Summer is here, and while the days are can be sweltering, the evenings can be a great time to do some serious walking.  All across the state, it is possible to combine exercise and education by taking a self-guided walking tour of one of Ohio's historic downtowns.

Here is just a sampling of such tours - we well as information on where you can locate a copy.  If your downtown has a self-guided walking tour which is not included, please let us know.

PRINTED:

Bowling Green - Main Street Bowling Green, 121 East Wooster Street
Canal Winchester - Victoria’s Attic, 11 South High Street
Delaware - Delaware County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 44 East Winter Street
Hamilton - Greater Hamilton Visitors Bureau, 1 High Street
Maumee - Lobby of the City of Maumee Police Department (entrance on Dudley Street near Conant Street)
Oxford - Oxford Visitors Bureau, 30 West Park Place, 2nd Floor
Sandusky - Eleutheros Cooke House, 1415 Columbus Avenue
Van Wert - Van Wert Convention & Visitors Bureau, 118 West Main Street

ONLINE AND PRINT:

Logan - Click here
Oberlin - Click here and then click on "Walking Tour of Oberlin"
Painesville - Click here, click on "Visitors," then "Attractions," and scroll to the bottom of the page for a link to the Walking Tour.

AUDIO:

Canton - Click here
Cleveland - City Prowl - Click here
St. Clairsville - Click here

SPECIALIZED:

“Building Stones” Walking Tour of Downtown Cincinnati - Click here
“Building Stones” Walking Tour of Downtown Cleveland - Click here

Apparently the British are coming to grips with their “brutal” past -- their architectural past, that is.

Wikipedia defines Brutalism as “…an architectural style that spawned from the modernist architectural movement and which flourished from the 1950s to the 1970s… Brutalist buildings usually are formed with striking repetitive angular geometries, and often revealing the textures of the wooden forms used to shape the material, which is normally rough, unadorned poured concrete.”

In this article in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, architecture critic Steve Rose begins to notice a change in the way that modern architects interface with Brutalism.  Two landmark Brutalist British buildings are currently endangered, while another has seen a recent hugely successful renovation (clicking on the photo links is recommended).  It’s a common story -- architecture becomes appreciated only when sufficient time goes by, and then when successful renovation projects highlight the unique characteristics of a given style.

Of course, here in Ohio we have recently witnessed much the same story -- a Brutalist building, the Cleveland Trust Tower, went through asbestos abatement in preparation for demolition, and then was rescued in the eleventh (almost the twelfth) hour.  The plans for the Marcel Breuer-designed building -- the first recent-past property to be included on the List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites -- include the first Ohio “Hotel Indigo,” one of the most sought-after and innovative hotel chains nationally.

In Columbus, the Ohio Historical Center has received a facelift and is facing the coming decades in excellent condition.  Click here for a construction photos on America’s most architecturally unique state museum complex.

Photo: Poster from Ingenuity2007/Breuer (Cleveland Trust) Tower Design Competition -- jmuscatello/Creative Commons License

With the recent passage and signing of Ohio’s economic development package, the somewhat confusing Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit situation has now been given some needed clarity.  According to the latest and most reliable information available, this is the way that what might be called the "new, new historic preservation tax credit" will function over the next three years:

1.  The total amount of money authorized under the package was $120 million, which will be given in two cycles.

2.  The 2008-2009 cycle is officially eliminated, and there will be two new funding cycles beginning on July 1, 2009 and July 1, 2010.

3.  Of the $60 million available in each of these two funding cycles, $45 million will be reserved for projects that were applied for in the 2007 cycle, but for which credits were not received before the cut-off.  The unused portion of this $45 million, if any, will be available for new projects.

4.  The “first-come, first-served” language has been removed, and the Ohio Historic Preservation Office will now serve only to review eligibility requirements.  The cost-benefit analysis previously required has also been removed, and the Department of Development is now required to “…consider the potential economic impact and the regional distributive balance of the credits throughout the state.”  No other guidelines are provided to govern the Department in granting or denying applications.

