UPDATE (October 2, 2025):
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – A local study of the economic impact of Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism was released Wednesday during a public presentation at the Embassy Theatre, 125 W. Jefferson Blvd.
The report, “Preservation is About the Future: The Economic Impact of Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism in Fort Wayne,” was presented by Donovan Rypkema of PlaceEconomics, an internationally recognized firm that provides analysis of the economic impacts of historic preservation. The event was part of the Indiana State Historic Preservation Conference, “Preserving Historic Places,” taking place September 30 – October 3 in Fort Wayne.
The City released the following findings of the study:
Since 2001, investments in local historic tax credit rehabilitation projects 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 have a range of types and costs, making them 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.”
The Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism study was made possible by funding from the City of Fort Wayne, the Efroymson Family Fund, the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center and Visit Fort Wayne.
The full study can be found HERE
The City of Fort Wayne’s Community Development Division works to enhance economic opportunity, build strong neighborhoods and ensure a dynamic framework for growth and development.
Visit CityofFortWayne.in.gov/CD for more information.
ORIGINAL STORY:
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – A statewide historic preservation conference is in town this week. Hundreds are here in celebration of Fort Wayne’s historic architecture. Most of the conference events are not open to the public; however, residents are invited to attend a presentation on Wednesday afternoon, revealing the results of a study on heritage tourism and historic preservation. The City says that heritage tourism visitors spent more than $313.7 million in Fort Wayne in 2024, helping support 3,300 year-round jobs.
The City released the following:
The public is invited to learn the findings of a study of the local economic impact of Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism during a free presentation October 1, 2025, 1:45 p.m. at the Embassy Theatre, 125 W. Jefferson Blvd.
The report, “Preservation is About the Future: The Economic Impact of Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism in Fort Wayne,” will be presented by Donovan Rypkema of PlaceEconomics, an internationally recognized firm that provides analysis of the economic impacts of historic preservation. The event is part of the Indiana State Historic Preservation conference, “Preserving Historic Places,” taking place September 30 – October 3 in Fort Wayne. Most sessions require a registration to attend, but this event is free and open to the public with no registration required.
Key findings of the study include:
Investments in historic tax credit rehabilitation projects in Fort Wayne have created an average of 258 jobs and $18 million in labor income each year for the last ten years. On average, that investment has generated $514,797 in local tax revenue annually over the same ten-year period.
Heritage visitors to Fort Wayne stay longer, visit more places and spend more per day than non-heritage visitors. In 2024, the expenditures of heritage tourists supported the creation of more than 3,000 jobs and $124 million in labor income. Examples of heritage destinations in Fort Wayne include the Allen County Public Library’s Genealogy Center, the Allen County Courthouse, the Arts United Center, the Old Fort and neighborhood historic home tours.
“Fort Wayne’s earliest historic preservation ordinance dates to 1965. It was the first in Indiana,” said Creager Smith, City of Fort Wayne historic preservation planner. “Our City began Historic Preservation efforts 60 years ago, with a commitment to our future selves to retain our historic identity. Fort Wayne has well over 20 historic neighborhoods, and is the home of the Genealogy Center, one of the largest geneaology libraries in the country. This study confirms that continuing to invest in our future, while maintaining our past, is a wise investment!”
Doors to the Embassy will open at 1:30 p.m. Rypkema’s presentation will follow welcome remarks from Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker, a welcome from Logan York, tribal historic preservation officer of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and Randy Harter, a local historian and author who will speak about the history of the Embassy Theatre.
The City of Fort Wayne’s Community Development Division works to enhance economic opportunity, build strong neighborhoods and ensure a dynamic framework for growth and development. The Division’s departments include Neighborhood Code Compliance, Neighborhoods, Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services, Redevelopment/Economic Development, and Planning and Policy. Visit CityofFortWayne.in.gov/CD for more information.
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