Harriett Fuller Rust Facade Grant

The City of Bloomington is committed to revitalizing its city center.  In order to encourage private investment in downtown buildings, the City developed the Harriet Fuller Rust Façade Program, which offers financial incentives to improve the appearance and quality of storefronts in the center core area.  The grants are provided in recognition of the positive impact that individual facade renovations can have on the overall appearance and quality of the downtown streetscape.  The Program, which is funded entirely by the City of Bloomington, honors community leader Harriet Fuller Rust.  The Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission administers the Program with the assistance of the Downtown Bloomington Association (DBA.)

Property and business owners within the target area are eligible to apply for grants not to exceed 50% of the total cost of qualified facade rehabilitation, with a maximum grant amount of $20,000.00 per project.  Two grants per building may be awarded in a fiscal year, but no owner (including related persons or affiliated entities) may receive more than five grants per fiscal year.  (The City's fiscal year ends April 30.)

• Buildings must be located in the target area presented in Exhibit A. 
• Buildings must have a commercial use on the first floor.
• Applicants must be the owner of the building or a business owner who is a tenant of the building for which improvements are planned. Tenant applicants must provide written consent from the building owner for all proposed improvements. The tenant applicant must have at least a five year lease at the location.
• Eligible improvements include, but are not limited to, design work, brick cleaning and tuck pointing, window and door restoration and replacement, painting, signs, remodeling of window display areas, exterior lighting, awnings, and restoration of original architectural features. Properties having architectural or historic significance in need of exterior structural repair -- including roofing -- to prevent threats to the integrity of the building envelope are eligible for grants solely for those repairs. All building elevations generally visible from a public right-of-way are eligible for the Program.
• Preference will be given to structures of architectural or historic significance as determined by the Commission.
• Properties lacking architectural or historic significance may be eligible for the Program if proposed changes will create a facade typical of the time period in which the building was constructed, or if a façade redesign would significantly enhance the building and its surrounding streetscape.

Facade application
Facade guidelines
W9Form
Vendor information 
Program boundaries