February 2022 Florida Preservation News Roundup
The former Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Orlando is an Orlando Historic Landmark and highlighted on the Florida Black Heritage Trail. Pictured: a historic brick church with variations in brick color highlighting different eras of construction and repair. Photograph by Joy Wallace Dickenson and courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel.
Historic preservation is making headlines across the state this month!
If you follow the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, you know that we've been working hard to support the Main Street Tourism and Historic Revitalization Act, which provides a 20% tax credit for eligible historic properties being restored and preserved and 30% for those in a Florida Main Street designated area. This would be an invaluable tool for many preservationists and commercial property owners throughout the state. Track the bill online and stay tuned for updates from the Florida Trust!
West Palm Beach's Sunset Lounge, once a stop on the Chitlin Circuit and a posh nightclub for Black residents during the Jim Crow era, is being renovated and expanded to honor its past and reinvigorate it as a community asset.
Florida State Senator Ben Albritton is calling for State funding to save 1925 National Register-listed cigar factory in Bartow facing demolition.
Florida's Black History Trail highlights sites throughout the state, including many in the Orlando area, as highlighted in this piece by the Orlando Sentinel.
Orlando's Hotel Sadler, once a hotspot for African American celebrities, is lost but not forgotten.