presOhio

No idea... my guess, though, is that since almost everyone hates the current tower, that it would not be a good image for a "Save the Courthouse" campaign.

Well, the keynote speech went well, and the folks in Tiffin are really giving it the ol' "college try." Thought I would post a couple of pics from the day, including one from the interior of the Ritz Theatre... Thomas/presOhio Folks gathering before the rally begins: Two shots of the local actor who portrayed Elijah Myers, courthouse architect -- this guy was a hoot and it came off very well... Close-up of the "official" yard sign going in lawns all over Tiffin: Ceiling, Ritz Theatre, Tiffin:

FYI on National Register listing: It does not provide any control over exterior modifications, etc. -- in other words, no protection against someone doing something dumb (even demolition) -- that protection would have to come from local legislation. It also does not necessarily safeguard these properties in an ODOT project, provided no federal monies are being used. What it does do is allow property owners to use the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit, the new Ohio Historic Tax Credit, and the deduction for preservation easement donation (a pretty good combo).

Allegan's a great place, to be sure... Small world; my Aunt used to be the choral director at Allegan High School. Allegan lost its great Richardson Romanesque courthouse in the 1950s -- replaced with that glorified factory/slash/courthouse -- which galvanized public opinion in favor of preservation back before it was the fashion. Not that its the fashion now. Thomas/presOhio

This is a Windows Live Local link to a view of Downtown Libson. Stevie's building is to the West (that's to the left) of the Columbiana County Courthouse, which you can see in the middle of the pic. Its been wrapped in black plastic for several months. http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=40.772181~-80.768668&style=a&lvl=17&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000 The story doesn't mention this, but the owner told me that this building also once house a law office for Edwin Stanton, who was President Lincoln's Secretary of War. Cool, huh? Thomas/presOhio

Big Four Depot, Galion, Ohio, built 1900

Ah, Paris, elle me manque beaucoup! Spent two years living there … here are my “top six” things to do in an around Paris: 1. Grab a baguette, a bottle of “limonade” and a chunk of camembert at La Samaritaine Department Store, and find a place along the Seine for lunch. 2. See the view of the city from Mont Valerian, which rises to the west of the city – it is an amazing, living postcard view. 3. Do mass at Notre Dame, just once – and climb one of the towers -- preferably right after a rainstorm. 4. A trip to Versailles on the one Sunday a month when they turn the fountains on. 5. The Musee d’Orsay. Not quite as intimate as the old Jeu de Paume by the Louvre, where you could actually reach out and touch the Van Goghs (if you wanted to), but still the same magnificent Impressionist masterworks. 6. And – without a doubt – a visit to Sainte Chapelle – incredible expanses of medieval stained glass which seem to float, almost without walls. The blues are amazing. Thomas/presOhio

Quick update... Governor Taft actually signed the bill on January 2 (he had threatened to veto any tax credit legislation) ... and Ohio will actually have its Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit in place in 90 days. Saints be praised!!!! Thomas/presOhio

Probably one of the main reasons is that you are talking about a tax cut today that will bring in revenue over time… combined with the fact that Ohio isn’t necessarily flush with cash these days. Some states have enacted programs that place caps on projects or the amount of credits any one program can receive. In short, these programs have problems because they work too well, and because the benefits play out over a period of years, not instantly. The statewide preservation/revitalization community in Ohio decided that it was better to get a foot in the door with a trial program than continue to be one of the few states without any financial incentives for historic rehab. The final bill is actually better than one previous version, which limited the number of projects to 10 a year.

It is just a two-year pilot program, after which there will be a lot of cost/benefit analysis, but similar tax credits have had a huge impact other places. In Missouri, e.g., they have had a $1 billion annual positive impact on the state's economy, as their credit creates $1.78 in other taxes (income, payroll, corporate income taxes and other general revenue) for every $1.00 of the credit used. And Ohio stands to benefit even more -- because of Ohio's unusually high number of properties listed in National Register Historic Districts, we have tens of thousands of eligible buildings. I can tell you the preservation developers are circling already ... and that is a really good thing. Thomas/presOhio