5.  Credits can be rescinded if an applicant fails to meet project benchmarks and timelines, but can be re-applied for in that eventuality.
 
6.  There is a new limit of $5 million per project (this may also be per owner).

7.  The credit will now be non-refundable, except as it applies to the corporate franchise tax.

Preservation Ohio will be updating its Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Resource Center in light of this new information.  For more information on the credit, please drop us an e-mail at: info@preservationohio.org.

Photo: Ohio Senate Chamber -- OZinOH/Creative Commons License

An exciting slate of conferences, workshops and tours is slated for the remainder of the Summer and early Fall.  Here is a quick list of upcoming events where preservation and revitalization are front and center - with a link for more information on each.

Building Doctor Clinics from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office -- Findlay, September 11-12; Burton, September 25-26; Botkins, October 9-10; and Cambridge, October 23-24, 2008.

July 5 -- Ashland -- Historic Ashland House and Garden Tour -- Featuring homes and gardens along Center Street, with carriage and trolley rides.

July 16-19 -- Atlanta, Georgia -- League of Historic American Theatres’ 32nd Annual Conference -- The annual meeting of historic theatre enthusiasts and owners.

July 26 - Cleveland -- Celebration of Heritage -- The Cleveland Restoration Society sponsors dinner and entertainment to highlight Cleveland’s African-American heritage.

August 28 -- Columbus -- Ohio Vacant Properties Forum II -- ReBuild Ohio presents a look at “highlighting best practices in foreclosure prevention and redevelopment strategies.”

September 10 -- Columbus -- Restoring Our Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing Ohio’s Older Industrial Communities -- Presented by Greater Ohio and the Brookings Institute

September 11-13 -- Columbus -- 2008 Central Ohio Summit on Sustainability and the Environment -- Hosted by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, and featuring presentation by the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.

September 11-14 -- Albuquerque, New Mexico -- Preserving the Historic Road 2008 -- The leading conference dedicated to the identification, preservation and management of historic roads in the US and beyond.

September 18-21 -- Champion, Pennsylvania -- Frank Lloyd Wright and the Roots of Sustainability -- The annual conference of the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy.

September 18-21 -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -- Rally 2008: The National Land Conservation Conference -- Rally is the largest land conservation training and networking event in America.

October 10 -- Cincinnati -- Fall Forum Luncheon -- The Cincinnati Preservation Association welcomes speaker Mayor Joseph Riley of Charleston, South Carolina

October 15-18 -- Providence, Rhode Island -- Civic Tourism II: Defining and Animating Whole Places -- A convening of international thinkers and doers in Tourism Development

October 16 -- Columbus -- Joseph B. Recchie Design and Preservation Awards Program -- Columbus’ annual event to honor excellence in local design, sponsored by the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.

October 21 -- Columbus -- OHPO Workshops -- I-Form, National Register, Section 106 and Online Mapping System

October 21-28 -- Tulsa, Oklahoma -- National Preservation Conference, presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation

November 6-7 -- Ohio’s Preservation Conference -- A statewide preservation conference returns to Ohio, featuring workshops, tours and three keynote speakers; takes place at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus.

Photo: By Travelin' Librarian/Creative Commons License

Local downtown revitalization organizations and governments often undertake surveys and studies designed to allow them to make choices based on as much hard data as possible.  Often, those surveys point to the need to make stores, eateries, attractions and amenities as easy-to-find as possible.  This is commonly known as “wayfinding.”

This Summer, in fact, two Ohio communities find themselves in a downtown planning frame of mind, and each is looking at ways to improve wayfinding.

In Norwalk, for instance, the local Main Street program brought in twenty students from nearby Ashland University, who conducted over 150 individual surveys of consumers and business owners.  The results reinforced the idea that the streetscape has contributed to a positive image for the downtown, however it also highlighted a real issue -- the fact that despite an abundance, consumers actually believe that there is a lack of available parking.  While not an uncommon observation for a small-town Ohio downtown, this has given Norwalk an opportunity to concentrate efforts on leading consumers to those open  spaces.

