The announcement is the first Omni has made since the pools’ closure. But, said Julie Langan, Department of Historic Resources director and state historic preservation officer, “We’ve been focused on this for a while now.”

“There have been many discussions over a period of years about the importance of the bathhouses and the need to invest in their rehabilitation,” she said.

Langan also said she will personally oversee the project in partnership with Omni and 3North.

She said Omni plans to qualify for historic tax credits, which means it will have to follow the U.S. secretary of the interior’s standards for rehabilitation.

These include provisions such as only replacing materials that are excessively deteriorated and using the same type of materials as replacements. The guidelines ensure rehabilitation and repairs are made with respect to the original design.

“The bathhouses are such rare survivors of this property type,” Langan said. “I don’t think there are bathhouses from that period like this in any other place in the country, so they are nationally significant.”