While making efforts to acquire and save the last residential example in Cadiz of the Gothic Revival style, I was informed about a prominent downtown Cadiz building , formerly used as a bank, that was now going up for council vote with demolition recommended. Cadiz, at the turn of the last century, was a booming town boosted by the regional prosperity brought on by a huge industrial Steel making complex around Pittsburgh and many supporting industries around the Ohio River Valley. The Indiana limestone clad bank building was called the Fourth National Bank Building when completed and it was located directly across the street from our County Courthouse steps. (122 West Market St.) A more important or strategic downtown location would be hard to identify. The contractor-builder was arguably the best builder to ever call Cadiz home, Edwin Marion Long. I live in a late Queen Anne/Colonial style brick home built by Mr. Long in 1909.  He also had a hand in so many other fine homes and buildings in the Village but no structure was ever finer than the Bank building. Sadly, it had an upstairs fire some years ago and afterwards sat vacant and damaged to the point where some see demolition as the only choice.  I went to the last Community Improvement Corporation (C.I.C.) meeting on May 25 and after a discussion that included the Village Mayor, it was decided that August would be the final deadline to present alternatives to demolition. All is not as bleak as it may seem, though.

 

C.I.C. consultant Kenneth Mason, (with roots in Harrison County that go back to 1822) has been working on a plan to save the landmark building for several years.  Present demolition costs totaling $110K are already allocated with a Demo contractor waiting in the wings. Mr. Mason, who is skilled and experienced in lining up grant funds, believes he can get enough financial support to meet the deadline. I wrote a piece for the local newspaper pleading if the whole building cannot be saved, then at least preserve the Indiana Limestone facade and build something new behind it. Shelley Coffelt, a local business owner and preservation friendly Village downtown promoter, has started a petition drive to save the bank building in her downtown From Ranch to Table restaurant and encouragingly, she's getting some unexpected support from local Cadiz citizens. I know some readers here have connections with contractors and restoration specialists in other areas of Ohio like Cincinnati's Over The Rhine, and I would invite and encourage them to give this important rescue effort a look to see if it would be a good fit with their business capabilities. There is no other building like it in Cadiz so to me it seems unconscionable to destroy such an iconic downtown landmark. Saving this building would be a huge win for preservation in Cadiz while losing it would just be another in a long string of preservation losses going back decades. Our native Cadiz son, statesman John A. Bingham, from Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, had his own brick home only a few hundred feet away from the endangered Bank Building. It was senselessly demolished in the 1960's according to what I've been told. (archival Library of Congress image of lost Bingham home attached) His life size bronze statue stands in front of the Courthouse gesturing towards where his home once stood. I'm finding historic preservation to be a fairly heavy lift in the Village of Cadiz. This Village dating back to 1803 is full of history and architecture but unless a greater effort is made to preserve what we have left, the losses will continue. I welcome any input and/or questions from Forum readers as on-going efforts to save our unique 1905 bank building continue. I proposed that the former Bank building could be used as class A office space or even something as unconventional as three new luxury Condo suites on each level, with a rooftop deck and observation area. Adaptive reuse ideas are not the problem, getting enough support to convince Village leaders to not demolish it unfortunately, is.

That is a great building, and a primary landmark in Cadiz. I hope it can be saved. 

Thanks, Ink. There's a very strong tear-down mentality in Cadiz making preservation a hard sell here.  This very important downtown block directly across from our iconic Harrison County Courthouse is already almost half destroyed. At the turn of the last century it was the busiest part of downtown Cadiz. It still retains the Bank Building (until the August deadline) but the large 1880's Custer Hotel was demolished in 2015 and a theater next door was razed at the same time. On the other side of the doomed bank building is a rare 19th century Opera house, partially renovated as a real estate/law office. I was told the auditorium upstairs with an ornamental tin ceiling is still intact. Here's a c. 1910 panoramic view of the block showing right to left: the Custer Hotel (1880's-demolished in 2015) a theater (single screen I believe)-age unknown but it was demolished with the hotel in 2015; then the gleaming white Indiana limestone clad Bank building slated for demolition in August 2023 and the building on the end was the old 19th century Opera House. (unrestored but mostly intact)  I would love for Cadiz to join the National Trust's Mainstreet Program as nearby Wheeling, WV has recently done. But time is running out as I think some misguided folks believe only when the last old house and building have been razed, will prosperity return to the community. So many still don't get it that you cannot demolish your way back to prosperity. Demolition is not like if you build it, they (new residents) will come. A constant nibbling away of the built environment is a fast way to get to ghost town status over time. I'll keep trying, but I wish there were more Cadiz citizens who could see the value in our historic architecture. Chain store businesses aren't built for the ages-they may look acceptable through modern eyes, but otherwise they are the same from Maine to California. In 2123, no old chain retail buildings will likely remain because of built in obsolescence.  In the 19th and early 20th centuries, structures were built to last generations, and they have. Threats from intentional human destruction are worse than termites, fires, and neglect although neglect can be considered passive destruction. Some communities in our state seem to "get it" while others, sadly, don't seem to have a clue. Nothing I can say that hasn't already been said countless times. When The Pretenders came out with My City Was Gone song it spoke volumes about the demolition mentality. I'm glad that I got to know you years ago; otherwise, I might think no one in Ohio cares...but, I know at least some do.

I've only been through there a few times and that was many years ago, you could tell at one point it was a charming place. Certainly hope the building can be saved and spot on - you can't demolish your way to prosperity.

