City grant funds, combined with loan funds from the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, made it possible to establish BRI's first formal program--a revolving fund capable of buying, restoring, and reselling endangered properties. In 1981 BRI completed the first Revolving Fund project, the Morgan House at the southeast corner Tenth and Walnut. This project and subsequent ones are described in greater detail under Revolving Fund History.

Since BRI's early days, the group's volunteer activists have moved their preservation mission forward on many fronts: research and writing, sponsoring National Register nominations, showcasing and publicizing local historical treasures, sponsoring educational presentations, and advocating for historic preservation with city and county government.

Besides direct funding, BRI has provided technical advice, liaison, feasibility studies, and other intermediary support for numerous high-profile restorations and other projects in Bloomington and county-wide: the Monroe County Courthouse (1983-84), south side of courthouse square (1984-85), Princess Theater (1986), Redman's Lodge in Smithville (1990-91), Robinson House in Spencer (1990), Zeigler House (1990), and the old City Hall (1990-92). All of these buildings were adapted for new uses. Examples among these: several business buildings on Bloomington's square became Fountain Square Mall; the Redman's Lodge became a community center; the former City Hall is now the John Waldron Art Center. In 1997 and 1998, BRI also raised $80,000 in NAP credits toward restoration of the Indiana Theater. An early milestone for BRI was winning Historic Landmarks Foundation's Servaas Award in 1979 for contributions to preservation awareness in Indiana. Creating public awareness, and attracting the support we need to carry out our mission, are intrinsic to BRI's thinking in each of our endeavors.

Highlights of BRI's sponsorship through the years:

Monroe County Historic Sites and Structures Inventory.
Today, BRI still keeps the county survey report in print and available to the community. BRI members contributed their expertise in research and writing to both county (1989) and city (1985, 2001) survey reports.

Indiana's first rural National Register district, Maple Grove Road in Monroe County.
BRI recorded the district in a video documentary available for purchase.

BRI tours.
Tours have featured the town of Stinesville and, in Bloomington, such sites as Rose Hill Cemetery, the Vinegar Hill neighborhood, moderately priced West Side historic housing in process of renovation, and downtown housing in historical buildings. Tours also draw new BRI members--who cite tours as one of BRI's most appreciated activities--and gain publicity for both the organization and historic preservation itself. BRI members have recently rededicated themselves to organizing frequent tours.

Walking-tour guides.
A collection of brochures available at the Bloomington Visitors Center, written and produced by BRI members since 1986. These guides are now being revised and reprinted by the City of Bloomington.

Support for the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission's designations of local sites.
Recent designations have included as the Von Lee Theater and McDoel Gardens Neighborhood. McDoel's designation as the city's first Conservation District, passed in 2001, protects a collection of more than 250 old houses from possible demolition.

New projects are usually in the works, and BRI continues to sponsor educational presentations given by invited experts or our own member volunteers who are qualified in such fields as restoration contracting and craftsmanship, preservation economics, architecture, architectural history, museum curatorship, education, banking, real estate, and urban planning.

During our first twenty years, BRI saw our goals supported publicly through the enactment of a Bloomington historic preservation ordinance and creation of a proactive Historic Preservation Commission. County government recently took a big step in this path by appointing a county historic review board (year 2001) at our urging. BRI's first two decades of activism, while creating controversy at times, contributed to a strong local preservation movement.

By 1996, BRI's twentieth year, it was time to integrate preservation goals and preservation awareness more fully into the life of the community. BRI accepted this challenge by creating the Affordable Housing Program, whose mission is to provide moderately priced housing in historic buildings. BRI combined our own money with grants and loans to finance this ambitious program, which has included moving houses to save them from demolition.

Creation of the Affordable Housing Program marked a transformation in the day-to-day operations of BRI. In order to qualify as a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO), BRI expanded our board from 15 to 30. New board members brought a welcome diversity of backgrounds and more fully introduced the perspective of residents living in lower-income neighborhoods. The new endeavor plunged us into the hands-on business of providing housing, sometimes straining our resources in the process. Affordable Housing also led us inevitably into the trials and opportunities of working intensively with local government and not-for-profit housing organizations. The outcomes so far have been greater accountability, more formal procedures, more self-awareness, more time spent on finances, greater financial strength, and the restoration of a number of endangered houses as homes for community members of moderate income.

In 1999 the Affordable Housing initiative helped win us Historic Landmarks Foundation's first, competitively awarded HLFI Challenge Grant for local preservation organizations in Indiana. The $20,000 per year matching grant made it possible for BRI to hire an executive director-- our first paid staff ever and a major, highly valued contributor to BRI's development. Our busy director acts as hands-on manager, coordinator, institutional memory, and spokesperson, and contributes to each and every committee's operations and projects. Operating funding for the director's position comes from the HLFI Challenge grant, income from affordable housing projects, an affordable housing grant from the Indiana Housing Finance Authority, and donations and membership dues.

This hard-won funding also allows BRI to own our first permanent office, with adequate space, and equip it to meet our growing needs. BRI's increased capacity to act for historic preservation has brought not only greater responsibility but greater community recognition--ranging from TV coverage of our house moves and a Herald-Times editorial praising our affordable-housing program, to awards from the Downtown Bloomington Commission and the Southern Indiana Rural Development Project. Community support is critical to BRI's effectiveness. Also critical is our ability to work together, through growth and change, while keeping continuity with our founding vision--BRI as an advocate for historic preservation in Bloomington and Monroe County.