It has been a year since Chillicothe learned the results of a comprehensive downtown revitalization plan unveiled by Hyatt-Palma, a consulting firm hired by the community.  That study set out a very involved, five-year plan of action designed to bring renewed economic activity to downtown. This evening, the community is coming together for a “Town Hall” meeting to review the status of revitalization activities.

One key Hyatt-Palma recommendation was to improve wayfinding for potential visitors to downtown Chillicothe.  Local civic leaders were pleased recently when ten years’ work resulted in the erection of signage on US23 leading visitors to downtown.  Business leaders are now looking at ways to further orient those potential consumers to specific downtown locations, either through signage or by banners.

Photo: Downtown sign -- The Wandering Angel/Creative Commons License

Here’s a quick look at some recent news affecting historic resources across Ohio.

Hauck Mansion Sells -- Great news in Cincinnati as a preservation-minded purchaser acquired the landmark Louis Hauck Mansion, quelling fears that it might be demolished for a building site.

Endangered Tower to See Renovation -- Deal has been signed for a new upscale hotel to occupy 14 floors of Marcel Breuer-designed Cleveland Trust Tower, which was included on the 2007 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites.

Concerns over Possible Demolition by Neglect -- Bloggers have written the Mayor of Youngstown in light of window removal in the landmark Stambaugh Building downtown.

Endangered High School -- Another blog is providing ongoing coverage of the ongoing discussion and legal proceedings concerning the endangered Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, on the 2008 List of Ohio's Most Endangered Historic Sites.

Sudden Collapse -- The northwest Ohio community of Delta suffered the loss of a key downtown building on Thursday, when the wall of a period corner building collapsed into the street.  No injuries were reported, however the building was immediately torn down.

Photo: Stambaugh Building, Downtown Youngstown - OZinOH/Creative Commons License

On Tuesday afternoon, June 10, the City of Tiffin Architectural Board of Review denied an application by the Seneca County Commissioners to demolish the Seneca County Courthouse, and imposed a 90-day mandatory waiting period.  During that time, Commissioners are required by law to meet with the Board to explore preservation-friendly demolition alternatives.  During the hearing, the City Law Director advised the Board that the County was subject to the local ordinance.

In addition to two city residents, the President of the Tiffin Historic Trust spoke against the demolition application, and introduced five experts for testimony -- Joyce Barrett, Executive Director of Heritage Ohio; Thomas Palmer, Executive Director of Preservation Ohio; Franklin Conaway, Preservation Consultant; Franco Ruffini, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, and Robert Loversidge, Principal of Schooley-Caldwell Architects.  Testimony centered on the damage that would be caused to the entire downtown through decreased economic development should the application be granted and the courthouse demolished.

Interestingly, this past Thursday Schooley-Caldwell was awarded the contract for developing a preservation master plan for the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver -- a building designed by Elijah Myers, architect of the courthouse in Tiffin (Myers also designed the Texas and Michigan Capitol buildings).

The Seneca County Courthouse leads the 2008 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites.  As always, MyHometownOhio will cover this very important story as it continues to unfold.

On Sunday, June 22, supporters of preservation from all across Ohio will descend on the lawn of the Seneca County Courthouse in downtown Tiffin.  Not only are you welcome -- bring your friends along with you.

There, on the grounds of a landmark facing imminent demolition, the statewide preservation community will collectively gather to take a “Last Stand” for this important building.  At 2:30 p.m., speakers will address those gathered about the numerous reasons why Ohio should not lose its first 19th century county courthouse in a generation.  At 3:00 p.m., we will take a giant group photo with signs proclaiming, “This Place Matters!.”

The bids have gone out to interested contractors for quotes on demolishing the courthouse, which leads the 2008 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites.

Photo: Seneca County Courthouse - OZinOH/Creative Commons License