In an effort to keep our readers up-to-date on the latest concerning the possible demolition (or hopeful renovation) of the Seneca County Courthouse in Tiffin, we are now posting the latest Courthouse news to the right.  The five most recent news stories will be posted daily.

On that subject, the Toledo Blade is reporting that this morning County Commissioners entered into an agreement with the Courthouse development group, whereby the group will now have a full opportunity to prepare renovation plans.  This plan was contingent on the deposit of an agreed-upon sum to be placed in escrow pending the ultimate demolition/renovation decision.

Preliminary discussion has centered on two options -- one for the county continuing to use the building as a courthouse, and another for private use, with a new courthouse being constructed on a different site.  Key in these scenarios would be the involvement of the local port authority.  Once a plan or plans are developed, MyHometownOhio will post details of the same on this site.

Photo: William Harvey Gibson statue, Seneca County Courthouse grounds - OZinOH/Creative Commons License

As referred to in an earlier entry, earlier this month the Springfield Preservation Alliance announced its annual list of Preservation Priorities, defined as sites which have been “…recognized as irreplaceable community assets that represent our rich history and provide our community with its unique sense of place and identity.”  This list joins previous editions issued in 2006 and 2007, and together the sites represent a unique and valuable set of historic resources that any city should value.

This year’s list includes:

• The Mother Stewart House, the home of pioneering temperance crusader Eliza Stewart, one of the founding members of what would become the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.


• The Charles and Vinnie Bauer House, a 1912 Arts and Crafts Bungalow-style house with Japanese influences, and home to Springfield civic leader Charles Bauer.


• Greenmount Avenue and Cemetery, which includes Springfield’s Civil War-era cemetery, as well as a collection of 19th century vernacular houses immediately north of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Westcott House.


• Snyder Park, a magnificent public 225 acres donated to the city in the late 19th century, and home to park buildings designed by a leading local architect.


• South High School, a highly visible landmark on the near south side of the city.  This massive domed classical structure which opened some 97 years ago.  With a new school opening this Fall, South faces an uncertain future, and is the sole surviving school of three on the 2008 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites.

To read about the list in detail, click here to access the home page of the Springfield Preservation Alliance, and click on 2008 Preservation Priorities. Properties listed in pervious years are also profiled.  For coverage of the list in the Springfield News-Sun, click here.

Photo:  ARKNTINA/Creative Commons License

The American Hotel Building, one of the well-known large downtown buildings in the beautiful Ohio historic county seat town of Circleville, was hit by a major fire today.  Also struck was Mason’s Furniture and Floor Coverings, a fourth-generation local business.  While the Dispatch does not relay the specific extent of damage, the online edition of the Circleville Herald is reporting that the building and business are a total loss - and that an adjacent building was also lost.  There has been some initial indication given by law enforcement that the fire may have been of suspicious origin.

Click here for coverage of the fire in the Columbus Dispatch.  Our best wishes go to our friends in Circleville.

Photo Credit: American Hotel Building, Circleville - Seth Gaines/Creative Commons License

Now that 2008 is heading into its last quarter, some Ohio eyes are already looking ahead anxiously to 2009, and to the celebration of important anniversaries.

One such celebration will occur in Oxford, where Miami University will celebrate its 200th anniversary.  In preparation, last week the university launched its special Bicentennial website, which showcases the history of the seventh-oldest state-assisted university in the United States.  The website details the school’s past, provides a look at important documents related to Miami history, provides a venue for visitors to post their own memories and photos of campus, and looks forward with a profile of strategic goals.  It also discusses the construction of a new Bicentennial Student Center.

Miami University has a rich history in Ohio, including being the alma mater of a United States President, Benjamin Harrison.  At one point before the Civil War, Miami was the fourth-largest university in the country, after Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth.  The college was also the home for three of the oldest Greek campus fraternities, including Sigma Chi (founded in 1855).

Last year, Miami received a $90,000 grant from the Getty Foundation to conduct a study and create a historic preservation plan for older campus buildings.  Several buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Elliot, Stoddard and Peabody Halls, and buildings on the campus of the former Western College for Women.  It is also the location for the William Homes McGuffey Museum, a National Historic Landmark.  McGuffey, famed for his Eclectic Readers, taught at Miami.

Photo: Peabody Hal, Miami University, listed on the National Register of Historic Places - Brandon Cirillo/Creative Commons License

Here’s a quick read on local historic sites that have recently captured the attention of local preservation groups and civic leaders:

The Springfield Preservation Alliance issued its annual list of “Preservation Priorities” earlier this month, which included five highly endangered sites with substantial local historical significance.  Included this year are houses on Greenmount Avenue to the immediate north of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Westcott House, as well as South High School.

Speaking of endangered sites, a property once highly endangered  in Youngstown is soon to become home to the Historic Center of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.  The building is significant as the home of the “Good Humor Bar,” a well-known 20th century dessert treat.  The Society is nearing the halfway point on fundraising for the $6 million renovation project.

