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Annapolis, Maryland — Historic Annapolis (HA) is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a $500,000 federal grant by the National Park Service (NPS) to support the state-of-the-art restoration of the James Brice House, a National Historic Landmark located in downtown Annapolis, Maryland. 
NPS recently awarded $7 million in the inaugural round of funding for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Created by Congress in 2020 and funded through the Historic Preservation Fund, this round of grants will support 17 cultural resource preservation projects across 12 states that had an impact on the founding of the American nation. Historic Annapolis is one of two Maryland organizations to receive an award from the program.
“National parks and National Park Service programs serve to tell authentic and complete history, provide opportunities for exploring the legacies that impact us today and contribute to healing and understanding,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “Through the Semiquincentennial Grant Program, we are supporting projects that showcase the many places and stories that contributed to the evolution of the American experience.”
Awarded funds will support the restoration of the 74 original windows throughout the Brice House, which is a key part of the overall project. 
The windows need repairs to preserve the historic material and craftsmanship, protect the building from moisture infiltration, and help regulate interior environmental conditions.
“Historic Annapolis is honored by this award to support the incredible restoration work happening at the James Brice House. This federal grant, along with the significant investment by the State of Maryland and private donors, helps advance our efforts to preserve this important architectural treasure in time for the nation’s semiquincentennial,” said Karen Theimer Brown, President & CEO of HA. “We look forward to celebrating this restored building with the public and sharing the full and inclusive history of all the people who lived and worked here, the time period it represents, and the building as a symbol of our nation’s journey to independence.”
The James Brice House is one of the largest and most elegant of Annapolis's historic homes, and one of the most important surviving structures from colonial America. Recognizing the importance of the architectural gem, the State of Maryland purchased the James Brice House in 2014 and arranged for Historic Annapolis to maintain and manage the property. In 2016, HA embarked on a multi-year, multi-million dollar restoration of the Brice House. The team of experts HA has assembled for this project are highly respected in their fields, known world-wide, and have worked on the nation's most important historic structures including Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, Drayton Hall, and the Maryland State House.
Congress appropriated funding for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program in FY2021 through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The HPF uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, assisting with a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars, with the intent to mitigate the loss of a nonrenewable resource to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources. Established in 1977, the HPF is authorized at $150 million per year through 2023 and has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations.
For more information about NPS historic preservation programs and grants, please visit nps.gov/stlpg/.
For more information about the James Brice House Restoration project, please visit annapolis.org/contact/james-brice-house.