The first time that a post appeared on MyHometownOhio concerning the Seneca County Courthouse was on February 16, 2007. The post featured a video which had been placed on YouTube which lamented both the condition of the Tiffin landmark as well as its endangered status.

Over the two and a half years which followed, this blog chronicled the ongoing saga of the building - including the work of the Tiffin Historic Trust, the incredible efforts of the Courthouse and Downtown Redevelopment Group, and Preservation Ohio’s own involvement. We have joined our friends in Tiffin in rallies, speeches and presentations, have spoken to the Commissioners, have provided testimony in design review hearings, filed an amicus curiae brief in ongoing legal action, and joined with others to sponsor the Ohio Courthouse Summit in late 2007.

Yesterday, the Seneca County Commissioners voted 3-0 to support the renovation of the Seneca County Courthouse - the first building to be selected to lead the annual list of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites. This honor was made in recognition of its importance to the local community and county, the quality of its architecture, and because we knew that the eyes of many across the state were tuned toward Tiffin as they looked at their own facilities.

Preservation Ohio applauds the three Seneca County Commissioners, members of the Courthouse and Downtown Redevelopment Group including their point person Franklin Conaway, members of the Tiffin Historic Trust, and everyone else who has played a role in this effort. Franklin is a co-founder and former Board President of Preservation Ohio, and we're thrilled to recognize him for his role in this project.

The work continues, as funds must be raised for the courthouse tower and other improvements. MyHometownOhio will continue to follow this story - and we will be there on the day in the hopefully not-too-distant future when we can cover the opening of the newly renovated Seneca County Courthouse.

For Toledo Blade coverage of this story, including video of the actual vote, click here.

Photo: Seneca County Courthouse, Tiffin - circa 1884

Preservation Ohio received word yesterday concerning two pending demolitions in Greenhills.

The Greenhills Village Council has apparently voted to demolish two additional buildings in the historic district -- both multi-unit frame houses on Dewitt Court. Ironically, the buildings in question were occupied until a month ago; according to neighbors, some of the tenants didn't want to leave. There are no plans for re-use of the vacant land.

For more information on these demolitions, and how they have the potential to impact pending National Historic Landmark status for this unique pre-war experiment in planned development, visit the "Endangered Places" page of the Cincinnati Preservation Association website by clicking here (scroll to the bottom of the page).

The Village of Greenhills has been included on the List of Ohio's Most Endangered Historic Sites since 2008 - click here for the most recent listing.

Photo: Buildings scheduled for demolition, Greenhills - Courtesy of the Cincinnati Preservation Association

In the aftermath of the July 20 presentation of the Seneca County Courthouse and Downtown Redevelopment Group, there has been a great deal of activity in Tiffin as Commissioners consider the renovation proposal, and the public hears and reacts to the plan. Not surprisingly, the matter, which has been extensively covered in media over the last three years, has continued to generate substantial coverage. Here is a sampling of recent articles and letters to the editor on the subject:

"Cost Effectiveness is determining factor" - Letter to the Editor by Seneca County Commissioner Ben Nutter - "... As a Seneca County commissioner, my position in relation to the courthouse has been exactly the same from the moment I took office, and that is; I will support the course of action that is most fiscally responsible in providing space to the judiciary of Seneca County..."

Advertister-Tribune editorial – “Majority just want the issue to be over” - "Arguments and legal wrangling over the 1884 courthouse have resulted in a false dichotomy. The county, it may seem, is split into two camps: Those who favor renovating the "grand old lady" and those who favor removing "big ugly"..."

“Courthouse lines in the sand have become scars” – Advertiser-Tribune - "When a line is drawn in the sand, who has the courage to scratch it out?..."

“Figues, opinions change” – Advertiser-Tribune - "...The long journey of decision-making in the commissioner board room has inspired the passions of county residents on two distinct sides of a divided county..."

“Seneca County Courthouse report is full of details to make the case” – Toledo Blade - "The head of a group aiming to save and restore the abandoned Seneca County Courthouse turned in his final report Monday, a thick photo-and-drawing-filled document stuffed with the kinds of details supporters hope will win over hesitant county residents..."

“Seneca County diverts $687,000 in courthouse funds” – Toledo Blade - "More than $687,000 set aside to tear down and replace Seneca County's 1884 courthouse was diverted to the county's general fund yesterday to cover expenses in the sheriff's office and department of job and family services...."

“Seneca County’s renovation foes rethink positions” – Toledo Blade - "...Based on the best information we had available two years ago, it was cheaper to remove and replace," Mr. Nutter said. "But based on the information we have today, it may very well be less expensive to renovate and provide more space and still be able to keep a building and our sense of cultural identity..."

Photo: Seneca County Courthouse - Preservation Ohio File Photo

Yesterday evening Preservation Ohio Executive Director Thomas Palmer joined Heritage Ohio Executive Director Joyce Barrett on a trip to the beautiful southwest Ohio county seat town of Hillsboro. There, they met with members of the Highland Community Preservation Group (HCPG) to discuss the group’s plans concerning the landmark Bell’s Opera House building.

As profiled in this 2007 Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Site listing, the building was a gift to the community from local industrialist Charles S. Bell. It opened in 1895, and served the community for decades. Unlike many comparable facilities, the opera house was never remodeled - and when the last curtain closed on performances, it was largely sealed and forgotten.

In March, 2004, Preservation Ohio was present at the inaugural meeting of the HCPG where the vision of turning Bell’s into a community arts facility was first introduced. The group is continuing at full speed with their long-range planning, having chosen a company to complete a master planning process and also developing acquisition options.  At last night’s meeting, a full range of renovation funding opportunities for any Ohio property were reviewed, with special attention given to those, both local and non-local, potentially available for performing arts facilities. The group has obviously put substantial time and effort on preparing themselves for a successful project.

