We know that politics is one of the three taboo subjects. It’s usually controversial, often complicated and typically boring, and we hate being boring. However, the Missouri Historic Tax Credit is a big deal not only to our industry, but for small business owners and residents throughout the state. Every year the legislature threatens to gut it, mostly because the members themselves don’t know much about it. (“Tax credit” is the fourth taboo subject in Jeff City, we’ve learned.) We have to make sure people are educated about this incredible win-win for Missourians: it dumps real money into the economies of small and large towns across the state, it produces well-paying, middle-class jobs, and it keeps Missouri’s towns beautiful and full of character.
The Zion African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Lexington, Missouri. On the Most Endangered List in 2011, this 1870 church was once home to the largest African-American religious congregation in Lafayette County. A developer would most certainly use the MoHTC to renovate and repurpose it.
Bless Landmarks Association* for bucking up their scant dollars to produce a video that pairs digestible information with the stories of real people who have made their communities better through the MoHTC. Bill Streeter of Hydraulic Pictures put together a video that demystifies the often-misunderstood program and shows how it benefits people across the state. Landmarks realizes the Missouri Historic Tax Credit is one of the most effective ways to reinvigorate old buildings and economies. Our fair state pioneered this type of tax credit, and it’s being copied across the nation. We should be proud of the MoHTC, the buildings it saved, and the jobs it created.
Come to Nebula Coworking on Thursday, August 21 at 7 PM for the inaugural screening. We’ll post the full video the next day, but in the meantime, here’s the trailer:
* Feeling generous? Become a member at Landmarks. They do good work on a shoestring.
Special thanks to Christina at Missouri Historic Revitalization Alliance for providing information for this post.