In the mood for a different view of history? How about… from inside and underneath?

The 114-year-old Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Cleveland’s Public Square, topped by a 125-foot tall piece of marble and designed by architect Levi Scofield, will be open this Saturday – all of it. The base is regularly open to the public, and features significant pieces of relief sculpture. This weekend, however, visitors will have the added opportunity to learn behind-the-scenes information about the construction of the memorial, and will also be able to voyage inside the tunnels that run underneath the monument. You might want to get there right when it opens at 10:00 a.m.; last year’s event proved so popular that lines formed during the day.

For more information, click here or call 216.621.3710.

Photo: Soliders' and Sailors' Monument, Public Square, Cleveland --Ann Althouse/Creative Commons License

Among the historic Ohio properties currently available for sale are two landmarks that both present exciting opportunities for adaptive reuse. In each case, however, time is of the essence.

The Plantation Inn in Maumee, constructed in 1836, is the second-oldest commercial building in all of Lucas County. The Inn has a storied history which includes purported room rentals by Presidents Lincoln, Grant and Hayes, as well as service as an Underground Railroad stop and a Prohibition-era speakeasy, according to this Toledo Blade article. The story lists a number of possible uses for the structure, which is in excellent condition. An online sales site for the Plantation Inn states that the sale must take place by May 30.

On the opposite end of the state, the Cincinnati neighborhood of Sharonville has a maginificant piece of local history for sale. In this case, however, because the appraised value of the land itself is close to the sales price, there is a distinct possibility that if not sold soon, the Hauck Mansion will be demolished. The 4 story, 10,000 square foot mansion is an amazing piece of Ohio history; the pictures on the marketing website show that the property has extraordinary woodwork, stained glass and tilework. Click here to visit, and be certain to then click on the link which states “Click here for additional information.”

A news conference at the Ohio Statehouse held this morning included an announcement that a revised jobs creation package has been worked out by Governor Strickland and leaders of the Ohio General Assembly. The plan differs in part from that originally offered by the Governor – with one major addition being an additional $120 million for the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit.

Click here and here for online coverage of the announcement.

There are no additional details at this time as to whether this funding would go to projects that already have submitted applications or if there would be a new round of applications.  According to the Ohio Department of Development's March 13th Press Release, the total amount of credits represented by funded and applied-for projects would equal some $214.8 million, so somewhat more than $20 million in additional projects could possibly be the subject of additional applications.

As always, we will be covering and reporting on developments with the tax credit.

Photo:  Ohio House of Representatives, taken during the first Ohio Statehood Day - Preservation Ohio File Photo