Some people say Homer reminds them of a Norman Rockwell painting, or a Civil War movie set, said Homer Historian Martin Sweeney. With $10 million in state funding to improve the area, business owners have to find a way to maintain that.
“Homer is very historically unique,” Sweeney said. “It’s a community that has 220, if not more, built spaces that have been so well-preserved since the day they were built, that Homer is 19th century. It’s part of our charm.”
The Landmark Society of Cortland established the Homer Village Historic District 52 years ago, which included it in the National Register of Historic Places.
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Click here: Meeting Sept. 17 to discuss historic Little White Church.
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In 2022, the village Zoning Board of Appeals recommended that a law be drafted to set rules for business signs to limit them to commercial sections of Route 281 and ban them from the more historic Main Street. Three Village of Homer organizations had applied for permission to put LED signs in front of their buildings: the fire department, American Legion and the Center for the Arts.
Now, the village is drafting a proposed law to regulate such signs.
“I understand,” Sweeney said. “I mean, who wants to freeze their fingers off putting up plastic letters of the alphabet on a white sign in February? But it may be a small sacrifice to have to be paid to preserve this unique thing that we have inherited.”
In February 2023, the village of Homer received a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant that will fund 11 projects. The final list of projects was released in late May.
After learning they were awarded the grants early last year, the village worked with consultants to whittle down their initial wish lists of requests, and the proposals were sent to the state in the fall.
Homer will set aside $500,000 to administer a small projects fund for such work as building improvements to boost the appearance of downtown.
Public projects entirely funded by the grants in Homer include $1.42 million to improve the festival grounds, $652,000 for a river-walk along the Tioughnioga River near the festival grounds, $300,000 to restore the Water Street bridge and a $300,000 downtown marketing program.
Homer would also cover $1.17 million of the $2.5 million cost of the first phase of redeveloping the Little White Church on the Village Green into a community center.
The Center for the Arts of Homer reached an agreement to buy the Little White Church Community Center for $2 from the village of Homer in October 2022.
Ty Marshal, executive director of the Center for the Arts of Homer, plans to work with the Homer Landmark Society and state Office of Historic Preservation to make sure all renovations to his building are up to historical standards, he said.
“It’s a respect to the history of our buildings, and it’s a learning process,” Marshal said. “We’re building on our knowledge from the Center of the Arts building, and hope to replicate that with the former Episcopal Church. I think it comes down to a respect for history and an eye toward the future.”
The Village Food Market at 7 S. Main St will also receive $139,000 from the state toward a $347,500 renovation project. This is a great example of how a business can use DRI funding while maintaining the historic nature, Sweeney said.
“The object of the game here is balance,” Sweeney said. “We’re trying to find balance, and one way we maintain that is by doing our darndest to preserve the exterior of the building – what we present to residents and visitors. Then to keep pace with modern times, you have to update the interior.”
Renovations include a new layout, rear entrance, commissary kitchen, new appliances, and improvements in the floors and walls.
It all ties back to the theme for the DRI application – “Building on History,” Sweeney said.
“We have something rather unique, and anything historic and unique is worth preserving,” he said. “It’s part of our identity. It’s part of what attracts people to Homer. We’ve got something that we’ve inherited, and when you value your heritage, you try to keep it up for future generations to enjoy.”
