A new historic district could be established in Newport's Buena Vista neighborhood. Provided
In May, the City of Newport was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Kentucky Heritage Council to help start establishing a new historic district in the city. The city matched the grant with $13,000, most of which was donated through in-kind volunteer hours or private funds.
Starting in June, 1,000 buildings in Newport’s Buena Vista neighborhood from Eighth Street to 12th Street and York Street to Brighton Street were surveyed, with researchers looking at architectural styles and history.
National historic districts can help bolster building rehabilitations by making them eligible for historic tax credits. Newport is hoping that a designated historic district will help bolster rejuvenation efforts on the city's Westside. Much of the redevelopment efforts in Newport have been on the city's east side.
Newport currently has seven historic districts: Cote Brilliante National Register Historic District, East Newport National Register Historic District, East Row Local Historic District, Mansion Hill National Register Historic District, Monmouth Street National Register Historic District, Newport Courthouse Square Historic District and York Street National Register Historic District.
The Buena Vista neighborhood is home to 120 buildings, six religious buildings and a number of architectural styles.
Final decisions regarding the designation are still being made.
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Caitlin Koenig is a Cincinnati transplant and 2012 grad of the School of Journalism at the
University of Missouri. She's the department editor for Soapbox Media and currently lives in Northside with her husband, Andrew, and their three furry children. Follow Caitlin on Twitter at @caite_13.