Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council (SPAR) was pleased to be honored by the City of Jacksonville's Historic Preservation Commission at their annual awards ceremony held on May 3rd, 2018. The award recognized SPAR for its commercial corridor facade grant program which has helped revitalize commercial areas of the Springfield Historic District. The facade grant program was led by the Commercial Corridors Committee of SPAR, chaired by Jamie Toraason. Through this program -the only one of its kind in Jacksonville- SPAR enabled owners of historic buildings to make improvements to their facades. In doing so, both the character of the community and the experience of the customers and guests were improved.

The program has contributed thousands of dollars to local Springfield businesses and organizations and will be accepting new applications through 2018, with new grants awarded on a rolling basis. To be eligible, a business must be a member of the Springfield Area Merchants and Business Association (SAMBA), a subsidiary of SPAR. Read more about our commercial facade grant program.