Fall River Historical Commission approves letters of support for state preservation grants for Bank Street Armory and public library

FALL RIVER, Mass. — The Fall River Historical Commission voted unanimously March 5 to provide letters of support for two grant applications to the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund that would advance preservation work at the Bank Street Armory and at the Fall River Public Library.

The commission approved a letter backing a city application for a feasibility study and structural assessment of the Bank Street Armory, an item presented by commission members as a contingency if a museum organization does not proceed with plans to acquire and convert the building. "It is a matching grant," said Rick Mancini, a Fall River Historical Commission member, discussing the program’s 50% match requirement.

The commission’s presentation said the full package for the armory study is expected to cost between $55,000 and $60,000, with roughly half requested from the state and the match likely to come from Community Preservation Act funds set…