On September 29, Ohio’s statewide preservation organizations, joined by representatives from local communities, are meeting in Columbus for the 2006 Ohio Historic Schools Summit.

The purpose of the event is to review the past five years of projects under the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission program, and in particular the fate of Ohio’s traditional and older school buildings in that process. In communities across the Buckeye State, in large urban centers to small rural crossroads, schools were often objects of substantial community pride and were among the most important public buildings ever constructed. Unfortunately, many have been now been lost due to a system which is skewed in favor of new buildings, as well Ohio’s arcane laws on disposition of vacated school facilities.

If your community has been involved in efforts to preserve older school buildings, either for continued use as educational facilities or for another use, or if your community is facing the possible loss of a school building, please contact Preservation Ohio for Summit information at: info@preservationohio.org.

Photo: McKinley Public School, Cincinnati/firesign/Creative Commons License