Thank you for your interest in the Arlington Preservation Fund, Arlington, Massachusetts. We hope that we can be of assistance, just as we have for many other owners of architecturally and historically significant buildings which enhance the quality of the built environment in our Town.
The link below is to a printable preliminary application, which we encourage you to complete carefully and submit so that the Directors can determine the eligibility of your project. Since 2023, the Arlington Preservation Fund, Inc., a non-profit corporation funded with Federal Community Development Block Grant money, has been making low interest loans available to owners of historically or architecturally significant structures in Arlington. The nine member board of unpaid Directors is appointed by the Board of Selectmen of Arlington, Massachusetts, which oversees the program.
The Arlington Preservation Fund does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, creed, ethnic origin, marital status, or age. We can make loans for properties located in any one of the Town's Historic Districts, for properties listed in any of the Historical Commission's surveys, for properties included in the National Register Multiple Resource Listing, for properties on the Town's inventory of architecturally or historically significant buildings, or for properties which are otherwise deemed significant by the Board.
Loans are on a five or three year basis, at your option, with monthly amortization of principal and interest. Interest rates are adjusted to reflect market conditions, but are generally one-half of the prime rate of the year of the loan. Loans of $7,500 or less will not require a mortgage; however, unless the property is located in a Chapter 40C Historic District, a preservation restriction is required on the areas of work for twice the length of the loan, an Internal Revenue Service requirement. No attorney's fees, points, credit report fees, or appraisal fees are charged, but we do require that you pay for a recording at the Registry of Deeds ($25), and a loan processing fee of 1% of the loan to help defray administrative expenses.
Because of guidelines on how Block Grant funding may be used to benefit the community and limited funding at the present time, we do not typically make loans for projects that are primarily for maintenance. Such projects would include painting or asphalt roof repair as opposed to restoration work such as wood column repair/replacement, slate roof repair, or the removal of synthetic sidings. We cannot make loans for repainting, but we do reserve the right to approve any new color scheme which may be implemented. Sometimes we can assist with a part of a restoration project, in which case we will support those aspects which can be seen by the public visibility and are most essential to the character of the building.
Although a loan, if granted, may not cover your entire restoration project, it is important to note we are concerned with the authenticity of the entire project. Thus, whether funded or not, windows must be wooden (not vinyl or vinyl-coated), divided lights - if applicable - must be true divided lights (not clip-on or encased between the glass panels), gutters must be wooden, and clapboards must be installed with the smooth side out.
Once a preliminary application is received, it is forwarded to the Directors for review, and then discussed at the regular Board meeting. Approved loans are forwarded to the Selectmen who have a veto power. Once we have word that the veto has not been exercised, we send you a final application, as required by Massachusettss law. After this is signed and received by us, we will arrange an appointment for the execution of the necessary documents, and thereafter your check will be issued. A small, elegant sign is discretely installed at the property, while the project is underway, indicating the historic nature of the restoration assisted by the Fund.
If you would like to apply, please fill out and mail this printable preliminary application form along with all required attachments to the address noted at the top of the application. We urge anyone interested in this program, which is structured to assist the people of the Town of Arlington, Massachusetts to apply or contact the Fund at Cloaking with any questions concerning applicability or the appropriateness of a proposed project. Although we are glad to give advice on some aspects of restoration, including appropriate detailing and authentic color schemes, we are not in a position to provide architectural design services.