A look through applications for the new Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit reveals an amazing selection of potential projects. From the landmark Terminal Tower on Cleveland’s Public Square to the more modest John T. Wilson House in rural Adams County, they include a wide variety of project sizes and are located across the state – with a healthy dose from northeast Ohio and several from Cincinnati, Akron and Dayton.  The landmark Golden Lamb in Lebanon is also included.

MyHometownOhio is pleased to provide this list of current tax credit applicants. As a reminder, these are only applications, and being present on this list does not signify that a particular application has been successfully reviewed, nor does it mean that a project will go forward. It is interesting to note that there are two properties included in the following that have been members of the List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites – the John T. Wilson House and the Douglas Hotel in Urbana.  Preservation Ohio holds a preservation easement on the Colony Theatre in Marietta, another tax credit applicant.

For more information on the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, click here.

• Port Clinton City Hall - 130 Adams Street - Port Clinton
• 451 S. High Street (includes 453 & 457 S. High Street) - Akron
• The Gothic Building- 102 S. High Street - Akron
• Hercules Motors Corporation Industrial Complex - 101 11th Street SE - Canton
• Sunshine Cloak Company Building - 2310 Superior Avenue - Cleveland
• M.T. Silver Building - 2320 Superior Avenue - Cleveland
• Ford Motor Company Cleveland Plant, CIA--McCullough Building - 11610 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• William Taylor, Son & Co. Department Store--The 668 Euclid Building - 668 Euclid Avenue, 615-633 Prospect Avenue - Cleveland
• John Hartness Brown Building - 1000-1021 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• Toledo Traction Company Power Station (Water Street Station) - 300 Water Street - Toledo
• The Cleveland Athletic Club Building - 1118-1148 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• Second National Bank Building - 228 High Street - Hamilton
• Howell-Sohngen Building - 232 High Street - Hamilton
• Davis-McCrory Building - 236 High Street - Hamilton
• Hotel Onesto - 221-227 Second Street NW, 200 Cleveland Avenue - Canton
• Olney House and Gallery - 2241-2253 W. 14th Street - Cleveland
• Higbee House - 2267 W. 14th Street - Cleveland
• The Hotel Rieger - 232 Jackson Street - Sandusky
• Continental Baking Company - 1101 N. Summit Street - Toledo
• Allerton Hotel - 802 E. 13th Street - Cleveland
• The Swetland Building - 1010 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• Cleveland Trust Company - 900 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• Union Gospel Press - 710 Jefferson Avenue - Cleveland
• Krather Block - 4138-4146 Pearl Road - Cleveland
• Neal Terrace Apartments - 8811 Detroit Road - Cleveland
• Boulevard Terrace Apartments - 10119 Detroit Avenue - Cleveland
• Colony Theatre - 222 Putnam Street - Marietta
• Baehr Brewing Company & The Odd Fellows Hall - 1526 W. 25th Street - Cleveland
• Scott A. Rogers Company Building - 2020 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• Liberty Building - 2010 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• Hanna Building Complex - 1400-1438 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• Cogswell Hall - 7200 Franklin Boulevard - Cleveland
• Capitol Theatre - 1400 W. 65th Street - Cleveland
• Fort Piqua Hotel - 110-116 W. High Street - Piqua
• Wick Building - 34 W. Federal Street - Youngstown
• Erie Terminal - 112 W. Commerce Street - Youngstown
• Realty Building - 47 Federal Plaza - Youngstown
• Douglas Hotel - 24-27 Monument Square - 107-111 Miami Street - Urbana
• Higbee Building - 100 Public Square - Cleveland
• Terminal Tower - 50 Public Square - Cleveland
• Andrew Jackson Residence - 277 E. Mill Street - Akron
• Seneca Hotel - 361 E. Broad Street - Columbus
• St. Luke's Hospital - 11311 Shaker Boulevard - Cleveland
• Amasa Stone Home for the Aged - 975 East Boulevard - Cleveland
• Dayton Power and Light Company Building - 613-645 E. Third Street - Dayton
• Dayton Power and Light Company Building - 607-609 E. Third Street - Dayton
• Cleveland Club/Tudor Arms - 10660 Carnegie Avenue - Cleveland
• Central National Bank/United Office Building - 2012 W. 25th Street - Cleveland
• McCrory/Kresge/Petrie Plus Buildings - 2015 E. Fourth Street - Cleveland
• F.W. Woolworth Building (Haig-Avedesian Building) - 1317 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland
• Shawnee Hotel - 102 E. Main Street - Springfield
• The American Can Building - 4101 Spring Grove Avenue - Cincinnati
• YMCA - 3200 Franklin Boulevard - Cleveland
• John T. Wilson Home and Farm - 92 Old State Route 32 - Peebles
• Courtyard - 1417-1421 Main Street - Cincinnati
• Belmain - 1202-1204 Main Street - Cincinnati
• Cincinnati Enquirer Building - 617 Vine Street - Cincinnati
• The Golden Lamb - 27 S. Broadway - Lebanon
• East Ohio Gas Company Building - 1403-1405 E. Sixth Street - Cleveland
• Marion County Telephone Company Building - 197 S. Main Street - Marion
• Cole Avenue Housing Project (Park Lane Manor) - 744 Colette Drive - Akron
• University Tower Apartments (Sovereign Hotel) - 1575 East Boulevard - Cleveland
• The Hilton Apartments - 434 W. Grand Avenue - Dayton
• Shawnee Hotel - 102 E. Main Street - Springfield
• Arrow Apartments - 2200 Vine Street - Cincinnati
• Dayton Power and Light Company Building - 613-645 E. Third Street - Dayton
• C.F. Ware Coffee Company Building (DP&L Co. Bldg.) - 607-609 E. Third Street - Dayton
• Germania Beer Hall - 1311 - 1313 Vine Street - Cincinnati

