TULSA, Okla. — Leaders at the Oklahoma Historical Society are worried for the future of some of the state’s historic sites, including those in and around Tulsa.
Visitors to downtown Tulsa will see a slew of historic buildings, like the Mayo Hotel, the Philcade Building, and 320 S. Boston.
WATCH: FUNDING HISTORY: OHS worried at lack of federal funds
Equally as common: the tour groups gawking at the buildings. Jeffrey Tanenhaus is the founder of Tulsa Tours.
“I get to meet people from all over the world … I get to meet people from companies who are doing team building events and help enlighten them about Tulsa's history,” Tanenhaus said.
The historic buildings are deeply entrenched in Tulsa’s history.
“We are just incredibly fortunate to have such a surviving inventory of diverse historic buildings that bring people from not only around the region, but around the world who wanna look at our architecture,” Tanenhaus said.
Here in the present, the Oklahoma Historical Society is worried about the future of such sites.
Two different funding issues are afoot. For starters, a stall in federal money, intended to fund historical preservation offices.
“The Office of Management and Budget is currently sitting on that money, and hasn’t actually allocated it to the states,” Lynda Ozan, Oklahoma’s Historical Preservation Officer, said.
Oklahoma’s HPO, she said, is operating on money from fiscal year 2024; expecting it to run dry by late Summer.
“Which ultimately means that all the things we’re responsible for, in terms of preservation in Oklahoma, will come to a grinding halt,” Ozan said.
The second issue threatens tax credits often used to renovate historic sites.
Some of the same credits used in the famous downtown buildings have been used at affordable housing facilities in Tulsa, like Hewgley Terrace and LaFortune Tower.
“There are things that people go to every day, or certainly visitors come to every day,” Ozan said.
The historic preservation office is the clearinghouse for those credits that come partially from the state, and partially from the federal government. No office means no tax break.
“Those have a huge impact both on the community and the economy of your cities,” Ozan said.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
