterways, the American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846-1926," by Adele Logan Alexander, celebrates the Bond family, who had a home in Highland Beach in the 1920s. Much of the book deals with people from Anne Arundel County, particularly Highland Beach and Venice Beach. The house that the Bonds built in the early 1920s still stands. Highland Beach was founded in the 1890s by Frederick Douglass' son, Charles, who wanted a resort similar to Bay Ridge for African-Americans.

It is the clearest sign of the direction historic preservation may be going: Even a building called Government House, a 19th-century mansion in Baltimore's Midtown neighborhood, is now in private hands. While some history buffs were horrified to learn last week that cash-strapped Baltimore is considering the sale or lease of 15 other historic properties — prompting fears that "For Sale By Owner" signs would sprout on such icons as the Shot Tower and the War Memorial Building — preservationists say that, increasingly, this is what cities and states must do to save them.

If you have ever seen a Currier & Ives holiday greeting card— snow on the roof of a Victorian house, a wreath at the door and a Christmas tree glowing warmly in the front bay window — then you can picture the home of Michael Sotir and his wife, Carolyn Black-Sotir. The Sotirs live in a three-story, turn-of-the-century structure fashioned of cedar siding, with a wrap-around front porch, floor to ceiling front windows and a slate roof. And while the holiday season is still weeks away, the glow of autumn foliage embraces the home in the Sudbrook Park neighborhood just northwest of Baltimore.