NORTHWOOD, Iowa — A northern Iowa historical building may have been thrown a safety net by the state Historical Preservation office.

The Worth County Historical Society, owners of the Stromstein Building in Northwood, has been awarded a $50,000 Iowa State Historical Resource Development Program grant to rebuild and repair the foundation and roof of the 114-year-old building in the Northwood Central Avenue Historic District.

The historical society will need to raise half of the $100,000 first phase of the project.

“The society is pleased to be part of improving the western gateway to Northwood. We feel this building can be a real asset to the community once it is restored and put back into use as a viable part of our community,” said Worth County Historical Society President Carolyn Loftaas. “This will be a multi-year effort, but the grant will enable us to stabilize the building and buy time to raise the remaining funds.”

The Worth County Historical Society hopes to rehabilitate the building for community or retail use.

“We are delighted that our initial fundraising letter to the WCHS members (about 120) has so far yielded thousands of dollars with additional funds pledged over the next two years,” Loftaas said.

Work is expected to begin in July. The building was deemed one of the 10 most-endangered historic properties in Iowa by Preservation Iowa in January.

The two-story structure has always been a residence, with occasional businesses such as a shoe store and beauty parlor occupying the ground floor.

The society’s website is www.worthhistory.org.