Historic homes get makeover in Lewes
Rehoboth Beach has its boardwalk. Dewey Beach has its bars and restaurants. Bethany Beach has its tranquility. Lewes is all about its history.
The city, founded in 1631 by the Dutch, refers to itself as the first town in the first state. Anyone visiting Lewes can’t help but notice the quaint cedar shingle homes and the city’s historic charm.
Lewes has about 23 places listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the National Park Service, which maintains the database. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but Lewes is not all that big. It is home to about 2,700 people. The city is also one of six local governments that the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs has deemed a certified local government in terms of preservation of its history. The city created a Historic Preservation Commission back in 2004.
Lewes takes its history pretty seriously. That is why visitors might also notice some of the homes in Lewes, particularly two houses on Mulberry Street, have been lifted off of their foundations to allow for modern amenities while honoring their past.
“Lewes has a pretty strong preservation ethic and review process,” said Joan Larrivee, historic tax credit program coordinator for the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.
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Many of the houses in Lewes, she said, used to be small beach cottages. But, there is a push to make the houses more year-round residences. The people may like the homes’ historic character, but they still want air conditioning and the other amenities modern times offer, she said.
Lifting homes off the ground to add modern-day comforts, but maintain the homes’ historic features isn’t the norm in Larrivee’s experience.
“That is one way to preserve the house,” Larrivee said. “It is not an inexpensive thing to do.”
That is where the state can come in and offer homeowners, such as the ones on Mulberry Street, a little help to offset the cost of rehabilitating a historic home. Since 2001, Delaware has offered a Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. Every year, the state sets aside $5 million for the program. Homeowners can be awarded a tax credit that is valued at up to 30 percent of the value of the rehabilitation. The maximum credit for homeowners is $20,000 every 24 months.
The state has not awarded all of the available tax credits this year. Larrivee, who recently gave a presentation in Lewes, suspects that her office will be receiving more applications.
The homes on Mulberry Street date back to colonial times, said Elaine Simmerman, chairperson of the Lewes Historic Preservation Commission. It is a requirement in Lewes that if any part of a historic home can be saved, then it will be preserved, she said.
People who visit Lewes can walk the streets and see different eras of history play out in the city’s architecture, Simmerman said. That is because of the city’s commitment to preserving its historic buildings.
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The same cannot be said for other towns and cities on the Delaware coast. Many have lost their historic centers, Larrivee said.
“There are still some historic buildings in Rehoboth,” Larrivee said. “They are getting harder to find.”
Overall, Sussex County has 145 properties listed on the national register of historic places. Bethany Beach has three properties on the register and Rehoboth has nine. In comparison, Lewes has 23 properties or 16 percent of all the properties from Sussex County that are on the list. Many may have been saved as a result of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which turns 50 this year.
“In Lewes this works,” Larrivee said.
Lewes’ quaint charm draws in a lot of visitors, she said.
“When people go there, that is what brings them back,” she said.