NORMAL -- When the siding was removed from the 125-year-old building at 123 E. Beaufort St., four stained glass transom windows and some historic columns were revealed.

The windows are in bad shape -- the probable result of an 1890s fire -- but Ryan Fiala, who is purchasing the building, hopes to somewhat duplicate them as part of a renovation. The town has agreed to cover the discounted cost of $7,500 offered by Terry Garbe, owner of Touch of Glass.

The town also has approved $29,455 in facade grants for the restoration of the building, the home of the Normal City Hall in 1893.

"The grants allowed us to do things otherwise we couldn't consider," said Fiala, owner of D.P. Dough, 121 E. Beaufort St., which will expand into the next-door space.

The same is true at Campus Town Supply, 121 W. North St., where $21,000 from the town allowed the 1970s siding to be removed, revealing a stucco finish.

"I feel very fortunate we were able to take advantage of the program," said Bill Frautschi, who owns the property with Paul Bartlett. "You don't need a new front to do business. It's not top on the list of priorities. But as you looked down the street, the building stuck out. It wasn't looking as nice as the others."

The projects are two of 13 in uptown receiving a total of nearly $500,000 in facade grants. In addition, the town has given more than $700,000 in redevelopment grants to eight uptown projects.

"I think it's been a very successful program," said Uptown Development Director Wayne Aldrich. "The city council really wanted to help business and property owners and this really did it. It helped with the attractiveness of uptown and it saved many of the older buildings."

Aldrich said the bulk of the work is completed and the town likely will no longer fund the two programs. But that doesn't mean other similar projects won't get town help. Owners still can appeal their project to the City Council for funding.

Redevelopment by the numbers

Normal's uptown facade grant and redevelopment project grant programs have helped 14 uptown business or property owners renovate their buildings:

Business/building - Redevelopment - Facade

Garlic Press/Cafe, 106-108 W. North St. - $126,587 - $15,000

Micheleo's, 114-116 W. North St. - NA* - $45,866

Maggie Mileys, 126 E. Beaufort St. - $10,000 - $53,409

105-111 E. Beaufort St. - $189,000 - NA

126 E. Beaufort - NA - $15,724

117-119 E. Beaufort - $16,699 - $34,660

Jimmy Johns, 207 W. North - $82,950 - $15,000

Medici, 120 W. North - $100,000 - $80,000

Main Street Bank & Trust, 201 E. College - $145,885 - NA

Coffee Hound, 205 W. North - $45,000 - $15,000

D.P. Dough, 123 E. Beaufort - NA - $29,455

Fabulous Affairs, 110 E. Beaufort - NA - $11,762

Normal State Bank, 111-115 W. North St. - NA - $140,191

Campus Town Supply, 121 W. North St. - NA - $21,000

Total: $716,121 $492,067

* Not applicable