Last week, Preservation Ohio Board member Cyndie Gerken (pictured) and Director of Development, Marian Vance, joined their fellow Trustees of the Ohio National Road Alliance on the Board’s “Rolling Retreat.”  Marian shares the following:

“Included below are pictures from the Ohio National Road Alliance’s Rolling Retreat on the east portion of the National Road.  If was held on Tuesday, March 24, leaving Reynoldsburg early in the morning, traveling to Wheeling Island, and returning.

Doug Smith, Ed Wagstaff and Elizabeth Reeb were our tour guides.

Favorite stops on the tour included buried stone bridges, brick pavement on the road and the road’s famous “S” bridges.  The Trustees heard stories of local lore and saw historic treasures, some being restored and others losing the battle to time and the elements.

Traveling old Route 40 is a step back in time.”



Photos: Taken by Marian Vance

The National Park Service has announced that the process used to apply for Save America’s Treasures grants has been changed, due to the current inaccessibility of the regular federal grants site (www.grants.gov).  To apply for the grants, it is now required to register for a SAT application number and to download forms from a new application website -- which can be accessed by clicking here.  Applications must be received before May 22, 2009.

Save America's Treasures grants are available to properties with documented national historic significance.  According to the SAT website, it is "one of the largest and most successful grant programs for the protection of our nation’s endangered and irreplaceable and endangered cultural heritage. Grants are available for preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and historic structures and sites."

Just a quick note this time to acquaint our readers with a recent update to a feature on MyHometownOhio.

As you know, our Ohio Preservation News Reader in the left column provides instantly updated news about preservation, revitalization, heritage tourism and smart growth in the Buckeye State.  Now, the reader also includes access to a collection of history and museum related blogs, including blogs from the Ohio Historical Society (including their Ohio Archeaology Blog) and the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums, as well as local history blogs from Cleveland, Mansfield, Toledo and Sandusky.

If you know of another regularly-updated history blog in Ohio, please let us know; we’d be happy to add it as well.

Photo: Serpent Mound - OZinOH/Creative Commons License

The following was received this morning from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, profiling plans of the Ohio Department of Development to tap into $100,000,000 available in funds for assessment and cleanup of brownfield locations.  As the notice shares, eligible local governments and non-profits can include their projects in a pipeline being established through the Department.  Timing is important, however; projects must be posted by March 30.

The Fact Sheet included in the notice (available by clicking here) includes a statement that projects that ask only for asbestos removal will have priority placement if they involve “historic buildings.”

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Dear Brownfield Stakeholder:
 
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009.  The Recovery Act purpose and goal is to “to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century.” ( www.Recovery.gov)
 
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $100 million in additional funds to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Brownfields program.  This is a nationally competitive program for the assessment and cleanup of brownfield properties. Government entities and non-profit organizations may apply directly to EPA for these funds.  It is anticipated the EPA will release a notice into the Federal Register detailing guidelines regarding application submittals this week.  The timeline for distribution and administration of these dollars is very short.  Additional information is available on EPA’s brownfield website:  http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/eparecovery/index.htm
 
The Ohio Department of Development will be applying to the EPA to support brownfield cleanup and redevelopment statewide. Our Urban Development Division has successfully received grants of this type in the past and is well positioned to request significant cleanup dollars and to work in partnership with the communities to have an impact around the state.  In preparation, the Department needs to create a pipeline of potential projects given the criteria listed on the enclosed fact sheet.  The Department, if awarded, will administer and target the funds for these particular categories of brownfield projects: asbestos abatement, hazardous substance projects in the Ohio Voluntary Action Program and petroleum projects regulated by the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations. 
 
If you have a viable project in one of these categories, please read the enclosed fact sheet then fill out the web form available at http://development.ohio.gov/recovery/recoveryform/ so we may include your project in our list of projects by Monday, March 30, 2009 at 12 p.m. EDT. 
 
Important Note: Although you may have already submitted a request on recovery.ohio.gov, it is necessary to provide your project information on the web form for the Department’s funding request to US EPA.  Submitting information to either the receovery.ohio.gov site or on the web form does not indicate application submittal or funding approval.  If the Department receives funding, projects will be prioritized for their readiness to proceed and creation/retention of jobs.

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Photo: BoomerATV/Creative Commons License

Our new news and Twitter reader on the left column of MyHometownOhio contains a constantly-updated selection of preservation, downtown revitalization, heritage tourism and smart growth stories from Ohio-based media.  Every so often we highlight some of those stories that we believe merit special attention.  Here are some recent news stories that have captured our interest:

Two of properties included on the 2008 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Sites have been in the news recently.  First, residents of the Village of Greenhills continues to debate the future of the planned New Deal community as they come together to fashion the community’s first-ever comprehensive plan.  Concerns have been raised about what was perceived as the Village government’s objective to revitalize Greenhills through removal of original buildings and replacement with more “attractive” housing stock.  Click here for a recent Cincinnati Enquirer story.

