Heritage Council Tours Downtown Scottsville
The tour concluded in front of the library and the WVLE radio station. After the tour, the audience was invited to explore more of the downtown, including areas like the Pocket Park and various businesses.
By Damon Stone,
Staff Writer
The Kentucky Heritage Council recently hosted a tour through downtown Scottsville on Friday, Oct. 4, as a part of their Kentucky Main Street Fall Conference.
Katie Wilborn, the Site Development Program Administrator for the Kentucky Heritage Council, led the group of both Scottsville residents and visitors from other towns through the square.
“This is the last day of a five-day Kentucky Main Street Conference, where there were several cities throughout Kentucky that were hosting and talking about Kentucky main street communities,” Wilborn explained. “(…) We talked about your typical Kentucky commercial building, and alterations that they have undergone over the years.”
The Kentucky Heritage Council, an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, provides a tax credit program for owners of historic buildings.
During the tour, Wilborn discussed how each building’s purpose had shifted greatly over the years, a common occurrence in historic downtowns, according to Wilborn.
“I oversee the Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program for the state, which includes income tax credits for homeowners, business owners, and tax-exempt entities,” Wilborn explained. “Our whole mission and goal is to provide tax credits for property owners to make these historic buildings work and usable in contemporary times. Adaptive reuse and giving historic buildings new purpose is part of our mission, and at the Kentucky Heritage Council, we are here to meet those goals.”
Several people from the community and other towns in the Commonwealth came to Scottsville to tour the downtown. The tour itself was a part of the Kentucky Main Street Fall Conference.
Wilborn explained that the downtown historic district in Scottsville has a great degree of integrity, being largely constructed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
“Wood frame buildings that were built in the earlier 1800s mostly burned, and all of these downtowns were largely rebuilt in the late 1800s and early 1900s using mainly brick,” Wilborn explained. “Scottsville is an excellent example of a historic downtown with two-story masonry buildings that utilized elements of that time. There’s a high degree of integrity here, the historic district is thriving, and the city has retained a lot of the architectural character of these buildings.”
Wilborn stated that the Kentucky Heritage Council works to celebrate and support Kentucky communities and their histories, while preserving those histories for future generations.
“There’s a lot of programs within our agency that support that in various different roles and avenues, but my particular program focuses on the financial side, and utilizing rehabilitation tax credits to financially support and incentivise property owners who own historic properties,” Wilborn said.
Wilborn added that the tax credit is determined by the look of the entire building, with people utilizing the program for full renovations, along with repair and maintenance needs.
Wilborn, right, went over several changes that businesses made to the buildings to better serve their business. Some of the businesses on the square had added awnings or painted their buildings.
“If a property owner needs a new roof, a new HVAC system, electrical or plumbing upgrades, this program can be used in a variety of ways to support buildings’ continued use,” Wilborn explained.
Wilborn explained during the tour that this was her first time in Scottsville, and that she appreciates the continued use of historic buildings.
“Oh it’s lovely, it’s a beautiful town,” Wilborn expressed. “Not only are the buildings highly intact and lovely, but the landscaping is so inviting. The layout of the actual town around in this square model is really inviting to the pedestrian.”
Wilborn added that some communities might miss a more pedestrian-oriented aesthetic and value.
“Scottsville has a lot of great attributes, and I’m really glad to have been here and to see it, and to do the tour,” Wilborn added.
Wilborn added that if anyone in the community has any interest in qualifying for the tax credit, or any incentive or benefit from the tax credit, they can reach out to her at the Kentucky Heritage Council and through email at [email protected].
