MONTICELLO — Although it looks different now, Broadway in the Village of Monticello was once a thriving tourist and commercial district with bustling shops, restaurants, hotels and houses of worship.

You can still see the remnants today in the shuttered movie theaters, ornate stone carvings on vacant buildings, or in the century-old churches and synagogues which have maintained their congregations.

Now the village is looking to preserve some of its storied past by applying for the Monticello-Broadway Historic District to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Planners hope the designation will help accelerate downtown revitalization since included properties will become eligible for grant opportunities and tax incentives.

Village Trustee George Nikolados pushed for the designation when he joined the Village Board four years ago. “I think it's very important to get some incentives in there for people to spend the money on their buildings,” Nikolados said.

If approved, Monticello would join the Village of Liberty and the hamlet of Callicoon on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Monticello has a treasure trove of beautiful mixed-use buildings that are worthy of National Historic District designation,” said District 9 Legislator Alan Sorensen, chair of the Legislature's Planning Committee in a statement back in August. “We need to protect these resources for future generations.”

Sullivan Renaissance funded a historic assessment of the district earlier this year and identified dozens of buildings and properties which are included in the formal nomination to the National Register. The Sullivan County Division of Planning has been working with the Village and the New York State Historic Preservation Office (NYSHPO) to get Broadway recognized.

National Register Coordinator Kathleen LaFrank from the State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department explained the process during the second of two information meetings at the Village Hall on Tuesday. Neil Larson from Larson, Fisher Associates, Inc. gave a presentation on the proposed district. He detailed the history of Monticello since its designation as the county seat in 1809, through the great fire of 1909 which destroyed 74 properties, and its not-too-distant past as a center of commerce and tourism in Borscht Belt era Sullivan Catskills.

“I'm a big fan of Sullivan County. I've covered it for a long time and I'm also a big fan of this historic district,” LaFrank said. “This was really a happening place and I still think it is.”

LaFrank explained that state national registers began as planning programs for state and federal governments to take historic resources into consideration when they plan projects.

“There are many benefits for the village and for property owners,” LaFrank said.

For example, there's a program for religious buildings called the Sacred Sites fund from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

“That's a very worthwhile place to direct church groups, synagogues and any kind of religious buildings. It's often possible for a religious congregation to get a small grant to restore their foundation, their roof or something like that,” LaFrank explained.

Benefits to property owners include a state historic homeownership rehabilitation tax credit, as well as federal and State historic preservation tax credits for commercial property owners.

Steven Dwek is one commercial property owner who could benefit from the historic designation. President of Healthy Kids Extended Day Program Inc., Dwek owns the former Veterans Memorial Hall on Liberty Street (built in 1955) which he wants to turn into a commercial daycare center.

“The company I own does a lot of school-age childcare in public elementary schools, and we have a daycare up in Poughkeepsie,” Dwek said.

The building requires a big investment, and owners of historic commercial properties may be eligible for 20 percent federal and 20 percent state historic preservation income tax credits for rehabilitation projects.

“Sullivan County [Planning Department] has been great in working with me to put in for a couple of grants to see if that can defray some of the costs,” Dwek said. “Once you bring the costs of the renovations down it just means the tuition fees for the parents can be much more affordable.”

LaFrank said they will present the proposal to the New York State Board of Historic Preservation on Dec. 4.

If the board approves their proposal, they will then present it to the Historic Preservation Office for review and signature, at which point it will appear on the New York State Register of Historic Places. Once that is accomplished, the proposal will arrive by the end of the year at the National Park Service. NPS takes about two months for its final review, at which point it will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.