Revolving Fund History

In 1980, BRI members started our revolving fund with $63,800 in Community Development Block Grant funds through the City of Bloomington. With additional help from HLFI loans, the first two projects of the BRI Revolving Fund Committee were purchase, restoration and resale of the Morgan House, at 532 North Walnut (the southeast corner of Tenth and Walnut streets; completion of project 1981), and Paris Dunning House (608 West Third in Prospect Hill neighborhood; completion of projects in 1985 and 1994). BRI members contributed $8,055 and $59,054 respectively in hands-on labor and professional services to restore these two houses, and commercial organizations made in-kind donations. Both houses were sold with deed restrictions (preservation covenants) to protect the building from exterior alterations that would diminish its historic character. The houses are now occupied by professional firms.

With these projects, and most subsequent Revolving Fund projects, BRI partnered with the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, which provides low-interest loan funds.

Starting in 1986, the committee began to make loans from the Fund to owners of historic buildings. Houses restored in part with Revolving Fund money include the Flanigan House (714 West Seventh; project completed 1988), the Elias Abel House (317 North Fairview; project completed 1993), and the Stone City Lodge (1022 West Seventh; converted to low-income apartments, 1991). The committee also saved the Applegate House (now at 408 West Sixth; project completed 1995)) by moving it out of the way of the Monroe County Public Library expansion. To date, the committee has made some 37 loans totaling more than one and a quarter million dollars for restoration projects on Bloomington's west side, in Harrodsburg, and other locations in Bloomington and Monroe County.

Today, the Revolving Fund Committee administers approximately $244,000, including $144,000 from grants, loan interest and profits from sales and $100,000 in available funding from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. The committee continues to make loans, but has also begun to intercede directly to save endangered buildings by "flipping" them. That is, purchasing the rights to buy them and then reselling the properties to new owners who agree to restore them under covenant.

The Fullerton House, after renovation.
Our first flip project (2000) was the Fullerton House, a classic mid-19th-century farmhouse on Fullerton Pike. The committee also makes internal loans to the Affordable Housing Program. The Revolving Fund Committee recently established a point system of criteria for purchases and loans, based on degree of endangerment, historical and architectural value, and community impact.

---

Affordable Housing Program History

In 1996, BRI began providing affordable housing by buying, restoring and reselling old houses in core neighborhoods. Initial financing came from Revolving Fund money combined with City of Bloomington grants as well as loans from the Bloomington Housing Trust Fund and the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. The Affordable Housing Program provides home ownership opportunities for people of low to moderate income. Typically, the buyers are renters who otherwise would not be able to afford a restored house near downtown.

Starting with a house at 835 West Kirkwood, the program moved on to houses on West Howe, South Lincoln and West Ninth streets. These four houses were completed in 1999 and 2000. In 2001 three more houses were completed: two on Madison and Allen streets in the McDoel Gardens Neighborhood, and one on West Seventh in the Near West Side Neighborhood. All three of these houses were donated to BRI by Bloomington Hospital, and were moved from West First to their present locations.

Bungalow on the move from Second and Rogers to 415 W. Allen.
A bungalow formerly located near the corner of Second and Rogers streets was donated to BRI by Doctors White, Pugh, Sarpa and McBride. This house was moved from its former location to 415 West Allen, across the street from the two others in McDoel, and underwent restoration in 2002.

Also in 2002, BRI rehabbed a house at 1005 W. Seventh St. and moved a bungalow from the town of Clear Creek to the McDoel neighborhood to save the house from demolition.

1005 West Seventh: photos taken before and after restoration.
In 2003, renovation is wrapping up on the Hoadley House on Middle Street in Stinesville. This is the first house the program has done outside the city of Bloomington. A second Stinesville house, located at the corner of South and East streets, is also being restored.

Other 2003 projects include three houses in Bloomington on west Sixth and Seventh streets. And BRI is making plans to build new houses, starting with three in Stinesville on East Street.

In 2000, BRI became a Community Housing Development Organization. CHDO is a federal certification for not-for-profit affordable housing developers. CHDO designation qualifies BRI for special grants and loans, including grants for essential operating support. Funding for a typical affordable housing project comes primarily from funds borrowed in anticipation of repaying the money once the renovated house is sold. But for the house to be affordable, additional funds are needed. These additional funds are federal grant funds provided through the City of Bloomington or the Indiana Housing Finance Authority. These funds close the gap between the sales price and the acquisition and renovation costs.

Today, the Affordable Housing Committee administers about $400,000 per year to buy and completely rehabilitate suitable buildings that are neglected or scheduled for demolition. BRI's Affordable Housing Program demands resources, but it also provides resources that have helped us expand our ability to meet preservation goals. As part of the renovation cost of each affordable housing project, BRI is able to keep a development fee--the labor cost of designing and managing the project. Development fees pay a substantial part of BRI's operating costs, which are the monies used to employ an executive director, maintain an office, furnish it with adequate equipment, and periodically hire professionals such as accountants.