Wallabout Homeowner’s Manual

The Wallabout Homeowner’s Preservation Manual provides homeowner’s in the Wallabout neighborhood an overview of how to maintain their historic home and what resources are available to help finance rehabilitation and restoration projects.  The manual provides advice on technical assistance, or how to maintain components of a historic home, improving energy efficiency, understanding a home’s architectural style and how to apply for low-interest loans and tax credit programs designed for owners of historic homes.  Printed copies of the manual are available at our office, at 472 Myrtle Avenue.

Project History

In 2011, a large portion of Wallabout was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places as a historic district that was significant because of the large number of wood-frame and pre-Civil War era homes that remain intact.  The listing emphasized the importance of maintaining the historic character of the neighborhood’s homes and also allowed property owners to take advantage of financial incentives.  As a response to this, the homeowner’s manual was created to help give property owners information on how to sensitively care for their homes and how to take advantage of the new programs.  In 2011, we received a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Elizabeth & Robert Jeffe Preservation Fund for New York City, which financed the project in part.  In early 2012, BKSK Architects LLP was selected to compile the manual and the final version was released at a Historic Wallabout Association community meeting in September 2012.