A third document details the State and Federal Tax Credit Programs for the Rehabilitation of Commercial Properties, as a number of cobblestone buildings are commercial/income-producing properties. Their owners might be interested in this program, if their building qualifies for and/or is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Here are the official information documents compiled by the NYS Office of Historic Preservation, which are on their official web site and describe the following programs:
All of these documents provide contact information, should property owners seek additional help and/or technical information about these programs. For owners of out-of-state cobblestone buildings, the information provided for #1 and #3 would also be of interest, as the National Register of Historic Places and the Federal Tax Credit Program for the Rehabilitation of Commercial Properties are available to properties in all 50 states. As to the NYS Historic Homeownership Tax Credit Program: this is strictly for homes in NYS; however, other states might have similar programs. Owners of cobblestone houses in states other than New York, should contact their State Historic Preservation Officer for programs offered in their specific state.
GRANT FUNDING FOR HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP IN NEW YORK STATE As there are a number of cobblestone buildings that were built and still serve as houses of worship, there is one additional grant program and a link to its site. Grant funding from this program is for buildings that were originally designed as houses of worship; however, not buildings that originally served another purpose, i.e. commercial or residential, and have now been adapted for use as a house of worship.
That program is the Sacred Sites Grant and it's coordinated by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, based in New York City and a private, not-for-profit "sister" organization of the Landmark Society of Western New York. (https://nylandmarks.org/what-we-do/grants-loans/sacred-sites/criteria/)
Unique in the U.S., the Sacred Sites grant program has provided millions of dollars for the repair of historic houses of worship in New York State since its inception over 30 years ago. Buildings must meet three requirements to apply for funds from this grant program: (1) The building must be located in New York State. (2) The building must be currently used as a house of worship. (3) The building must have official, government landmark designation (i.e. listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or City/Town/Village Landmark designation).
Most remarkably, each grant recipient can apply for more funding for additional projects every three years! Typically, grant programs are a 'one-time-only' situation: receiving funds for repairs, but typically not allowed to apply for additional grants, as there are so many other candidates that also need to receive funding. This is NOT the case with the Sacred Sites program. It is understood that most congregations have limited funds and can only complete a few repairs, each years. To enable good stewardship of these religious buildings, the Sacred Sites Program encourages congregations to re-apply for additional grant money, after receiving their initial grant from this program. We know many congregations that have received multiple Sacred Sites grants for building repairs. For example, one church in the city of Rochester has received 6 consecutive grants for building repairs from the Sacred Sites program over the past two decades!
Most importantly, any congregation that is interested in applying to the Sacred Sites Grant Program should first call and talk with the staff who coordinate this program at the New York Landmarks Conservancy office. Sacred Sites staff members often travel throughout NYS and can arrange to make a site visit to your house of worship, for more detailed discussions about your planned repairs and grant application (Note: with the current Covid19 pandemic, site visits are 'on hold,' but staff is still available to discuss your project with you).
Cynthia Howk, Landmark Society of Western New York, email 10/20/2020.