Hello Restaurant Owners!
I'm reaching out to raise awareness about American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, who teamed up to support 25 historic independent U.S. restaurants.
Now in its second year, the Backing Historic Restaurants program awarded ea
Restaurant Highlights — How some of the recipients plan to use these grants to preserve their unique history:
Black Forest Inn, Minneapolis, Minnesota
This grant will be used for exterior improvements, which you will be able to see take shape later this summer. We particularly appreciate the words accompanying their statement about last year's winners: “Historic small restaurants are cultural treasures that strengthen their communities and carry their legacies and traditions forward in deeply meaningful ways."
Golden Burro Cafe, Leadville, Colorado
The Golden Burro building is significant as a prominent commercial property along US24/Harrison Avenue—Leadville’s main street. The building was built in 1888 and renovated into a café when the Golden Burro moved in. It took its current form in the 1950s, with renovation of the façade with Vitrolite and glass block and expansion into a neighboring building. The renovations reflected changes happening across the country to appeal to the mid-century American consumer. We are so excited and grateful to receive this grant and to put it toward preserving the café’s legacy and building the future of the Golden Burro.
The Historic Magnolia House, Greensboro, North Carolina
I want to thank American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation for putting this opportunity in place for historic structures like us. [...] With historic structures, there’s so much involved when it comes to running an operation. Something as simple as putting flooring down for your commercial kitchen so you can officially run an operation is not that simple for historic sites. You have hundreds of years of structures that you’re dealing with. It can be quite costly.
The grant creates an opportunity for us to expand and create a semi-permanent structure in the back of the house that will allow us to expand our business. We will be able to bring more bodies into the restaurant and serve more events and gatherings.
Learn More about American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation:
Head over to the Backing Historic Small Restaurants page on the National Trust for Historic Preservation website. There, you can learn more about this program, view the full list of grantees for 2022, and keep in touch for future opportunities (click the Enter Your Email button at the bottom of the page).
We'll share information about grant opportunities in our forums as we hear about them!