Second, there was potential good news recently in Dayton in the sale of the Arcade Building complex to a pair of Wisconsin developers.  The duo certainly know about large-scale renovation projects, as pointed out in this Dayton Daily News story.  The story also recounts a basic chronological history of the building.

Elsewhere in Ohio, a development group in Springfield is asking for permission to demolish the venerable Memorial Hall, a Frank Packard-designed city-registered landmark.  Stated plans call for the possible retention of the façade and interior elements (doors, etc.).  Unstated plans suggest that the site will become yet another chain drug store.  The Springfield Preservation Alliance is hosting a public forum on the issue at on March 24 at 6:00 p.m. at Heritage Hall.

The Cleveland Restoration Society recently issued a statement concerning pending plans of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland to shutter a large number of parish churches in Northwest Ohio.  In their statement, CRS profiles not only the issue and the history of their involvement with the Diocese, but their plans to deal with the challenges presented with the closure of significant historic structures worth preserving.

The economy is cited as the primary reason for owners to close the landmark 1924 Vernon Manor Hotel in Avondale.  The structure not only has a history of welcoming national celebrities but which was its own star of sorts in the movie “Rainman.”  Read this Cincinnati Enqurier story to learn more.

Ohio’s sustainable growth organization, Greater Ohio, recently discussed its involvement with the proposed Community Regeneration, Sustainability and Innovation Act, which would create both mechanisms and funding for older Ohio communities to deal with the problems of vacant, abandoned and decaying housing.  This blog article also references a Columbus Dispatch story on the effort, which is led in part by US Senator Sherrod Brown.

Photo: Interior, St. John Cantius Catholic Church, Cleveland (built 1925) - Eddie~S/Creative Commons License

In honor of our new main website which launched today at: www.preservationohio.org, we are featuring a “double post” on that site and here on MyHometownOhio.

It was 27 years ago this May that a group of Ohioans decided to make a difference. These individuals, which included some twenty representatives from a variety of interest groups, had one goal - the creation of a statewide preservation organization for Ohio.   They named their new organization “Ohio Preservation Alliance, Inc.,” reflecting their belief that the best kind of statewide preservation entity was one which concentrates not on its own existence, but rather on assisting local organizations reach their own success.  And, where no local preservation group existed, they envisioned a movement which would work to bring like-minded people together for that purpose.

A great deal has changed in the last quarter-century while we, now known as Preservation Ohio, have continued to pursue those same ends. The setting in which our work takes place has changed dramatically, not only in terms of technology, but in the field of preservation itself. Once limited to the realm of house museums and significant landmarks, the word “preservation” has come to embrace sustainable community development that concentrates on promoting existing assets.  “Preservation” now includes downtown and neighborhood revitalization, heritage tourism, and much more.  “Preservationists,” as a term, is now best applied to those individuals who are always looking ahead, always envisioning a community’s potential and striving to attain it.  Preservation Ohio is very proud of its name and its legacy of service to Ohio and Ohioans.

With these changes comes a need for something brand new in 2009. Changes in the way that Ohioans obtain and share information give us the opportunity to work toward our mission in ways that our founders could have little imagined.  As the first statewide preservation organization in the country with its own blog, and as one of the first on almost every leading social networking site, Preservation Ohio has long been actively seeking new ways to reach local communities, organizations and individuals.  This spring, we are launching two new websites, including the country’s first comprehensive statewide preservation networking page, The Ohio Preservation Network, and the upcoming Ohio Classic Properties, home for buyers and sellers of historic and traditional real estate in Ohio.  We are also pleased to share this new main website, which will serve to bring the others together into a single setting.

Preservation Ohio’s Staff and Board members have unparalleled experience in helping Ohio communities advance the goals of preserving historic resources.   Our Staff’s background provides over 40 years of collective training and practical application — from launching and maintaining “Main Street” and other preservation-based downtown revitalization programs, to conducting preservation potential assessments for individual buildings, districts and communities, to service on historic preservation commissions and design review boards.  Our Staff has successful, practical experience working in their own Ohio communities, efforts which have resulted in millions of dollars in public and private investment into historic resources.  We know Ohio.

We invite you to learn more about Preservation Ohio through this new site, and we warmly invite your involvement in Ohio’s statewide preservation movement.

Photo: redver/Creative Commons License

We’ve all known that it was coming at some point – the Ohio Historical Society was going to have to do more painful cutting of its ranks and services.  Already having faced repeated reductions in staff, decreased hours and turning over sites to private hands, the Society was facing implementation of a week-long closure and furlough this Spring.  Now, more cuts are on their way from 1982 Velma Avenue in response to state budget allocations.

Monday’s Columbus Dispatch profiled these reductions yesterday in a feature article; click here to access.  The article shares a list of sites that will be affected; they include archaeological sites, the Warren G. Harding Home in Marion and Youngstown’s Historical Center of Industry and Labor, among 15 others.  Some 25 employees are being eliminated.

