The LaPorte Historic Preservation Commission announced on March 10, 2010, that LaPorte has been designated as a Preserve America Community. The designation was made official with a letter addressed to the citizens of LaPorte, signed by First Lady Michelle Obama.
The press release from Washington, D.C., states that the Preserve America program “seeks to actively involve Americans in preserving America’s heritage and increasing the positive economic, educational, environmental and cultural benefits of preservation to their communities.”
The press release notes that designated communities tend to experience a boost in tourism, and designation “demonstrates to potential partners that these communities have a leadership commitment to their heritage, as well as the necessary infrastructure, to turn historic resources into economic assets through adaptive reuse for contemporary purposes.”
A good example in LaPorte is the recently restored depot, which now serves as office space for the Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce and other entities.
The possibility of receiving grants for historic preservation might also be boosted.
LaPorte is among 19 communities designated in this latest round, and is among only 814 communities nationwide that have received designation since the program’s inception in 2003.
The application for designation was made at the behest of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. The commission’s president, Jason Curtis, said: “There are a number of people to thank for helping ensure LaPorte was able to submit the strongest application possible. In particular, we are grateful to the city’s Office of Community Planning and Development, the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, and perhaps most importantly, the individual who compiled our application, Mr. Robin Wenger.
“We are excited about achieving this special recognition for the city, and believe it reflects not only the outstanding historical resources we have in LaPorte, but also the remarkable ’sense of place’ that those resources provide.”