Merry Christmas, Historic Ohio - State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Passes Ohio Senate and House It will be a Merry Christmas indeed for advocates of Ohio preservation if the Governor signs into law the new Ohio Rehabilitation Tax Credit, which was passed by both houses of the Ohio General Assembly last week. The proposed legislation creates a two-year trial program for the 25% tax credit, after which an analysis will be undertaken to ascertain its impact. Each year, 100 projects can be included in the program, and each will be subject to a cost-benefit analysis conducted by the Ohio Department of Development and the Tax Commissioner to verify that a given project will have a net revenue gain in state and local taxes once the building is placed into service. Property owners can submit projects on or after July 1, 2007. To be eligible, a building must be individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, verified as contributing in a National Register Historic District, or individually listed as a historic landmark by a Certified Local Government. This is wonderful news for Ohioans interested in re-investment in the state’s traditional city centers. States such as Missouri, which have had similar tax credits for many years, have seen increased investment as owners combine federal and state historic tax credits for much-needed capital. Click http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=126_HB_149 to read Substitute House Bill Number 149, and stay tuned to MyHometownOhio, as we cover both this important development in more detail as well as provide practical advice for owners interested in taking advantage of the new credit. http://myhometownohio.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/12/17/2579624.html

Unforunately, the Richland County Courthouse is currently being expanded in the same "60s savings and loan moderne" style -- with a new county jail building. Here's an architect's rendering from the County website.. Thomas/presOhio

Its often called a "facadectomy," and preservation guru Donavan Rypkema calls it "...Halloween preservation—saving the mask and throwing away the building." Its almost universally condemned by anyone with the slightest respect for the past. Here's a National Trust article on facadectomies...http://www.nationaltrust.org/Magazine/archives/arch_story/042602.htm Thomas/presOhio

FYI; we posted this on MyHometownOhio last night.... presOhio/Thomas BREAKING NEWS -- Historic District Files Suit Against Historical Society In a continuation of a story previously covered on MyHometownOhio, Preservation Ohio received a press release this evening from the Center Street Historic District Association in Ashland concerning the A. N. Myers House. The fate of the Myers House has been the subject of intense discussion in this Ohio county seat town for several months, and has received local, statewide and national attention – including this story in Preservation Online, the online publication of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The entire press release is included here: “The Ashland County Historical Society received a demolition permit last month for a home on the National Register of Historic Places. This classic example of colonial revival architecture was built in 1892 by Alva N. Myers, a member of the board of the F.E. Myers and Bro. Company. The house is located adjacent to the Ashland County Historical Society Campus on Center Street in the City of Ashland. In 1976 Alta Sims did research which led to the acceptance of Center Street on the National Register as a Historic District. Sims consulted with Jeff Darbee, who was with the Ohio State Preservation Office. He called Center Street "a veritable textbook of architectural styles." Destroying any historic home on the street takes away from the District as a whole. Ashland's Ordinance 51-05 was enacted June 7, 2005 to "safeguard the heritage of Ashland as represented by those buildings, districts, sites and structures which reflect significant elements of Ashland history...Applications for demolition are reviewed by the Ashland Preservation Board based on the over all impact the demolition will have to the Historic District and the community." The Preservation Board denied the request for demolition on August 2, 2006. The Ashland County Historical Society originally submitted a proposal for demolition on June 19, 2006 causing concern among residents of the Historic District. Before applying for demolition, Tina Carpenter, Director of Operations of the Society, made a written request to change the status of the A.N. Myers Home on the National Register to non-contributing, claiming the house had lost its character and history. The Ohio Historic Preservation Office, which oversees the National Register in Ohio, denied their request stating that the home is a contributing structure and retains significant exterior architectural details. The Center Street Historic District Association which is made up of home and business owners within the District has the purpose of educating the "public with respect to the necessity and advisability of the preservation of historic structures." At the end of September, the Association made an offer to purchase the home in an effort to prevent its demolition. On October 25, 2006 the Association received a "final" offer from the Society to purchase the home for a dollar and move the structure. The Association was expected to reply within seven days and if the offer was accepted the home would have to be moved off of the lot by March 15, 2007. The lack of an available lot in the Historic District makes this offer impossible to consider. With hopes that the National Registered Alva N. Myers Home would be restored on its original location as a contributing structure in the Historic District and as an asset to the Society's existing campus, the Association has filed for an injunction to prevent this demolition." Additional information on this developing story will be included on MyHometownOhio as it becomes available. For local individuals to contact with more information, please send Preservation Ohio an e-mail at: [email protected]. Here's the link to the story: http://myhometownohio.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/11/1/2467172.html