The Chesney-Carlisle House in Bucyrus was recently honored by the Bucyrus Preservation Society with the organization’s fourth annual “ACE” (Architectural Conservation Excellence) Award.  The large Queen Anne house is located down the street from the Crawford County Courthouse, and just three blocks from the former Bucyrus High School -- one of few historic renovation projects being undertaken under the Ohio School Facilities Commission program

The stranger-than-fiction story of the Seneca County Courthouse continues in Tiffin.  After years of discussion, votes, lawsuits and protests, Seneca County Commissioners recently voted to delay demolition, this time to November 10.  In the interim period supporters, and in particular a consortium of development interests represented by preservation consultant Franklin Conaway, are developing concrete development proposals.

There’s a rather intense preserve-or-demolish recent past conversation going on in Toledo these days, focusing on the downtown home of the local United Way, which was constructed in 1969.  The organization has announced plans to replace the building with a new facility, citing ongoing costs of maintenance and the need for a $10 million renovation.  Emphasizing its architectural uniqueness and resulting contribution to downtown Toledo, both the Lucas County Board of Commissioners and Toledo Mayor Finkbeiner have asked the United Way to forego demolition.  Stories can be found here, here and here.

Photos:  South High School, Springfield - Cindy Funk/Creative Commons License; Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum/fair use

Ohioans involved in efforts to preserve historic buildings, neighborhoods, downtowns and communities are coming together this November for the first Ohio’s Preservation Conference.  The event will be held on November 6 and 7 at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus.

Today, Preservation Ohio announced a list of keynote speakers, workshops and events for a Conference that will focus on unique and powerful tools for organization growth, community leadership, preservation advocacy, economic development, urban life, technology, heritage tourism and more.

Keynote speakers include A. Robert Jaeger, Executive Director of Partners for Sacred Places, the country’s leading non-profit focusing on older churches and religious buildings; Dr. Willliam K. Laidlaw, Jr., Executive Director of The Ohio Historical Society and Ohio Historic Preservation Officer, and Daniel G. Mulhern, a leadership consultant and also “First Gentleman” of the State of Michigan (Mr. Mulhern is the husband of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm).

Other presenters and workshop leaders include Dr. Donna DeBlasio, Chair of the Center for Historic Preservation at Youngstown State University; Margo Warminski, Preservation Director of the Cincinnati Preservation Association; Ben Blanquera, Director of the Columbus Technology Council; Tim Donovan, Director of the Ohio Canal Corridor, and several others.  Workshops will include one of the first public presentations of Ohio’s new proposed Heritage Area program, a look at the latest on the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, and a unique look at current historic preservation and design review ordinances in Ohio.

During the two-day Conference, attendees will also be able to view a special screening of “The Courthouse Girls of Farmland,” an award-winning film profiling efforts to save a historic courthouse in Indiana, as well as an evening stroll through “Rockwell’s America,” the largest touring exhibit on the art of iconic painter Norman Rockwell.

To be sure, one primary benefit of attending Ohio’s Preservation Conference will be the opportunity to meet fellow preservationists from across the state, and to share ideas and enthusiasm.

The Conference website is now up and running, and can be accessed by visiting the Preservation Ohio home page at www.preservationohio.org, and by clicking on “Ohios Preservation Conference” -- and can also be accessed here.

There is no question about the power of preservation to fuel economic development, according to the the Strategic Plan offered by the Ohio Department of Development this past week.

Quoted as saying that, ““We can’t be first in the nation until we’re first in the Midwest,” Department head Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher indicated the plan calls for the Department to aim job growth at a pace 25% faster than surrounding states.  The plan advances five interlocking goals -- and in the fourth goal, that of “Investing in Regional Assets,” the Department places strong emphasis on and publicly supports the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit as an integral component of that plan.  While the Administration has previously supported the credit, and included a $120 million in credits in successfully advancing its recent stimulus package, the plan itself commits to a hope that “…will become a fixture in the financing of historic redevelopments across Ohio” -- strongly suggesting long-term and ongoing support for the credit in future years.

No money was specifically earmarked for preservation-based downtown revitalization, and unfortunately the previous round of historic tax credit projects largely bypassed the central cities of small town Ohio.  Hopefully, through new rules which will be promulgated shortly which will include an emphasis on project diversity, more of Ohio can participate.

To access the page of the plan discussing the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, click here.  For the entire plan, click here.

Preservation Ohio’s Endangered Watch List was updated earlier this week, reflecting new information on two listings and adding three new endangered sites.

The Endangered Watch List is a place where historic properties are highlighted that face threats of demolition, severe alteration or neglect in the period between issuance of the Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites lists each May.  Media stories are included for each, as well as websites and other background information.  Visitors to the site can access a map pinpointing each listing on a map of Ohio, which can be zoomed via map or satellite view to identify a specific location.  Comments can also be posted for each site.

Newly-listed properties on the Endangered Watch List include the Keller Building in Sandusky, Longwood Manor in Macedonia, and the Sedamsville Neighborhood in Cincinnati.  To access information on each, use the links in the Endangered Watch List menu in the right sidebar.

Photo: Keller Building Water Tower, Sandusky -- dimitri_66/Creative Commons License