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.
Photo: ARKNTINA/Creative Commons License