At the moment, it is impossible to take a “quick jaunt” down North Gay Street in Mount Vernon – those that try may find the experience a rough one, and more than a bit rough on their car as well.

Gay Street is one of Ohio’s brick city streets. Mount Vernon, with its 7 remaining miles of brick, was one of the cities profiled in a recent Columbus Dispatch article which also discussed the experiences of city officials in Athens, Bexley, and the German Village neighborhood of Columbus in dealing with these reminders of an earlier era. City leaders almost uniformly acknowledge the advantages of brick streets, including both natural traffic calming and aesthetics. At the same time, these officials also deal with ongoing issues of maintenance and repair, as well as the question of whether to keep brick on heavily-traveled thoroughfares. The latter is one of the current issues in Mount Vernon where Gay Street, a brick street which carries a load of 8,000 vehicles daily, may be covered with asphalt.

Of course, other communities across the country deal with the same issues. In Crafton, Pennsylvania, the city council declined to approve a plan which would move parking from one side of a street to the other to hopefully reduce the need for expensive maintenance. At the same time, a 2003 article in USA Today looked at several communities where brick is either being preserved or is actually being added to city streets.

Like any preservation issue, planning is essential to long-term protection. That process is underway in Mount Vernon and in Athens. In Rock Island, Illinois, the city adopted a “Brick Streets Plan,” which analyzes current conditions and sets standards for maintenance and reconstruction.

Photo:  Old Onliner/Creative Commons License

Columbus.  Columbus RetroMetro has reported on steps taken by Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman’s office which suggest that city leaders are taking a serious look at bringing streetcars back to downtown. Speaking of Ohio’s capital city, the website for the 2012 Columbus Bicentennial celebration has been launched, and includes an opportunity for area residents to participate in event planning via blogs, video and online surveys.

Statewide.  Ever wondered about just how pervasive Wal-Mart has become across the country – and what happens when Wal-Mart closes a store? Take a look at these interesting maps provided by The Hometown Advantage (and Ohio in particular). The same page has a number of links to studies focusing on the impact of big-box retail on communities – from costs for social services and infrastructure (police, utilities, etc.) to the impact on locally owned business.

Circleville.  The July newsletter of the Roundtown Conservancy in Circleville brings news that their website (www.roundtownconservancy.org) now includes an interesting look at the Conservancy’s efforts to rectify a misspelling of one of the town’s founders on a local historical marker, as well as improved photographs of the Crites Octagon House( now under restoration).

