Historic Tax Credits: Redeveloping Buildings, Fostering Economic Growth, and Enriching Communities

So many attractive and impressive old buildings -- in downtown Tulsa and across this state -- would still be gathering dust, housing pigeons, and contributing even less economically without the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) program. Indeed, HTC projects have injected $163 million in private investment into the City of Tulsa alone since 2000. On this edition of ST, we speak in detail about the positive economic influence that historic preservation tax credits have had (and are still having) in our city and throughout the Sooner State. Our guests are Amanda DeCort,  the executive director of the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture, and Donovan Rypkema, a noted economist with PlaceEconomics, a Washington, DC-based real estate and economic development consulting firm specializing in downtown and/or commercial district revitalization and the reuse of historic structures. Rypkema was recently commissioned by the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture to identify and itemize the economic impact of HTCs all across our state. He'll be talking about his findings at an event here in Tulsa tonight (Tuesday the 17th, beginning at 6pm) that will be co-presented by the Tulsa Preservation Commission and the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture. This event happens at the offices of 36°N -- a/k/a the Universal Ford Building -- at 36 East Cameron Street in Tulsa, and you can find more information here.