By Eric Curl
June 4, 2023 – The Historic Savannah Foundation’s director of preservation and historic Properties, Ryan Jarles, provided some information on Friday in regards to the plan to sell the Kiah house to a “preservation-minded” buyer. The questions and responses, sent via email, can be found below.
SA-When did HSF start listing the property?
RJ-The Kiah House RFP page was live on our website on the morning of May 15. The Pre-qualification period will continue until June 28; this is the period we are giving to allow individuals/organizations to provide their cover letters and financial statements. The pre-qualification period is also provided to allow for showings of the property once the cover letter and financial docs have been received.
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SA-Why did HSF decide to sell the property, rather than retain ownership and rehabilitate the structure itself?
RJ- The Kiah House was purchased through our Revolving Fund Program. This program has always been utilized to purchase properties that are in desperate need of rehabilitation, and we seek preservation minded buyers to purchase the property from HSF and rehabilitate the properties based on requirements set forth by HSF within a legally attached Easement. It was always the intention to follow our usual Revolving Fund processes, however understanding the importance of this property we have diligently laid out the groundwork for whoever the new owner ends up being to ensure a successful rehabilitation that is respectful to and acknowledges the buildings past as well as its past occupants.
SJ-Was the plan always to sell it or did HSF change course for some reason?
RJ-Our Revolving Fund was luckily gifted a property at 607 W. 39th Street, that we were able to then utilize the funds normally allotted to purchase a building to then rehabilitate the building instead. In the case of the Kiah House, per usual Revolving Fund fashion, we purchased the building and have since followed our normal processes. On top of the normal processes HSF’s Revolving Fund follows, we have done additional work to ensure that the future of the Kiah House is a bright one. Since successfully getting the Kiah House out of probate we have done several very important things. We hired a structural engineer to do a full assessment of the structure, which will allow us to aid along the way with any technical assistance required on the property; We have placed temporary roofing over the deteriorated roof to allow for the drying of the property while awaiting rehabilitation; We have begun the process of individually listing the property on the National Register of Historic Places which will allow for Tax Credits, a tax freeze, as well as the possibility for grant opportunities.
The best part, for me, of working on this Revolving Fund property has been getting to work with so many different people. We speak with the neighbors often, specifically people who have lived in the neighborhood for upwards of 80 years, people who knew Virginia Kiah, and people who lived in the home when it was a boarding home. We really have kept our conversations to those who have direct knowledge of the structure, direct knowledge and memories of the Kiah’s, and people who remember being inside the building before and after the Kiah’s renovations. These conversations helped guide not only our National Register Nomination but also our creation of the RFP and the future decisions that must be made.
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SA-Has HSF received any proposals yet or has anyone expressed interest in the purchase?
RJ- We have received communications from several individuals as well as organizations who have expressed interest in submitting RFP responses. We are very intrigued by the responses that are going to be submitted and we look forward to reviewing them.
SA-Will the proposals be made public?
RJ-Just like with any other Revolving Fund property, we will be reviewing the RFP responses internally. This is the process we really have followed since the beginning of the Revolving Fund Program, and we are trying to stick with our established processes.
SA-When does HSF think a determination will be regarding the National Register of Historic Places application?
RJ-The National Register Nomination process is going smoothly. We received our eligibility determination and Ward Architecture + Preservation has submitted our first draft of the nomination. We are awaiting response from the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), and we only expect one round of edits prior to sending in the final draft. Beyond that, it is up to the mercy of the SHPO on which review board agenda they add our nomination to. Even though the nomination is still being reviewed by the SHPO, since we received our determination of eligibility and the process for the nomination has begun, tax credits, grants, etc., are able to be applied for. This opens the door for a lot of opportunities.
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