By Donyelle Kesler
Cronkite News
TUCSON — On the downtown corner of East Congress Street and North Sixth Avenue stands a century-old building, often referred to as the Queen of Congress, that for decades housed a J.C. Penney store.
Now home to a business selling musical instruments, for years now the building has looked anything but regal, with boarded up windows on its upper floor and a deteriorating exterior.
But now the building is getting a facelift thanks to a grant from this city’s Downtown Facade Improvement Program, which focuses on preserving historic buildings.
It’s one way preservationists, officials and businesses in Tucson and Phoenix are collaborating to preserve historic character while rejuvenating their downtowns.
“Historic preservation has become an ethic in the community,” said Demion Clinco, president of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation. “People really want to live downtown. They want to be able to walk to work and bike to restaurants.”
The Downtown Facade Improvement Program, funded by private donors and a grant from the Tohono O’odham Nation as well as city taxpayers, requires property owners or tenants to match grants dollar for dollar.
