Austin has awarded over $2 million in grants to historically designated locations through the heritage preservation grant program in an effort to maintain the historical and cultural legacy of the city.

“The purpose of the Heritage Preservation Grant is to promote tourism through the restoration of historic buildings,” said Melissa Alvarado, the city’s heritage tourism division manager. “What we are encouraging are the inclusive, historic stories that have made Austin the city it is.”

Jonathan Humphrey, director of facilities at Austin’s Paramount Theatre, said he applied for the grant multiple times to renovate the 108-year-old theater. The renovation of the historical site is divided into four phases, the last of which will be partially funded by the city’s grant. 

Humphrey said he intends to use materials that would have been used when the theater was built in 1915 to preserve its history during the restoration process, with necessary changes made along the way. 

“Anything you can see has to remain the same,” Humphrey said. “I have to recreate whatever it is in the manner it would have been built the first time.”

Alvarado said on top of historical restoration, the city is looking to promote inclusive tourism and access to Austin’s historic sites. The city is also working on projects to make applying for a historical designation easier in order to better include all of the city’s history.

“I’m hopeful we’re sending the message that we want to provide more opportunities to individuals who have never considered a program like this,” Alvarado said. “Access is incredibly important … (and) bringing more first-time applicants to the table is going to be incredibly important to us.”

This grant was the first time business-owner Jade Place-Mathews had applied for the Heritage Preservation Grant. Place-Mathews, co-owner of Hillside Farmacy in East Austin, said the grant will help repave the restaurant’s parking lot to make it more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

“(Previously,) we would just kind of band-aid it because the importance was on the front and interior,” Place-Mathews said. “It looked beautiful, but it got to the point that I was like, ‘This could be hard for people to access.’”

Hillside Farmacy started as a drugstore in the 1920s and was owned and operated by Doc Young, a Black pharmacist. Young’s family still own the property and work with Place-Mathews and her partners. 

“He was one of the first Black pharmacists in Austin, and he ran this pharmacy for 20 years,” Place-Mathews said. “We’re really excited and honored to have the family’s permission.”

Alvarado said when reviewing new historical grant applications, the city is looking at how sites bring in tourists and residents alike. 

“What makes these historic sites so incredibly compelling are the rich stories the sites represent,” Alvarado said. “It’s incredibly interesting not only to tourists but to our residents as well, and (these historic sites) continue to make us a very interesting city.”