Unfortunately, the trip also brought news of another property in downtown Hillsboro deserving of preservation and needing immediate attention - the Parker House hotel on West Main Street. The city has deemed the building unsafe and is seeking demolition. The owner has countered with his belief that the building is structurally sound. Coverage of the situation in the local press can be accessed here.

Click here to read more about efforts to preserve the Bell’s Opera House, and for a further link to the HCPG.

Photo: Bell's Opera House, Hillsboro - Seth Gaines/Creative Commons License

2009 has seen an amazing explosion in the area of social media. The phenomenon that is Twitter, for instance, has recently had an impact in everything from national politics to international relations. Far from a static tool, social media is constantly evolving, changing and adapting to meet new opportunities and new technologies - particularly in the area of the mobile web (cell phones, etc.).

In many ways, America’s non-profit organizations are leading the charge into the creative use of social media. Here is a recent conference presentation on the use of social media in the non-profit world. Note, however, that as these statistics are already 7 months old, that today’s numbers have risen exponentially.


Preservation and revitalization are, perhaps not surprisingly, lagging behind this trend. Pacesetting organizations such as the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training are attempting to identify and promote the use of social media by preservation organizations through their excellent Voices from the Past website and Preservation Today web casts, however many local, statewide and even national preservation and revitalization organizations seem to be stuck in Web 2.0 - if they have any online presence at all.

Preservation Ohio has been at the forefront of this change since MyHometownOhio, the country’s first self-authored blog on statewide preservation, was launched in July of 2006. We currently have the most followed organizational page on Twitter of any statewide or national preservation organization, and have companion sites on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube. This Summer we launched the country’s first self-contained social networking site for statewide preservation, The Ohio Preservation Network, and have forayed into the realm of live blogging for the recent announcement of the 2009 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites.

One thing about social media - the scene can change in just a few months. That’s why we are always looking a year down the road - to identify the social networking and media opportunities of the future that will better enable us to perform our mission.

This article was originally posted on MyHometownOhio in 2007. The tragedy herein described continues to this day, making this post even more poignant to all Ohioans.

There has been much written about the loss of older school buildings across Ohio in the last few years. “Ohio’s Historic Schools” have had a secure place on the list of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites since 2002, and rightfully so – the listing represents the greatest systematic loss of historic resources in Ohio since the days of urban renewal. And, in many ways, the loss of school buildings is more insidious, as it takes place in urban settings and rural crossroads alike. Schools are falling victim to a massive building program that wastes money by discounting opportunities for renovation, and which then subsidizes demolition. Outside of Ohio’s largest cities, few historic school buildings are being renovated, and most are succumbing to the wrecking ball.

Actually, in conveying the size and pervasiveness of the loss of Ohio’s historic schools, we believe that pictures can say more than words. So, rather than try and describe the situation, or the quality of architecture that is at issue, we invite you to visit a new website we have discovered. The folks at www.oldohioschools.com have collected an outstanding collection of photographs of Ohio’s school buildings – those that are endangered, those that have already been lost, and also a collection of former schools that have found new life through adaptive re-use.

A warning, though – these pictures "tell it as it is." A box of tissues might be in order.

The Ohio Preservation News reader located on the left side of this blog provides an excellent way to learn what is happening in the word of preservation, downtown and neighborhood revitalization, heritage tourism, smart growth, archeology and local history not only here in Ohio, but across the country.

The site provides short descriptions and links to a wide range of media stories - many of which come from Ohio newspapers, online magazines and blogs. Because it uses RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication,” the reader is updated continuously throughout the day..and night...each time that a local newspaper or media source updates its own site.

To give a glimpse of what can be found - here is a small sampling of stories available just this afternoon from the Ohio Preservation News reader.

Rescue of a historic grandstand at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds

An effort to “save angled parking” in downtowns statewide

The third installment in a series about “Revitalizing Over-the-Rhine”

Efforts to create a quilt tour in Greene County

The unfolding and interesting situation concerning the auction of a historic house in Avondale

How an environmental assessment can aid in the renovation of a 300,000 former factory building in Cincinnati

Coverage of the Restoring Prosperity Conference in Cleveland

An upcoming lecture concerning the 1913 flood in Ohio

A Lincoln exhibit coming to the Auglaize County Public District Library

The summer schedule for the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

A look at a long-lost element of early Cleveland city planning

Video from a living history presentation in Mansfield

A look at what American cities are attracting the GenY generation

A critique of current urban “downsizing” by Richard Florida

The challenges of reaching consensus in local historic preservation legislation

The new website of the Civil War Preservation Trust includes a variety of features that engage visitors in the effort to save historic battlefields nationwide. Materials for educators and students, a battlefield search tool, and detailed information about efforts to save Civil War history are included, as is an outstanding collection of online battlefield maps. Its well worth a visit.

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation has a newly-updated site designed to acquaint visitors with local preservation issues and efforts. The site was an excellent tool during the recently-concluded City Hop, and includes reference to the Foundation’s other online sites. Links allow visitors to combine learning about sponsored events - including their well-known walking tours - with actual ticket purchasing.

Downtown revitalization websites launched or updated in the last several months include the sites for The Downtown Bellfontaine Partnership, Main Street Medina, and Downtown Fremont.

The website of the University District of The Ohio State University has information on just about everything you would need to enjoy living, working and playing in the area of OSU… from a map of local wi-fi hotspots to the latest on area investment and rental opportunities -- and home preservation efforts.

And - as profiled in a previous post - the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Resource Center has been updated with information and links to the latest on this important financial incentive for older property rehabilitation. Click here to access.

Photo: Screenshot, CivilWar.org