The following updates have occurred on MyHometownOhio and associated sites over the last week...

The Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites website has been updated with new stories and resource links, as well as the addition of a new Endangered Watch site – “The Brick Streets of Mount Vernon.” To access the sites, click on the respective links to the left.

We also now include story links from the brand-new blog of the National Trust for Historic Preservation – “PreservationNation.” MyHometownOhio may well be the first website in the country to feature the automatically updated feed from the Trust’s new blog, which includes articles posted in “Beyond Green Building,” Gulf Coast Recovery,” “Story of the Day” from Preservation Magazine, and “Public Policy News.” You can find this new feed under “Ohio Preservation News” and “Ohio Downtown News” in the left-hand column.

The 2007 Preservation in Ohio Survey has been completed, and the answers to over twenty questions have been collected and tallied.  The survey was designed to reveal current concerns of the state's preservation and revitalization community, and also to gather ideas on how Ohio's statewide preservation organizations can best respond to those issues.

As promised, following are some results from the 2007 Preservation in Ohio survey; we will share more next week:

Memberships for Respondents (percentage of total respondents):

Board/Staff, National/Statewide Preservation Organization - 5%
Board/Staff, Local Preservation Organization - 19%
Board/Staff, Local Downtown Organization - 20%
Board/Staff, Ohio Historical Society or OHPO - 10%
Board/Staff, Other Non-Profit - 29%
Member, Preservation Ohio - 28%
Member, Heritage Ohio - 28%
Member, Ohio Historical Society - 33%
Member, National Trust for Historic Preservation - 43%
Member, Local Preservation Organization - 41%
Member, Local Historic Preservation Commission - 14%
None of the Above - 10% 

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Statewide Preservation Concerns - on a scale from 1 (low) to 6 (high)

Subsidized sprawl/uncontrolled ex-urban growth -- 5.4
Disinvestment in traditional downtowns and neighborhoods - 5.3
Lack of state funding for preservation and/or revitalization - 5.3
Loss of historic schools - 4.7
Future of Ohio's county courthouses - 4.6
Communication and cooperation among preservation organizations - 4.3
Two statewide organizations/divided preservation community - 3.8
Finding ways to talk to each other - 3.8
Education/training for local historic preservation commissions - 3.2
Preservation too preoccupied with economic development - 2.5

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Statewide Preservation Conference

Question:  Into the 1990s, Ohio had an annual or bi-annual statewide preservation conference, and the Building Connections Conferences in the early 2000s included a strong preservation component. Today, Heritage Ohio hosts an annual revitalization conference that includes some preservation topics, but Preservation Ohio has not hosted a statewide conference in many years.  Do you perceive that there is a need for a resumption of the traditional preservation conference setting for Ohio?

Yes - 72% (49% statewide, 23% regional)
No - 19%
Don't know - 9%

Well, that was quick. No sooner than we had posted our September 1 story on the varying potential impact of the new Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit on Ohio downtowns, than we learned we were incorrect on one of our facts (thank you to an alert reader from Canton).  We are very happy to have been wrong.

Our story stated… “In Canton, a few downtown buildings are listed individually on the National Register – however Canton has no National Register District, it is not a CLG, and the local design review ordinance covers only landmarks, not districts, with landmarks being confined to properties listed individually on the National Register.”

Well, lo and behold, central city Canton DOES have a National Register Historic District, and it sits smack dab in the middle of the heart of historic downtown. The District includes no less than 59 individual buildings noted as “contributing,” thereby recognizing their potential for tax credit use, both federal and state. This is a news story from the Canton Development Partnership (and accompanying map) announcing the June, 2006 designation.

This brings up the question of how to verify whether a given building is included in a National Register Historic District. To prepare for our story, we checked both www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com and the Ohio Historic Preservation Office’s National Register District Address Finder, neither of which show the district’s existence. It just goes to show that there is never a replacement for checking the ultimate source … the National Register Information System, which can be accessed via the National Park Service’s website.

Photo: Downtown Canton - OZinOH/CreativeCommonsLicense

This Summer and Fall, two Ohio colleges are strengthening the connection between students and the downtown of their host community.