The "five-story block buuilding with the mansard roof" is the Douglas Inn... this is from the Springfield News Sun: Groups may reach agreement on Douglas Inn Tuesday, October 10, 2006 Urbana city administration and the Champaign County Community Improvement Corporation could reach an agreement on the Douglas Inn before a court hearing on Oct. 17. The Second District Ohio Circuit Court of Appeals hearing will take place at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Champaign County Court of Appeals. Urbana Director of Administration Bruce Evilsizor said all parties, which include Miami Scioto Development Company, the building's prospective buyers, want to avoid going to court. The hearing has been rescheduled two times — June 26 and Sept. 15 — after Judge Roger Wilson granted the CIC a stay of execution on the building's Jan. 2 demolition. The CIC appealed to the higher court. Pat Thackery, a co-owner of Miami Scioto, said the company submitted a stabilization plan to the Building Regulations Department in early September for review. Evilsizor said the Building Regulations Department and fire department have been discussing if the plan meets public safety issues. "The two parties are real close, and I think they are going to be able to come up with a stabilization plan acceptable to both sides," Evilsizor said. The city's requirements for the stabilization plan, such as a sprinkler system and elevator, raised a dispute between the former city administration and Miami Scioto. Miami Scioto owners have said adding those components were not standard for stabilization, while Fire Chief Jim McIntosh said he would risk firefighters' lives if he sent them into a building without a fire suppression system.

Photos of the Seneca County Courthouse that I took last year..

Ohio Poised To Lose Two 19th Century Courthouses by Staff on Fri 01 Sep 2006 09:37 AM EDT | http://myhometownohio.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/9/1/2285926.html For the first time in a generation, Ohio will be losing a county courthouse – this time, two of them. This past month, County Commissioners in Defiance endorsed a plan to raze the Defiance County Courthouse and replace it with a new, “period-looking” courthouse. The proposal will be placed before voters on November 7 in the form of an eight-year sales tax, which would generate $13.5 million for the project. The two final options included a plan to renovate and restore the existing courthouse, built in 1871-1873, as well as an additional building. Then, yesterday, County Commissions voted to raze the Seneca County Courthouse. The Seneca County Courthouse, which sits majestically in the middle of Downtown Tiffin, was constructed beginning in 1884, and was designed by Elijah E. Myers, a Detroit architect who designed no less than four US state capitol buildings -- the Idaho Territorial Capitol (1885), and the current state capitol buildings in Michigan (1879), Colorado (1887) and Texas (1882). In making their decision, Seneca County Commissioners cited only the results of a space-needs study recently conducted on county facilities. No mention was made of consideration of the impact that the loss of such an iconic structure would have on the future of downtown Tiffin. The Seneca County Courthouse was included on the 2005 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites. In both Defiance and Tiffin, the courthouses were somewhat handicapped by inappropriate alterations that occurred in the mid-20th century, in both cases leaving the buildings the source of public derision. Nevertheless, particularly in Tiffin, the architecturally-important exterior remains in largely original condition. County courthouses serve as more than “space” for governmental functions. Courthouses also serve as community and county icons, and most importantly as symbols of tradition and respect for the rule of law. When they sit in the midst of a downtown full of 19th-century commercial buildings, their loss can also serve as a discouragement for preservation-minded developers to enter a market and to invest. Downtown takes a giant leap toward “Anywhere, USA,” and as it what makes a community unique that makes it marketable, the potential loss is potentially catastrophic. The last county courthouse razed in Ohio was the Franklin County Courthouse in Columbus, which was demolished in 1974. Links: Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune story: http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/News/articles.asp?articleID=3528 2005 List of Ohio's Most Endangered Historic Sites: http://www.ohiopreservationalliance.homestead.com/OMHSmaster2005.html

I suspect, Uncle R., that you haven't been to other cities in Texas... no other city there comes close to SA in terms of character. Then again, I am a bit biased... I spent two great years there right out of high school, working in a classical record store and doing a stint as a announcer on KRTU, the radio station of Trinity University. Every day, in the summer, I read the same weather forecast... "The high today in San Antonio will be 95, with no rain expected until October." There were the NIOSA parties (Night in Old San Antonio) in the La Villita (old town) section during Feista week -- good times (the part of those nights I remembered the next morning); movies at the creepy (since restored) Aztec Theater downtown, great food in the bario in south SA... truly an amazing place. As the saying goes, "Texans envy Houston, they respect Dallas, but they love San Antonio."

ARRRGGGGHHHH!!! I can smell all that vinyl from here!

Which building(s) along Central do they want to take out now? Well, not exactly along Central. The County has long eyed -- and may well have either ownership or control -- of the structures on the east side of Sandusky Street between the new Hayes County Building and the corner of Central and Sandusky -- with the possible exception of the former Lutheran church (now Seventh Day Adventist, I think). Word is that they are considering taking out those nice historic resources and erecting another large architecturally boring county-plex. Interesting historical note -- I believe that one of the buildings was a boyhood home of Vincent Minelli, husband of Judy Garland and father of Liza. Yes, THE Judy Garland. Maybe Liza can come back and do a benefit concert. Then again, ick. Maybe not such a good idea.

I am sure that the new development director played a role, but the true heroes in downtown Delaware are a handful of "preservation entrepreneurs" that have been willing to do creative projects. Places like the "Old Bag of Nails" take real vision to transform. Together these owners own probably ten buildings downtown, and are continuing to do some amazing things. I know them personally -- they are classy people with sharp business minds. Now if they can just keep the county from doing something stupid on the north edge of downtown...

Fypon is a form of polyurethane foam that is transformed into shapes that replicate wood and plaster molding for interior and exterior uses. Now, mind you, I am not opposed to using any modern materials in restoration or rehabilitation projects -- the problem is that it encourages the removal, and not the repairing, of original building elements. The result is often "fake history" -- sort of a Disneyland version of the way things were. In some ways it is more insidious that vinyl -- at least with siding projects, the original clapboard is usually left underneath. It is subject to increased opportunity for moisture retention and rot, but at least its there in case there's a future homeowner that wants to release it from its vinyl prison.

VINYL IS EVIL!!! The bane of preservationists everywhere, along with its evil cousin, fypon.

Sure, happy to explain what I can. It is important to point out at first, though, that I am not part of the “official loop” on this, as our organization is the only staffed statewide preservation organization in the country not affiliated with the National Trust (very, very long story). When the subject of OTR came up earlier this year, however, and to their credit, the Trust solicited our comments and participation in the review process that led up to designation. Being put on the 11 Most Endangered List is not an easy task – it occurs only in cases with a very important historic resource is at issue, and the Trust feels that they have can have an impact. I do not know everyone from whom they solicited contact, but I do know that they met with the City Administration, 3CDC and other groups before the meeting I attended. It would not surprise me at all to learn that the Trust put in hundreds of hours of review before making that choice. If I were to speculate on that action plan, while it might involve outright grant funding, I don’t know that that would be its primary focus. The Trust typically works through its statewide and local partners, and usually includes a variety of economic development tools – everything from its substantial capacity in the use of New Market Tax Credits to its National Trust Community Investment Corporation. I also suspect that you will hear something about an urban “Main Street” program coming to Cincinnati – including to OTS. I know and have great respect for the Trust's local partner, the Cincinnati Preservation Association, and their staff. Then again, at least in my opinion, Over-the-Rhine is a mix of buildings, people, issues, history and passion that will probably be unlike anything they have encountered elsewhere. As I hear things, I will be happy to share pass them along on this forum as I can.

Actually, there is a bit more to this than just a write up. Earlier this year, Preservation Ohio (and yours truly) were asked to participate in a review process that led to this designation -- first via comments and writing, and I then attended a summit meeting of sorts in Cincy near the end of March. The Midwest Office of the Trust was in town for at least two days, meeting with all of the key players and local politicos. They do indeed have plans to become involved and to devote resources to the task, partly through their statewide affiliate and through the local preservation organization. I am not the biggest fan of the Trust, but this is a good thing.