Reporter: Rachel Schaerr | Videographer: Steven Smith
Lynchburg, VA - One of Lynchburg's oldest neighborhoods and former hub for commerce is being recognized for its long history. Fifth Street has been accepted to the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.
Developers and property owners are now eligible for certain state and federal historical grants, and for the people who live along Fifth Street, the two distinctions go a long way to recognize the impact they've had on the city.
Since opening her business last September, Victoria Duff has gotten her recipes down to a science. But keeping customers coming in to the Sunrise Cafe to try them has been her greatest challenge. She says the Fifth Street construction had decreased her business by 50 %.
Lynchburg's Economic Development Coordinator Brian Gleason hopes business owners will see the new distinctions "as a little bit of good news amidst the construction."
Fifth Street was once the heart of African-American life in Lynchburg prior to desegregation. Gleason says it had a long commercial history including theatres, small businesses and pharmacies.
Now that it's on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places, property owners like Duff are eligible for federal and state tax credits.
"The opportunity to access historic tax credits, along with the corridor's Master Plan, grants to address brownfields and fund property improvements, as well as enhanced marketing of vacant properties, will all combine to significantly improve the economic climate in that area of that city," said Marjette Upshur, Lynchburg's economic development director.
"Finally, the government has recognized the significance of this area," said Duff.