At the same time, it is worth noting that history and preservation continue to generate strong support among Ohioans.  Today’s Dispatch “Hot Issue” (click here) asks – “Should preserving history be a higher priority in the state’s budget?”  As of the time that this entry was posted, some 69% of respondents have answered “yes.”  Comments provided by readers (45 of them at this point) then provide an interesting insight into general views on the issue.  This strong support parallels the conclusions unveiled in a recently-released study entitled “Exploring the Public Value of Ohio’s History,” which was conducted by the University of Toledo’s Urban Affairs Center (click here for the OHS page on this study).

Cuts to the Ohio Historical Society are also the focus of “The Daily Briefing” in today’s Dispatch.

Unfortunately, it appears that these cuts may be followed with others if additional funding is not restored in the state budget, which must be passed by July 1.

Click here to read a special notice from The Ohio Historical Society concerning its upcoming week-long closure.

Photo: Interior, Ohio Historical Center, 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus -- drshorn/Creative Commons License

MyHometownOhio features occasional views written by Preservation Ohio Staff and Board members.  In today’s post, Preservation Ohio Executive Director Thomas Palmer takes the opportunity to pen a quick response to an editorial published in the March 11 online edition of the Marietta Register.

Some weeks ago, we took a brief timeout from Ohio-based stories to share with you a news item from the town of Albion, New York.  There, the mayor had launched into an attack on the city’s historic preservation ordinance, vociferously advocating removal of the community’s entire historic downtown area.  In a follow-up to this outburst, preservation developer Donovan Rypkema had shared his take on why the mayor’s views were not only misguided, but also objectively impractical.

MyHometownOhio included the Albion story as it typified a similar attitude we have heard in various parts of our own state – one which not only discounts the value of historic resources, but decries their existence as a purported barrier to “progress.”  In this light, this morning I was not surprised, but was nevertheless very disappointed, to read a lead editorial in the online Marietta Register entitled “Prisoners to History.”

“Prisoners to History” is an editorial that, quite frankly, needs to be read to be believed (click here to do so).  Ignoring obvious statements of exaggeration such as “One, (sic) hundred year old home or business building or government center is nice.  Ten shows a connection to the past.  A hundred or more of them shows a lack of investment in renewal and development.” or the equally broad “Those who value and are interested in history and the past tend largely to be those who are older and more set in their ways.  Those of us who are younger and more vital (let’s face it) are more interested in the newest and latest,” the core message of the editorial seems to be this – that Marietta is doomed to economic decline if it fails to jettison using its history as a tool for marketing and development.

There are many ways to respond to this editorial, among which are the following:

•    While the editorial’s point that differentiation drives economic prosperity is a valid one, it does not follow that Marietta’s use of its history cannot itself be a differentiating factor.  First of all, the history of Ohio’s oldest community is a highly unique and singular one.  Marietta is not just any community along any river.  Second, just because every city has a history, it does not automatically mean that city leaders know what that history is and how to effectively communicate it.  Like other heritage tourism attractions, cities can attract visitors and investment if they project the air of authenticity so valued in today’s marketplace, and do so in a highly interactive, engaging manner.

•    Just as with the mayor of Albion’s statements, there is an inherent impracticality to what is suggested by this editorial.  The fact is that Marietta is composed of more than hundreds of older structures – there are actually thousands of them, some 2,295 of them deemed to be contributing structures in National Register Historic Districts alone!  While replacing them is obviously a ludicrous proposition, even ignoring them to concentrate on other efforts risks the need to expend millions of public dollars dealing with the after-effects of blight and decay – a horrific proposition even in the best of economic times.

•    Like it or not, Marietta Register, the only proven viable and comprehensive downtown revitalization strategy that exists for your community is one which emphasizes assets which it already has.  After visiting hundreds of downtowns, Donovan Rypkema again stated, “….I cannot identify a single example of a sustained success story in downtown revitalization where historic preservation wasn’t a key component of that strategy. Not a one. Conversely, the examples of very expensive failures in downtown revitalization have nearly all had the destruction of historic buildings as a major element.”

•    Lastly, the State of Ohio, in the middle of the most difficult economy in a generation, still sees the inherent power of the past to generate sustainable investment.  Why else would the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit be one of the key elements of Governor Strickland’s job creation strategy?

The most telling observation is this.  In both Albion and Marietta, there are no alternative economic development philosophies being advanced – there is only opposition to one which already exists.  Perhaps the author of this editorial secretly wishes that Marietta looked more like a more temperate city in California or Arizona, and feels trapped in a place that falls short of his or her expectations – but the fact is that Marietta looks like it does because of more than 200 years of history.  Perhaps it’s a simple instance of someone or someplace with resources taking them for granted, based on the human tendency to overlook what we see most often.

Whatever that case, Marietta -- Ohio’s oldest community – deserves the tools it needs to generate revitalization in the toughest of times – including, finally, a historic preservation ordinance!

Thomas Palmer

Photo: Downtown Marietta - Preservation Ohio File Photo