Springfield, Ohio (June 1, 2009) – Preservation Ohio has announced the 2009 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites. This important list highlights important pieces of Ohio history that face an uncertain future, and which deserve the attention of all Ohioans as remnants of the past that merit preservation.
Each year, Ohio’s statewide preservation organization searches for houses, commercial buildings, governmental structures, bridges, historic roadways, landscapes, downtowns, neighborhoods and other important pieces of Ohio history that face a potentially risky future. The list serves to highlight those properties which are both historically significant and endangered — whether it be by threats of demolition, long-term disinvestment or neglect, insensitive governmental action, uncertainty or indifference.
Nominations for this important list have come from individuals, preservation organizations, downtown and neighborhood revitalization organizations, historical societies, historic road associations, local governments and other entities. In each case, the property is reviewed for both its value to local, regional, state or federal history, and the nature of the threat involved. Special attention is paid to those sites facing a threat which typifies one facing many of Ohio’s historic resources. Properties remain on the list each year until such time as the threat is lessened.
Designation is similar to that given for the country’s most endangered historic sites by the National Trust for Historic Preservation — the primary benefit of the list being public attention and focus. The list has received substantial media attention, including coverage in all of Ohio’s major newspapers, as well as in magazines, lifestyle publications and local media.
Information about the Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites program can be found on our website, located at: www.preservationohio.org. Beginning on June 2, a link to each listed property will be activated each day, with photos, videos and more to be included. Click
here to access a page with an overview of the Ohio's Most Endangered program, links to lists from previous years, a look at the role of endangered lists nationwide, as well as direct links to endangered lists recently released by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and 13 other states.
The 2009 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites includes the following sites:
Seneca County Courthouse (1884) - Tiffin, Seneca County – A landmark courthouse, community icon and key asset for downtown revitalization that may soon become the first 19th century Ohio courthouse demolished in a generation. The Seneca County Courthouse has been on the list since 2005.
Greenhills Historic District (1930s) - Greenhills, Hamilton County – A unique, nationally-important planned community near Cincinnati that has been the focus of concern based on village-funded demolitions. Greenhills has been on the list since 2008.
Village of Burton Schoolhouse (1868) - Burton, Geauga County – A unique piece of northeast Ohio architecture that faces an uncertain future as a community decides its fate. The Village of Burton Schoolhouse has been on the list since 2008.
Shawnee Main Street Historic District (Various, 1860-present) - Shawnee, Perry County – An amazing collection of brick and frame commercial buildings with a fascinating past, but which continue to deteriorate. The Shawnee Main Street Historic District has been on the list since 2007.
Mehrum-Lindley Block (1906-1913) - Hamilton, Butler County – This building provides a very important link to the past of Hamilton and the ability of the community to generate downtown revitalization. The Mehrum-Lindley Block has been on the list since 2007.
South High School (1911) - Springfield, Clark County – A massive and monumental educational building replaced under the Ohio School Facilities Commission program yet which has no definite future. South High School has been on the list since 2008.
Edgerton Village Hall/Park Opera House (1884) - Edgerton, Williams County – A town hall with upper-floor opera house that could provide outstanding facilities for local government, but which has been the focus of demolition discussion. The Edgerton Village Hall has been on the list since 2008.
Elam Drake Farmstead (1860s) - Columbus, Franklin County – A collection of historically significant Civil War-era historic buildings near Port Columbus Airport standing vacant with an uncertain future. This is the first year for the Elam Drake Farmstead on the list.
Gunning House (1940) - Reynoldsburg/Columbus, Franklin County – An excellent example of mid 20th-century architecture designed by trained apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright, threatened by area development and loss. This is the first year for the Gunning House on the list.
Memorial Hall (1915) - Springfield, Clark County – One of the largest of Ohio’s grand memorial buildings honoring local veterans, located in a downtown with a dwindling number of buildings, and currently scheduled for demolition. This is the first year for Memorial Hall on the list.
Former Julienne High School (1926) - Dayton, Montgomery County – A large former Catholic high school with adjoining convent building that are important to local educational and social history, but nevertheless scheduled for replacement and demolition. This is the first year for Julienne High School on the list.
Antioch College Historic District (Various stages beginning in 1854) - Yellow Springs, Greene County – A landmark of national educational history, the original campus has been closed for over a year with concerns over the future of its historic buildings, and awaits hopeful re-opening. This is the first year for Antioch College on the list.
Ohio's Traditional Churches and Synagogues (Various) – Statewide – Ohio’s inner-city religious buildings face an uncertain future with the decline of mainline denominational congregations and aging buildings. This is the first year for Ohio’s Traditional Churches and Synagogues on the list.
Preservation Ohio has been Ohio’s statewide preservation organization since 1982. The mission of the private, non-profit corporation is to secure the ability of Ohio’s rich past to generate pride, economic development and a high quality of life for 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.
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.
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