FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – The City of Fort Wayne shares that a local study of the economic impact of historic preservation and heritage tourism was released on Wednesday.
City officials say the study, “Preservation is About the Future: The Economic Impact of Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism in Fort Wayne,” was presented by Donovan Rypkema of PlaceEconomics during the Indiana State Historic Preservation Conference in Fort Wayne this week.
Key findings from the study include:
- Since 2001, investments in local historic tax credit rehabilitation projects have reached $340 million and supported 258 jobs annually.
- In 2024, heritage visitors spent more than $313 million in Fort Wayne, supporting approximately 3,000 year-round jobs.
- In 2024, the average home value in local historic districts was 13 percent higher than the rest of the city.
- Housing in historic districts has a range of types and costs, making it accessible to households of all incomes. (For example, 61 percent of households in local districts earn less than the city’s median income.)
- Even excluding the banner year of 2024 with the Electric Works project, over the last 15 years, an average of 139 direct jobs and an additional 90 indirect and induced jobs were created by investment in Fort Wayne’s historic districts. (If historic rehabilitation were a single business, it would be among the largest 50 industries in Fort Wayne.)
“Fort Wayne’s commitment to historic preservation has fostered job creation, tax revenue, and investment while also supporting diverse, affordable housing options in walkable, high-density neighborhoods,” said Rypkema. “Fort Wayne’s heritage tourism destinations add to the quality of life for residents and boost the local economy.”…