There is sad news to share from southern Ohio. On November 11, fire destroyed the historic Columbia Theatre in downtown Portsmouth, a landmark property undergoing a multi-year restoration effort. That work had achieved partial fruition in 2006, when the 95-year-old theatre opened for limited use. Stories covering the fire point out the struggle the owner had faced as he set out to accomplish the monumental task of theatre restoration without the support of local officials.

Either four – or five – communities will receive official Ohio Main Street program designation this December. According to the Defiance Crescent-News, Defiance will be enter the program this year, as well as the Ohio cities of Perrysburg, Medina and Warren. The Medina County News, however, in this story profiling Medina’s successful application, adds the Ohio River community of Ripley to that list. Speaking of Defiance, the Crescent News also recently profiled recent revitalization work there and in Napoleon and Bryan.

Hudson was successful in its “First and Main” downtown infill project – and now Findlay is looking to a much larger infill concept. The “Findlay Towne Center” would include a baseball stadium, offices, housing, 55,000 square feet of retail and a cultural and performing arts center, and would be constructed on the site of a former tire dump and adjacent park. The project is envisioned as creating a link between downtown and the campus of the University of Findlay. Click here for an overview of the proposed project in both Powerpoint and PDF versions, and click here to access coverage of the project by the blog of the Findlay Courier newspaper.

Revitalization sometimes comes with a price – short-term inconvenience. This is currently being felt in the northwest Ohio community of Delphos, where streetscape and facade renovation projects are being conducted simultaneously. The Delphos Herald reports that the result – a more attractive and vibrant community – will be worth the hassle.

Photo: Downtown Medina - OZinOH/Creative Commons License