Columbus churches receive Indiana Landmarks grants

Some area organizations are among the recipients of more than $175,000 awarded to nonprofits.

Indiana Landmarks announced Thursday it has distributed $176,250 to nonprofit organizations in fiscal year 2019 to help preserve meaningful places across the state. Drawing from a variety of funds, the grants support projects ranging from structural analysis for endangered places to a documentary about the West Baden Colored Church and an effort to place a rural farmhouse on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Not only do these grants help with material costs associated with saving places important to communities, but they also often spark community action and inspire other giving,” said Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks, the country’s largest statewide nonprofit preservation organization. “In that way, they deliver a return that reaches well beyond a specific project and well beyond a dollar amount.”

Area groups receiving Indiana Landmarks’ Sacred Places funding include:

– First Christian Church in Columbus is receiving a $5,000 Sacred Places Grant for repairs to the tower skylight at the 1942 church.

– North Christian Church, Columbus, $25,000 for HVAC restoration at the 1964 church.

Indiana Landmarks’ Sacred Places program helps active congregations raise money and harness their houses of worship for outreach and growth.

Area groups receiving Efroymson Family Endangered Places Grants include:

– Main Street Greensburg, $3,500 for a reuse study of the 1885 St. Mary’s Catholic Church and 1917 school.

– Montgomery Township, Jennings County, $2,000 for a reuse study of the 1953 Paris Crossing Gym.

Efroymson Family Endangered Places grants can be used for architectural and structural assessments, rehab cost analysis, and reuse studies.

The mission of Indiana Landmarks is to help people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns.