presOhio

Someone who grows up in Galion always has Mansfield as a second hometown. I remember well the downtown Mansfield of the 1960s; repeated visits to Smart’s Music, Sears and the Ohio Theatre are among my early childhood memories. Being involved in statewide preservation and revitalization efforts since the early 1990s, I have also now seen how others perceive the downtown, the Carrousel District and the city in general. The comments shared here on UrbanOhio are spot on. And, since the majority of UrbanOhioers are in the target creative class demographic that downtown Mansfield needs to attract for sustainable investment, their views are incredibly valuable. The comments about basic amenities and conveyance of a sense of authenticity were absolutely correct. I would add two quick thoughts: First, one of the points where many diverge from the “Main Street” approach to downtown revitalization, at least as it has been practically applied in several states, is that it fails to include neighboring residential areas its planning and programming. I understand the need to focus on a particular, defined commercial area. It is not as easy to divorce downtown from its own setting, however, as some would think. In Mansfield’s case, one major practical challenge is the distance between major thoroughfares and downtown. A friend tells the story of an industry executive considering bringing dozens of jobs to Mansfield who, after landing at Lahm and traveling down North Main Street to meet with local economic development leaders, told his driver to turn well before he reached downtown. North Main looks better today, but could still be greatly improved as a gateway into the city. I know by the way that Downtown Mansfield, Inc. is working on the St. Peter’s District plan, and have seen a copy of their goals -- and I am cheering them on. To an “outsider,’ the Chamber District appears to be a tougher project, and, as it is closer to the Carrousel District, it is undoubtedly more important. Second, to my mind there is a need to market downtown in languages and media that your target demographic uses. You may well be already doing this and I am unaware of it -- but to my mind, downtown Mansfield and the Carrousel District could well benefit from an aggressive “micro” and “macro” communications and marketing strategy -- “micro” in the sense of assisting merchants with their own efforts, and “macro” for marketing investment opportunities in the district/downtown -- that uses the latest in social networking and networking tools. Downtown Mansfield has amazing stories to share… and I would love to be able to read, hear or watch them being told.

Thank you for posting these. We need, individually and collectively, to remember.

Just a few quick reactions: No doubt it was costly. The OSFC guidelines mandate replacement, no matter the quality or condition of the existing windows. As far as asbestos abatement is concerned, as is typical with renovation, encapsulation provides a cost-effective alternative. With demolition, full abatement is required. He was not referring specifically to classroom size at the time; it was a blanket statement without reservations. The numbers used at that time of that discussion were actually 30-40 years -- meaning that at the time that the OSFC finally reaches District #600, it will be nearing the time to start again. I am aware of that law -- and, at least in Galion's case, the legal advice they received was that they had to offer them pre-demolition to any charter school, which they did. Because the demolition subsidy money cannot be used for any other purpose, districts do not have the option to deal creatively with buildings. That shared, Galion's were the subject of bona fide offers. As any musician or artist can tell you, a "cafetorium" is only the poorest substitute for a stand-alone auditorium... and being "saddled with additional maintenance" is a euphemism used by districts for failing to adequately support the arts. I dare say that WHHS' athletic facilities, whatever they are, require more maintenance and upkeep than their new cafetorium. We certainly agree on that one. The first time we met with the OSFC, many, many years ago, the then-Director exclaimed, "Our problem isn't with the folks who are required to build new because the 2/3 rule is met -- almost all of the lobbying we received is from districts whose buildings do not meet the 66% threshold, but want a new building." That shared, it is important to continue to emphasize the massive waste of taxpayer dollars in the OSFC program.

I really don't want to dwell on this topic, but as someone who has been involved with many districts around the state in terms of both advocacy for reusing existing buildings and preserving replaced buildings -- and being one of those on the committee advocating for the reuse of the Galion High School building (and being an alum), I can share the following brief statements: 1. The “2/3 rule” was part of an initial set of OSFC guidelines that were highly skewed toward new construction. The influence of the construction lobby was highly visible from the start. 2. While the Ohio School Facilities Commission did make a public stance change from the “2/3 rule” to a “2/3” guideline, we have been told that it has continued to make renovations difficult to pursue. Traditional unfounded biases against preservation persist. Almost no Districts have chosen renovation of traditional buildings. 3. I served for a time on a panel that recommended changes to those guidelines to the current administration. At the very first meeting of that panel, the head of the OSFC announced that he thought that as a rule all traditional buildings were poorly suited for modern educational needs. 4. In that same meeting, he shared his hope that the OSFC process would remain a permanent part of state government, as the current buildings have life expectancies which are substantially less than many of the buildings which they are replacing. 5. The OSFC subsidizes demolition for replaced buildings, removing potential taxpayer assets at taxpayer expense. 6. In the case of the Galion buildings, the District turned down at least $100,000 on the table for one building -- and not only never advertised the buildings for sale, they were never appraised. At least one developer had previously valued one of the District’s buildings at $300,000 to $400,000 for adaptive reuse. The net loss to the District was at least $500,000, with a much greater loss long-term. 7. Over 1,500 residents and alumni petitioned the Board to allow for the proposed project, yet these signatures were dismissed by the Board as “…being the product of emotion.” The Board was never publicly provided accurate private renovation numbers by the District administration. 8. The pediment of the building was saved to be placed onto the façade of a hoped-for future auditorium. The demolition itself removed a turn-key auditorium that had been maintained for 90 years. Even before the recent economic crisis, the best scenario for such a new auditorium was 5-10 years away. Now, the most likely scenario is that more than a decade of Galion students will not have the benefit of performing arts facilities. 9. While the Galion High School building was being demolished, the Board of Education actually pursued an operating levy! In that special election, which also occurred prior to the recent economic crisis, the levy experienced what may well have been the most substantial defeat in Galion election history. They have not returned to the ballot since. 10. The beautiful former Bucyrus High School, built in the early 1920s, will open this coming Fall as the new Bucyrus Elementary School. When the time came for deciding the direction of their building program, the community told their Board of Education, "We don't want to be another Galion!" When that building opens, it will be just as technologically-equipped and "modern" as the cement block facilities rising in Ohio farmfields.

