Our RANHDI Mission

The Richmond Ashland National Register Historic District Initiative [RANHDI or the Initiative] is a community-led collaborative process that is creating awareness of the neighborhood’s boundaries and historic importance, coalescing pride of place under a brand that is attractive to potential home and business owners, and preparing the way for appropriate investment in buildings and properties that can be assisted with historic rehabilitation tax credits that are available.

Richmond Ashland National Register Historic District: A Streetcar Neighborhood within Olmsted’s Buffalo Parks and Parkway System

Central to the Initiative is the nomination, by spring 2012, of nearly 1,700 historic buildings in the neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places, thereby making available various investment tax credits to home and business owners. The project will be phase one of a broader historic district nomination process that includes the entire neighborhood north of the Allentown District, west of Main Street and south of the Richardson Olmsted complex and Delaware Park, within the Olmsted Parks and Parkways System National Register armature.* The full project examines and describes the development of the Olmsted plan holistically and develops one context for designation of the entire area.

* To find out if your property is in the proposed historic district, please see the RANHDI website Frequently Asked Questions

The Initiative

St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church on Colonial Circle, located within the proposed Richmond Elmwood National Register Historic District, is the community sponsor of RANHDI. It has established a RANHDI Community Council of property owners from the district and members of the congregation to guide the Initiative and provide stewardship of resources.

RANHDI is a largely community-funded effort. The scope and schedule of the effort will be determined primarily by the financial resources made available. Our fundraising goal of $100,000 over two years includes a major awareness campaign, communications, community meetings, fund- and friend-raising, and professional services of field and scholarly research related to the preparing and submitting of the nomination and seeing it through the approval process.

The National Register nomination direct costs have been budgeted at $50,000, of which $20,000 is fieldwork and $30,000 is for the preparation of the nomination and seeing it through the listing process at the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. Clinton Brown Company Architecture has been contracted to provide professional services to the Initiative and the necessary historic preservation and project management services for the Initiative and for the preparation and submission of the National Register nomination.

Broad and Enthusiastic Support

More than 70 community home and business owners have contributed more than $11,000 to-date, showing broad and enthusiastic support of RANDHI. St. John’s-Grace Church has contributed significant in-kind services, including secretarial services, access to their website, and the use of their space for meetings. We have commitments of funding from our Buffalo Common Council representatives and are seeking grant funding from other public officials. Foundations have been approached and, in a partnership with Preservation Buffalo Niagara, we have applied for a Preserve New York grant through Preservation League of New York State. We have many letters and cards of support from homeowners, congregations, business owners and elected officials.* * All information above as of June 1, 2011; the most up-to-date list of RANHDI Supporters.

The RANHDI Message

Part of Olmsted’s Buffalo Parks and Parkway System

1. The Richmond Elmwood National Register Historic District is part of a larger historic neighborhood within Olmsted’s Buffalo Parks and Parkway System that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This neighborhood, once designated, will move our city further toward completion of the designation of the entire core area of the City of Buffalo as historically significant at the National Register level. Designation of Hamlin Park – a separate initiative – will also add to the Olmsted neighborhood legacy. Designation as a nationally significant historic district helps to protect both the historic nature of the neighborhoods and Buffalo’s unique place in architectural history.

Providing Economic Incentive for Continued Maintenance and New Rehabilitation

2. National and State designation as a historic district allows home and business owners in qualifying census tracts [the Richmond Elmwood National Register Historic District] to qualify for New York State Historic Homeowner Tax Credits on their certified historic rehabilitation projects. There is NO impact on any household that chooses not to participate in the program. There is not any new requirement of home or business owners in a designated National Register historic district to submit their rehabilitation or maintenance plans to a local planning or local preservation board. Receipt of tax credits, however, will require pre-approval of the project by the State Historic Preservation Office following very broad federal guidelines meant to help preserve the historic nature of the historic houses and buildings in the historic district.

A Community-Led Project with Broad Support

3. This is a neighborhood-driven initiative. The RANHDI Community Council is currently made up of 20 people who live in all parts of the community or are members of St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church. Some also serve as representatives of elected officials. The Community Council provides oversight of the Initiative and stewardship of the resources provided. Because this is a neighborhood initiative we need to show evidence of the support of the people who own homes and businesses through financial contributions and written letters/cards of support. We also have to show that there is not now and will not be a major pushback from home and business owners. There has been no opposition to date to the idea of creating a National Register Historic District, and our continuous communication with our neighbors will continue this support.

Please Contribute to this Community Initiative

Please contribute generously both money and support to the Richmond Elmwood National Register Historic District Initiative to bring these economic benefits to our neighborhood through a tax deductible contribution to St. John’s Grace Church, community sponsor.

The nomination process needs sufficient funding now in order to achieve listing of the district soon. Your contribution will go to communicating with nearly 2,000 stakeholders and the specialized services of writing, researching and certifying a National Register historic district.

How to Contribute to RANHDI

Please download this Contribution Form , print, fill-out and mail with your tax-deductible, contribution check made out to St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church, memo line RANHDI.* Your contribution to community sponsors, St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church, is tax-deductible and no funds go to church operations. The RANHDI Community Council made of up of your neighbors manages the use and allocation of contributions.

Mail to:

RANHDI Community Council
St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church
51 Colonial Circle, Buffalo, NY 14222

*Once received, St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church will mail to you a letter that may be included in your income tax return. If you have questions about your contribution, please contact Alice Brown at St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church.

You may have questions. We are happy to answer them!

More information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Initiative are available at the RANHDI website at www.ranhdi.wordpress.com . Please feel free to contact Ken Rogers, Chair of the RANHDI Community Council, by email at ranhdi@gmail.com at any time with any questions.

Last updated June 2, 2011

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