The State’s program for the rehabilitation of the exterior of a historic
house, which can be financially helpful, is a 25% refund of qualified rehab expenses
in the form of an income tax credit.
The credits in Cooksville were granted for projects on the
historic Longbourne House (1854) and the historic Van Buren House (1848). The
two projects basically involved re-roofing the two residences.
Many historic homes in Cooksville have been restored and
rehabilitated by owners, as have the two churches, the schoolhouse, the store,
a blacksmith shop, as well as several outhouses. This has amounted to a total
of about 20 historic buildings restored in the official Cooksville Historic
District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the
State of Historic Places, and is also designated as a Historic Conservation
District by the Town of Porter.
For at least the past forty years, Cooksville’s historic property
owners have been rehabbing and thereby preserving their buildings. Their
investments have enhanced the 19th-century character of the historic
village—and, of course, have improved the value of their properties. These
undertakings help ensure the future of the historic community, which celebrated
its 175th birthday this year and which, hopefully, will be preserved
for another 175 years.
The State of Wisconsin’s “Historic Homeowners' Tax Credit Program”
helps preserve the historic homes, neighborhoods and villages throughout the
State. The Tax Credit Program, administered by the Wisconsin Historical
Society, provides the 25% tax credit to encourage and assist home-owners
preserve part of the State’s historic built environment.
The tax credit is available to owners who rehab, repair and
restore the exteriors of their historic residences. Most approved exterior (and
some interior) work qualifies for this dollar-for-dollar income tax credit,
which is used to write-off the owners’ State income taxes.
All the historic home owners in the official Cooksville Historic
District are eligible to apply for the rehab tax credit. The application
process is simple and quick but must be completed and approved before beginning
the exterior rehab project. (Major exterior projects in Cooksville’s historic
district must also be approved in advance by the Town of Porter’s Historic
District Committee.) Potential historic older homes located elsewhere in the
Town of Porter and not yet officially designated as historic by the State could
be determined to be eligible for this rehabilitation tax credit through the
application process.
The projects on the two historic homes in the Cooksville Historic
District— the Longbourne House and the Van Buren House— resulted in new wood
shingle roofs.
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| Scott on the Longbourne House roof |
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| Longbourne House |
Larry Reed has been rehabilitating his Van Buren House on
and off for the past 40 years. But no chickens and only a few bees are
permanent residents of his property, along with some other critters.
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| Van Buren House |
The Wisconsin “Historic Homeowners' Tax Credit Program” has proved
to be beneficial to the State in several ways .The program returns to the owner
25% of the cost of approved rehabilitations in the form of a Wisconsin income
tax credit, and the State benefits from
jobs created as well as from the investment in its historical heritage.
The Wisconsin Historical Society's State Historic Preservation
Office administers the tax credit program. The application process is usually
quick and easy. Basic requirements for the program are the following:
1. Make
sure your home is a historic home. This
means a home that is individually listed in the National Register or State
Register of Historic Places, or a historic home that contributes to a National
Register or State Register-listed historic district, or is a home that is determined
to be eligible for an individual listing in the State Register of Historic
Places.
2. You must plan to spend a minimum of $10,000 on
eligible work that meets historic preservation standards.
3. You
submit your Tax Credit Application before you do any work.
4. Your
application is reviewed by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
5. If your application is approved, you proceed
with the project.
6.
You notify the Wisconsin Historical Society when the work is completed.
For specific advice
about the tax credit program or for advice on other technical historic
architecture issues or preservation guidelines, contact Jen Davel by phone at (608)
264-6490 or by email: jennifer.davel@wisconsinhistory.org
at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison.
Other generous State and Federal income tax credits are
available for rehabilitating non-owner occupied, income-producing historic
buildings (stores, commercial structures, businesses, rental properties). These
credits are a combined 20% State tax credit and a 20% Federal tax credit, for a
total of 40%, available for rehabilitating income-producing historic buildings
(not owner-occupied residences). Some different requirements apply to this State-Federal
40% tax credit program. For more information, contact the Wisconsin Historical
Society at the telephone number and email address above.
You may also contact Larry Reed (608-873-5066) for
information about the Village of Cooksville’s and the Town of Porter’s various historic
preservation programs.
[Thanks to Scott Johnson and his neighbor, Joe Lawniczak, Design Specialist with the Wisconsin MAIN STREET Program, for the photos of the Longbourne House.]
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| Cooksville Historic District, Town of Porter, Rock County |
[Thanks to Scott Johnson and his neighbor, Joe Lawniczak, Design Specialist with the Wisconsin MAIN STREET Program, for the photos of the Longbourne House.]
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