The Paducah Board of Commissioners approved last night a proposal to help preserve the historic Hotel Metropolitan.
The Board approved amending the site’s application for the National Park Service African-American Civil Rights Grant of $50,000.
Part of Hotel Metropolitan had not yet reached the minimum age of 50 years when the grant application was originally submitted.
Planning Director Tammara Tracy said much can be done with the grant now that the entire structure is old enough.
"So we want to go back and amend the nomination so that we can include both buildings," Tracy said, "So we can also secure professional drawings and other consulting kind of activities so that we can get an even better grant for Hotel Metropolitan to preserve the whole thing as one unit."
The money would be used to prepare an amendment to the current National Register of Historic Places listing to research Hotel Metropolitan’s historical significance and update the period of significance to include the years of 1909 through 1967.
The existing period is listed as 1909 through 1951. With the expanded time frame, Hotel Metropolitan hopes to qualify for additional grant money for upkeep and research.
