Historic Hartline school gets grant for preservation work

The Hartline Betterment Organization recently received a $5,000 National Trust Preservation Funds grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The vital funds, allocated from the Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Fund and the Eldridge Campbell Stockton Memorial Fund for Washington, will help support architectural services needed for the next phase of the Historic Hartline School Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse Project.

The National Trust Preservation Fund grant, together with local matching funds, will support the creation of architectural drawings and building-specific interior standards for the Hartline School, setting the stage for subsequent planning and rehabilitation. The all-volunteer, non-profit Hartline Betterment Organization is working with the owner of the Hartline School, Grant County Port District #5, community members and supporters from the surrounding region to preserve, rehabilitate and adaptively reuse the historic Hartline School. Recent upgrades paved the way for a new Certificate of Occupancy, and local entrepreneurs are preparing to use the available rooms as office and retail space. Additional information about the historic Hartline School can be found at http://www.heartof hartline.com.

“Without organizations like the Hartline Betterment Organization, communities and towns all across America would have a diminished sense of place,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The National Trust for Historic Preservation is honored to provide a grant to the Hartline Betterment Organization, which will use the funds to help preserve an important piece of our shared heritage.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation dispenses small grants for local projects through the National Trust Preservation Funds grant program. They are awarded to nonprofit groups, educational institutions and public agencies, and must be matched, at least dollar for dollar, by public or private funds. Preservation Funds grants are being used nationally for such wide-ranging activities as consultant services for rehabilitating buildings, technical assistance for tourism that promotes historic resources, and educating children about their heritage. These grants are often the deciding factor in whether historic buildings or sites can be saved for future generations.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation (www. Preserva-tionNation.org) is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustain-ability.

With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.