In Youngstown, a public presentation unveiled a report by graduate students of the University of Michigan which focused on ways to draw YSU students into downtown Youngstown. One common thread in the report was the necessity of providing a “link” between the campus and downtown by removing real and perceived obstructions between the two; another emphasized the need to develop youth-oriented attractions and shopping in the central city area. The project idea originated in the Urban and Regional Studies program at Youngstown State, and was funded by the local Community Improvement Corporation.

In Delaware, the benefits of a long-nurtured relationship between Ohio Wesleyan University and Downtown Delaware took tangible form in “Fine Art, Fine Wine,” a late-August event that combined the opening of OWU’s art museum season with a fundraiser for the local downtown revitalization organization, Main Street Delaware. While the campus and downtown exist side-by-side, the town and gown relationship in Delaware has been inconsistent. Recently, however, Ohio Wesleyan has become a stronger presence downtown, as exemplified by their purchase of the Strand, Delaware’s traditional movie theater – an excellent place to see a movie!

Photos - Jones Hall, Youngstown State University; Elliott Hall, Ohio Wesleyan University - both Public Domain

Editor's Note -- As a new feature, on a monthly basis MyHometownOhio InDepth will take a more involved look at an issue or opportunity facing the state's preservation and revitalization community.  This month we take a look at Ohio's new historic preservation tax credit, and the impact it may have - or not have - on Ohio downtowns.

The new Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit is a great addition to the state’s reinvestment financial incentives. Because of the unique characteristics of preservation development – it produces greater local financial impact than new construction, enhances local quality of life, and sets the stage for economic development – it will assist in transforming entire downtowns, neighborhoods and cities.

However, some Ohio communities are well-positioned to take advantage of the new credit, while others are not – particularly in their downtown areas. The key difference is in building eligibility. To qualify for the new credit, a property must be:

• Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• A contributing property in a National Register Historic District
• A contributing property in a local historic district in a Certified Local Government (CLG) community, or
• A contributing property in a local historic district where the district and ordinance have been certified by the National Park Service

Over the last few decades, large National Register Historic Districts have been designated in many communities. In Marietta, approximately 2,300 buildings are included in such areas. Over 40 Ohio cities are now Certified Local Governments, and several dozen more have local design review or historic preservation ordinances that might qualify locally-designated districts for National Park Service certification.

Some communities, however, are not as fortunate – even mid-sized communities such as Canton and Springfield - when it comes the potential of using the credit to spur downtown revitalization. In Canton, a few downtown buildings are listed individually on the National Register – however Canton has no National Register District, it is not a CLG, and the local design review ordinance covers only landmarks, not districts, with landmarks being confined to properties listed individually on the National Register. Other downtown buildings that provide context but which might only qualify for the credit as part of a district are apparently ineligible.

A similar situation exists in Springfield. A handful of buildings downtown, including the Tecumseh Building, the Bushnell Building, the Shawnee Hotel and the Heritage Center, are individually listed. There is no downtown National Register District, however, Springfield is not a CLG, and there is no designated downtown historic district. The majority of older downtown buildings, therefore, are likely ineligible for the tax credit.

There are many more smaller Ohio communities where there are almost no eligible structures whatsoever, despite having otherwise deserving historic buildings. In Napoleon, for instance, the only apparently eligible downtown buildings are the Henry County Courthouse, the adjacent Sheriff’s Office, and two churches. In Ironton, only the Marting Hotel and the local railroad depot are currently eligible, which has led city leaders to work to place two additional buildings on the Register. In Dover, a community of 12,000, apparently only the Reeves House Museum so qualifies. In most rural communities with a population of 10,000 or less, there are few if any qualifying properties, commercial or residential.

This situation highlights the importance of preservation planning. The tax credit is designed to “put good money after good” – that is, to invest in communities where that investment is protected through local legislation or action. Let’s hope that the availability of the new tax credit prompts more Ohio communities to see the value in working to inventory and safeguard their past as a means toward revitalization.