The city of Newberry has received a $347,500 matching grant from the Division of Historical Resources to restore and renovate Newberry’s Historic Power Plant. 

The city applied last year for the grant to restore the power plant, which is registered with the National Register of Historic Places, but the building’s new lease on life is to be geared to arts and culture rather than utilities. 

Ideas for the building have ranged from a museum to a public meeting space, to a brewery, but the cost for fully restoring the building is estimated to be about $1.2 million. 

This grant is specifically for historic preservation, so the money will be put specifically toward sealing the building by repairing windows, doors and masonry, upgrading the electrical systems and plumbing, and installing ADA-compliant parking, ramps and sidewalks. 

Within the last few years, the city also spent about $35,000 reroofing the building. 

From there, the hope is that someone will choose to partner with the city and make the old power plant into a business location. 

Mayor Jordan Marlowe said the city plans to put out a request for proposal so local businesses can apply to use the spot. He said the applications will be judged based on elements of historic preservation, historic character and economic drive. 

Marlowe also said he hopes the business that settles in the building will have a “destination feeling” that could draw people to the east side of Newberry on a Friday or Saturday evening. 

“There are endless possibilities for economic development,” Marlowe said in an interview. 

Marlowe said the city already has two or three parties who are very interested in the partnership, but the current cost to fix up the building is “a little hard to crack.” 

“It’s a great opportunity for a small business to come to our community,” Commissioner Mark Clark said in an interview.