Springfield.  The Westcott House Foundation in Springfield has announced summer garden tours featuring a look at the restored grounds. Tours will include a look at the process used to recreate the landscaping, and will feature historic documents. Reservations are required for the tours on August 7 and August 18; call 937-327-9291 for details.

Lisbon.  The next round of the History/Mystery Tours in Lisbon is scheduled for August 11. This repeat performance is due to great demand from the tours earlier this year, which featured both guided tours and horse-drawn wagon rides. Lisbon is a unique piece of Ohio history that you shouldn’t miss; click here for more details and reservation information.

Youngstown.  Parade Magazine has chosen a Youngstown location as one of 11 winners of the “Tell America’s Story” contest. The winning site is the former Burt’s Confectionary building, where the Good Humor bar was created. For younger readers, the bar was the flagship product of the Good Humor Ice Cream company, whose trucks and salespersons were a regular site in post-World War II small town America.

Photo: Westcott House, Springfield - Doug Miller/Creative Commons License

Recent stories in the Columbus Dispatch and This Week Newspapers have relayed the news that Columbus City Council is set to consider later in July the enactment of legislation which would allow creation of “Conservation Districts” in Ohio’s capital city. This past November, MyHometownOhio featured a story which looked at the Columbus proposal, which would introduce a concept to Ohio which has worked in metro areas nationwide, including in Atlanta and Boston.

The interim period has seen the issue of teardowns and construction of “McMansions” become a regular discussion topic in central Ohio. In January, the Dispatch’s Alan Miller penned an essay entitled “Teardowns threaten America,” and in June, the Board of Zoning and Planning in Upper Arlington, a community entirely surrounded by the City of Columbus, allowed the demolition of a historic house over neighborhood objection. The Columbus Landmarks Foundation website indicates their support for the proposed concept.

In a July 16 story entitled “Proposal aims to protect “neighborhood character”: Owners’ rights at risk, Realtors argue,” the Dispatch shares views from both proponents and opponents of the conservation district concept. Then, in its July 19 article called “Neighborhood Conservation Districts: Area leaders give plan mixed reviews,” This Week Newspapers' focus is on the reaction of a handful of civic leaders.

The primary mantra of opponents to the legislation centers on the proverbial bane of historic preservation and design review advocates – the notion that individual owners are invested with property rights that should trump all considerations of community betterment. As is pointed out by proponents, however, other property rights – including the ability to enjoy protection for substantial investment in one’s house or commercial building – are just as harmed with unfettered development.

A look at the legislation itself is here; we will report back on the vote after it is taken later this month.

Photo: Street, Columbus - AmyMo/Creative Commons License

Ask most veterans of revitalization initiatives, or any stakeholder (property or business owner) in one of Ohio’s downtowns, and they’ll tell you that parking is at or near the top of the list of concerns for their business district.

It goes without saying that parking a car is an essential part of downtown, and that the parking experience needs to be as easy to complete as possible to encourage traffic to central city merchants and service providers. It does not necessarily follow, however, that prime corners of downtown real estate should be sacrificed for surface parking. Such is a current controversy in Ravenna, county seat of Portage County, where the Record-Courier has reported on statements of a local attorney that he would consider demolishing a 154-year-old building for surface parking or a parking garage should he be unable to sell the structure. The story quotes the owner as saying, “What better place to have a parking lot than on the corner of Main Street and Chestnut Street? I am getting tired of the historical things around here."

Effective parking strategies for downtowns in Ohio are possible without losing important historic resources. One downtown revitalization expert has developed an approach to the issue that he calls “Smart Downtown Parking,” a concept based on seven underlying principles grounded in the idea that the best parking is one which is “…planned, designed, and located intelligently.”

Planning for parking tends to be an ongoing task. Downtown advocates in Newark, for instance, are currently considering requesting a change to increase metered parking limits from two to three hours, reasoning that shoppers likely to spend large amounts of money tend to do so over a longer period of time.

