Historic Preservation Since its inception, the CRA has been a champion of maintaining the historic charm of the city. From the first project that restored the bridge tender's house at the Atlantic Avenue draw bridge, the CRA has worked with the City and the community to identify, restore and maintain structures of historical significance throughout the community redevelopment area. Some of those structures are: Old School Square Along with other public agencies and private entities, the CRA participated in the $7 million restoration of what was an abandoned public school complex into what has become the downtown's cultural anchor. Old School Square occupies the NE corner of the Swinton/Atlantic Avenue intersection and is host to over 1,000 events and activities each year. Old School Square's museum, theater and amphitheater provide venues for a wide variety of events including a thriving theater season at the Crest Theater, outdoor concerts and a Friday Night Flicks series at the outdoor amphitheater and art and cultural exhibits at the Cornell Museum. In addition, hundreds of events are put on each year by outside organizations utilizing the grounds. The CRA's Contributions to Old School Square over the years have included subsidizing $150,000 for debts incurred in prior years and $300,000 in debt Old School Square owed to the City. The CRA is also very much a part of the Old School Square expansion currently under way. The CRA is acquiring the land for the Phase II expansion of the current site into a campus that will preserve open space in the downtown as well as a parking garage to take the place of the current surface parking west of NE 2nd Avenue. The CRA has committed $4.1 million in 2005 toward property acquisitions for this project and will contribute an additional $2 million toward the construction of the parking garage. 20 & 24 N Swinton Ave. In January of 1994, the City and the CRA relocated two homes that were slated for demolition due to the expansion of the Palm Beach International Airport to downtown Delray. The homes were moved from West Palm Beach to Delray Beach via barge on the Intracoastal Waterway and then trucked to their current locations at 20 and 24 North Swinton Avenue. The homes were restored and converted to office use. The two homes ­ one a 1939 Monterey style house and the other a 1925 bungalow style ­ fit in easily with the other historic homes on Swinton Avenue. Total cost for the project - $835,000; State grant funds received - $274,500. In February of 2004 the CRA moved its offices into the Monterey House and has begun work on the home again. In 2004 the home got an interior spruce up and in 2005 the CRA contracted for new impact resistant windows and wood rot repair. Bankers Row In late 1980's, Bankers Row was a rundown residential block with four homes slated for demolition. This one-block area, located along NE 1st Avenue between NE 2nd and NE 3rd Streets, consisted of five 1920's two-story Mediterranean Revival homes on the east side and eleven 1930's Traditional Minimal cottage style homes on the west side. The 1991 Master Plan developed to renovate the block provided for streetscape beautification, on-street parking and parking lot construction and the overall site plan was designed to facilitate conversion of the homes to office/retail use. The project was funded through the creation of a Special Assessment District with the cost of the improvements shared by the City, the CRA and the property owners. Once the project was under way, the City expedited the permitting process for projects that complied with the plan. Today, all of the homes have either been restored or are in the final stages of restoration and the street boasts a mix of business and residential uses. West Settlers The West Settlers District is the site of Delray's first pioneer family settlement and the site of one of the earliest African American settlements in Delray Beach. Located on the north side of West Atlantic Avenue and bounded on the east by NW 3rd Avenue, on the north by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and on the west by NW 5th Avenue, the West Settlers District was created with the help of the non-profit group EPOCH (Expanding and Preserving Our Cultural Heritage). In 2003 the CRA established the West Settler's Advisory Board to spearhead the identification and recognition of important historical structures in the West Settler's District. 17 contributing structures have been identified and the CRA is working with property owners to assist with costly repairs so the homes can be preserved. The CRA has allocated $50,000 per year to assist with these preservation activities. S D Spady Multicultural Museum Located at 170 NW 5th Avenue, the S D Spady Multicultural Museum is a historic home restored as a museum. The CRA had acquired property in the West Atlantic area where the home previously stood and through a collaborative effort with the City of Delray Beach and EPOCH (Expanding and Preserving Our Cultural Heritage) had the structure moved to its present location for renovation and restoration. Funding for the $465,000 project came through State and County grants ($250,000), EPOCH ($70,000), the City of Delray Beach ($40,000) and the CRA ($105,000). In addition, the CRA managed the project and administered the grants for the project and the City provided the land the museum now stands on. EPOCH now manages the museum and its programs. La France Hotel The La France Hotel is a 1940's era African-American hotel in the West Settler's Historic District currently operating as boarding house. The Hotel has deep roots in the community and was the resting place for many who made Delray Beach a stopover spot. The CRA acquired the building in 2003 and has contracted for a historical study of the hotel to document its place in the history of Delray Beach. As efforts to improve the neighborhood surrounding the La France gear up, plans are being developed to restore the building and convert it for use as senior citizen housing. NW/SW 5th Avenue The NW/SW 5th Avenue corridor was a traditional African-American business district in downtown Delray. Plans are now complete to revitalize the street. The revitalization includes plans to use rough terrazzo in place of brick pavers with inlaid bronze art pieces to represent the area's history. The street will also get lighting and landscape improvements and street furniture, such as benches and bike racks. Also part of the revitalization is attention to parking, with alley improvements to accommodate off-street parking, the elimination of back-out parking whenever possible and the addition of on-street parking. The project is estimated to cost $1.6 million with the CRA contributing $1.2 million to the project. Façade Grants The CRA has a Historic Façade Grant program to assist owners of commercial historic buildings keep the building's face looking nice. Several historic structures that have benefited from this program are Elwood's Dixie BBQ just east of the train tracks on Atlantic Avenue, the Masonic Lodge and the Vintage Rose located on NE 1st Street. The most recent Façade Grant went for the exterior restoration of a historic bungalow relocated from Federal Highway to the Cason Cottage site.