Tiffany --- great photos of my hometown. Please feel free to post any of these on GalionLive (community.galionlive.com) ... alot of local folks would love to see them! Thomas/presOhio

Tiffany... Galion Iron Works was located in several buildings... I am fairly certain that this was originally an Iron Works building, but for decades it was the home of Hercules Galion (made dump bodies and garbage trucks) and then Eagle Crusher.

I do believe that you would be inside Farmington, the childhood home of Joshua Speed, Lincoln's best friend. I do believe that Farmington is located in/near Louisville, Kentucky.

There was demolition at Gilmore's, however there was at least an attempt to retain the original building's facade in the new structure. And I am always very, very careful when contractors hired by developers are the ones who claim that buildings cannot be saved.

The meeting was postponed until this week.

Wow, don't know how I missed this before. Great pics of my hometown, Ink. Unfortunately, Galion High School is now largely a pile of rubble -- we joined the dozens of communities losing traditional school buildings this year, despite best efforts to allow for an adaptive reuse project. Never underestimate the power of an uninformed, hell-bent Board of Education! I'm a Mount Gilead fan as well; I have many friends there and have had several cases in the Morrow County Courthouse. I think that I may have mentioned this before, but the Capitol Theatre is a great place to see a movie. Preservation Ohio is looking at a behind-the-scenes tour in this part of Ohio this Fall -- a chance to visit sites in Mansfield and Galion, as well as the site of the Battle of Olentangy, which is located between Galion and Bucyrus... which was, I believe, the only open field engagement between British and Colonial troops that took place in Ohio during the Revolutionary War period. Click http://liberty92.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/the-final-battle-of-the-revolutionary-war-in-ohio/ for some pics of the 225th Anniversary Reenactment. Around these parts, it is usually referred to as the "Battle of Olentangy," not "The Battle of the Olentangy." The actual battlefield location was just discovered within the last few years.

Cute as a button; great pics!

Hey - just got an e-mail from the architect who proposed the underground/sub-grade addition to the Seneca County Courthouse. This is a link to a website he has created, which includes a copy of the proposal given to the Commissioners. Looks intriguing. http://senecacountycourthouse.blogspot.com/ Thomas/presOhio

A quick FYI ... we are meeting with them tomorrow (Wednesday). To my mind, OSU has an opportunity, as the "flagship" state university, to set a strong model for preservation and design. Thomas/presOhio

Heritage Ohio and the National Trust (I believe) are starting a major project to monitor who received the first set of credits and the impact that they make. As for the cap -- there was a great deal of consternation about geographic and demographic diversity the first time around, and I suspect that you will see the Ohio Department of Development (which is currently working on the new regs) emphasize that the credit is available for both relatively large and small sized projects that are also geographically diverse.

FYI -- Posted the item below this afternoon. Presenting the New, New Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit 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: [email protected]. http://myhometownohio.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/23/3758952.html

Let's hope there's no "disrobing." That would be, well...

Here's a photo of the Pythian Castle:

All -- just got back from Tiffin, and wanted to pass this along... Thomas/presOhio ____________________________________________________________ BREAKING NEWS -- Tiffin Board Denies Courthouse Demolition Application 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. http://myhometownohio.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/10/3738371.html

The Acme Power Plant is on the map because it was on the Most Endangered List back in 2004 (hence the light blue color). The National Trust put Over-the-Rhine on their Most Endangered List last year, and while there has been progress this year, the panel and Board felt that with preservation issues such as the Meiners Flats building, that OTR merited another year on the list.

Yah... I thought you might like that. I will probably be putting in an image rotator there soon, but I really love the detail and festive atmosphere in that photo.

That's exactly it, Ink. The review panel, and then the Preservation Ohio Board, noted that the imminent threat appeared to somewhat lessened. We are still watching the situation very carefully. IMO, the building is one of those "future landmarks" - highly significant pieces of recent architecture that evidence a high quality of design. These landmarks just need to make it through the period of history when they are considered "garish" into a time of more general appreciation. That's a process that has played itself out over and over again in the history of American architecture.

UBER-FANTASTIC!

As a matter of fact, we really have need of any photo we might be able to use on the website for the following... 1. Interior view(s) of the Arcade in Dayton. 2. Exterior views of any of the period public buildings in Greenhills. 3. Exterior or interior views of Harding High School in Warren. Any help would be hugely appreciated, Thomas/presOhio

Crimeny! I knew it was happening, but its another thing to see visual documentation... East Broad Street has gotta be one of the most vulnerable groupings of historic resources in Columbus these days.

Great pics as usual, Ink, of a place I know well. The Capitol Theatre is a truly great retro place to see a movie, by the way... very small, pressed tin ceiling, and fantastic popcorn.