733 Tennessee Street
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COURTESY OF AMANDA SANTOS
In May of last year, Amanda and Eddie Santos achieved a dream when they purchased this prominent Victorian-style home across the street from the Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center. Built in 1894, the home was first occupied by jewelry store owner Frank Hester, his wife and daughter Nina, and Nina lived in the home into the 1980s. The Santos, just the fourth owners of the home, could see that the structure retained much of its original architectural integrity.
Porch repair was an immediate need. Unlike most porch repair projects, the structural failure involved the roof framing rather than the floor. The roof joists were separating and needed to be completely rebuilt. Amanda had noticed an LPA PIP sign in a neighbor’s yard last fall and read in the LPA Instagram project writeup that it had benefited from the Kansas Historic Tax Credit. She knew that 733 Tennessee was a contributing property in the Old West Lawrence Historic District, so she contacted the Kansas Historical Society (785-272-8681) and spoke with Mallory Aye, a tax credit specialist.
Individually listed properties on the State or National registers, or contributing properties within State or Federal Historic Districts, are eligible to use the credits, with a $5,000 minimum project cost to qualify.
COURTESY OF AMANDA SANTOS
After paying a $200 application fee, the wait for design approval before work could begin took just two weeks, though up to a month is sometimes necessary if the office is overwhelmed with applications. Needing a local building permit, the project received administrative approval by Lawrence’s Historic Resources Administrator without requiring a full hearing at the Historic Resources Commission.
Jordan Brenn of Brenn Luxury Homes did a great job on the repair project, including matching the decorative detail at the end of each roof joist. With the porch now repaired, the house awaits a full paint job this summer that will also be covered by the tax credit, which will reimburse 25% of approved costs.
In some extensive rehabs—and commercial ones using both state and federal credits—the tax credit process is best accomplished with the help of a tax credit consultant. But the Santos tax credit process did just fine as a DIY. “As long as you follow the instructions, it’s pretty simple,” Amanda says. “I would definitely encourage people to do this. We are contributing to the preservation of our shared history.”