Photo: Michael Klassen/Creative Commons License

The Library of Congress’ American Memory Collection is a rich place for those interested in the history of Ohio cities and towns. Included in its online collections, which can be easily (and freely) accessed, are the following:

Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic America Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) -- HABS/HAER is a National Park Service program which has catalogued the country’s historic architecture since 1933. Included in the collection are photographs, scaled drawings, and other documentation for hundreds of Ohio historic resources. In some cases, as with the Curtis-Devin House in Mount Vernon, the Arcade Building in Springfield and others, these tell the architectural story of long-gone pieces of Ohio history.

Panoramic Maps – It was all the rage in late 19th century America – detailed maps of cities that included meticulously drawn representations of every house and building. While almost every Ohio city had a panoramic map created during this period – many more than once – over 45 are accessible on the Library of Congress site, and each provides a “snapshot in time” of community life.

Panoramic Photographs – Examples of these large photographs in the American Memory Collection include a view of 1913 flood damage in the City of Delaware, the first internment ceremony for President Warren G. Harding in Marion, a 1912 wide-angled view of Public Square in downtown Cleveland, and many others.

Touring Turn-of-the-Century America – These views from the turn of the last century have large concentrations from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and, of all places, Put-in-Bay.

Other Ohio-related collections include films from the visit of President McKinley to the Pan-American Exposition (where he was assassinated) selections from the papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, and a variety of materials from the Chautauqua Circuits that crossed the Buckeye State in the early 20th century.

Photo:  Detail, Downtown Toledo Panoramic Map, 1876, from Library of Congress American Memory Collection/Public Domain

Take a community with a strong past in celebrating heritage and the arts, add a world-class sponsor, and finally add a healthy dose of funding -- and you have a new and powerful potential economic engine for one Ohio city.

This past month, the non-profit Chagrin Foundation for Arts & Culture announced their intention to create a unique new arts and entertainment district in the village of Chagrin Falls, an ambitious idea which has the involvement of no less than New York’s renowned Chautauqua Institution. This will, in fact, mark the very first time that the Institution has been involved with this kind of an off-site project. Plans call for nothing less than what the Foundation’s President calls “…the evolution of the community” into a center for the arts in northeast Ohio.

One portion of the Foundation’s plans is the restoration and re-use of the theater in the local Township Hall, which dates from 1848, and the renovation of the Chagrin Falls Little Theatre. As an initial offering, the Chautauqua Institution is offering their first off-site lectures in Chagrin Falls during July and August.

Click here to access the website of the Chagrin Foundation for Arts & Culture, and click here to listen to a report on the project from radio station WKSU.

Photo:  The falls in Downtown Chagrin Falls -- Craig Hatfield/Creative Commons License

Located in the state's urban centers as well as in smaller communities, local and regional blogs provide an opportunity for discussion on a wide variety of topics - including local historic resources.  As Ohioans join the rest of the country in increasingly using the Internet as a means to acquire and share information, these sites serve as a vital link in communicating the message of preservation.  MyHometownOhio includes regularly updated features from several of these sites.

Here is a selection of local and regional sites that have included discussions on the future of historic buildings, downtowns, neighborhoods and communities:

RealNeo -- Covers Northeast Ohio arts, culture, education economy and more -- Click on "search" and enter a keyword (such as "historic")

Columbus RetroMetro -- "News & Information on Urban Living in Columbus, Ohio"

Dayton MostMetro -- Promoting "Urban Life in Dayton, Ohio" -- Place your cursor over "Blogs & News," and click on "Dayton History"

Seneca County Blog -- Warning -- most comments here are definitely not from a pro-preservation perspective -- however comments here concerning the Seneca County Courthouse show how one sector of the community is viewing the issue

SquareLog -- Bookstore owner Alan Wigton's regularly updated blog featuring several stories on Mansfield revitalization and architecture

Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Weblog -- Routinely covers preservation and revitalization stories 

Other blogs that have featured discussions and comments on preservation and revitalization:

ToledoTalk

Brewed Fresh Daily

GoChampaign.com (Urbana; a good deal of ongoing discussion has been held here concerning the rescue of the Douglas Inn)

GreenCityBlueLake