Sep 13, 2020 2 min read

The city of Washington’s central business district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Washington Main Street Manager Sarah Collier said the state Historical and Museum Commission approved the listing in March.

“It’s a great tourist draw,” Collier said Friday.

She said the listing will draw attention to the great architecture in the city’s downtown. Building owners will still have control over their structures, but some restrictions apply when federal funds are used for demolition.

The Washington Business District Authority was approved last week to receive a $12,000 state grant to develop preservation guidelines that are specific to the city, Collier said.

She said the authority will host a Zoom meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22 to explain the National Register listing to local property owners. Preservation experts will also attend to answer questions.

The authority was among two other local groups to be awarded grants from the state Historical and Museum Commission.

A historic foundry in Greene County will receive a $73,000 state grant to preserve its wooden siding and windows.

The grant is earmarked for work at W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop in Rices Landing, said state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson.

A $75,724 Keystone Historic Preservation grant also has been awarded for work at Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village in Jefferson Township, Washington County.

The money will be used to replace the lower stairs leading to the rockshelter, said David Scofield, director of the site that contains evidence of thousands of years of occupation.