 

That said, this story is being played out in so many communities in eastern Appalachian Ohio, including my hometown. Sure there are some efforts being made but without an influx of population, it's hard to see how there will ever be demand that would result in repopulating these once prosperous areas to anywhere near what they used to be. The good paying blue collar jobs are long gone, the families who owned the properties like this building have no interest in maintaining them, etc. We're talking about areas like Columbiana County where the two regional hospitals closed their OB/GYN units - my home county no longer has a birth rate. 😳  The political climate that's hostile to a wide variety of folks (myself included) doesn't help either. 

That said, please keep us updated - hopefully there will be a positive outcome.

Thanks for your comments, Mayday.  To me, this small town of 3,200 has great restoration potential.  After I bought my home, two other individuals bought historic homes nearby and one was from Miami, FL (retired) and the other, a younger ex-Navy intelligence Vet in his 30's (originally from the Cleveland area) bought an 1850's cube type Italianate across the street from me to restore. (228 W. Market) I do think there's still enough here to bring outsiders to Cadiz but whether we will ever reach critical mass enough to fill all the vacant (yes, a few are abandoned) properties, remains to be seen.

 

I hear you loud and clear about regional economic issues impacting small town growth in the Ohio River Valley. But plucky Wheeling, is finally beginning to realize that preservation has economic benefits. (the Magnolia network show "In with the Old" featured a Wheeling Victorian brick townhouse in a recent episode) That said, poor old Wheeling Island besides periodic flooding and demolitions, may or may not survive. Nearby Bridgeport and Steubenville, OH have lost much of their historic residential housing stock and 19th century commercial buildings.

 

I also agree about local economic health impacting hospitals and local healthcare, as well. We have a county hospital here bought a couple of years ago and run by WVU Medicine where my spouse was admitted last July and five days later she expired at another WVU facility in Glen Dale. WV. Not saying the outcome would have been different anywhere else, but then two doctors at WVU Harrison Co. told me a suspicious bump on my face was nothing to worry about so I switched to Trinity Healthcare and that nothing to worry about bump turned out to be basal cell cancer. (surgery scheduled on June 28 in Pittsburgh) I think the maternity ward here closed years ago. There's a lot of drilling and fracking going on in this area and some have realized financial windfalls but much of the activity is done with crews brought in from places like Texas and once their work is done, they're gone. In summary, I completely agree with you that "hopefully there will be a positive outcome". I think that's about the best we can hope for.

 

If I may add one last thought. When I left Fort Worth, TX, in 2020, the intense summer heat there was literally hurting me. Supposed to be 111 F. in the DFW metro for Friday of this week and its only June.  They also have persistent and extended droughts, so water resources are stretched thin, not to mention periodic statewide  electrical grid problems. When temps in Texas were at zero or below in February of 2022, the low here was 28 F. on the coldest day, The Texas electrical grid infamously failed and some people died from the unexpected intense cold. 

 

I sincerely believe Ohio is perfectly positioned to receive a fairly large number of what are called "climate refugees" right now and more so in the years ahead. Add the new Intel chip giga-factory near Columbus and I feel the future prospects for Ohio generally are better than they've been in years. Only time will tell.

Since we're now in August, it seemed appropriate to mention the Uptown Bank Building demolition decision comes up for final vote on August 24. (Thursday)  At the center of the decision, two conditions have to be addressed for the local Community Improvement Corporation (C.I.C.) to change their recommendation for demolition to a recommendation to rehab the rare but faded structure.  First is how much will the rehab cost; second is who is going to pay for it? A local engineering firm was supposed to come out in the past couple of weeks to re-inspect what remains of the structure and determine if anything has changed since the prior inspection and report about five years ago. The most important question has to do with funding-a hired consultant (Kenneth Mason) is seeking funding from the Vibrant communities fund and an Appalachian Communities fund. Should either condition or funding be negative then someone needs to take the last pictures and then stand aside. A proposal to dismantle the distinctive Beaux Arts limestone facade didn't seem to generation much support.  Because I've written articles in support of saving the bank building and the newspaper honorarily titled me as a "staff writer" I will not be at the meeting because I do not want to bias any of the C.I.C. members. I did resign from writing articles for the newspaper several weeks ago since I never accepted pay for the articles. My gut feeling is the rather difficult requirements to save the building are not going to be met. Onward to the next Preservation challenge

Some encouraging news came out of yesterday's Community Improvement Corporation's monthly meeting. It was decided to delay demolition while proposed solutions are explored more fully. An out of town investor with roots in Cadiz is working out the details to acquire and begin rehabilitation of the faded structure. The investor's name wasn't disclosed because a formal proposal to acquire and rehab the building will be presented in the weeks ahead. A group of concerned Cadiz citizens interested in seeing the Bank building saved were very pleased with the meeting's outcome. I suggested to those members that it would be prudent to seek out other potential solutions until all the paperwork was signed and delivered.  While those of us who want the building saved are not out of the woods just yet, finally, there's some light at the end of the tunnel.  As conditions evolve, I'll post more updates as appropriate. The rare Preservation victory is what keeps us going.

That is awesome!  You're doing amazing work!

I'm afraid I can take little credit for getting to this point. Credit should go to those people who have tried for several years to find a solution to the highly endangered Bank building. In fact, I announced to everyone I could that I would not be at the vote meeting so as to not influence or bias anyone's vote. Several people have come forward in recent weeks to publicly support this effort. A local restaurant owner put out a petition board for patrons to signs and collected over 60 signatures on the first weekend. In a Village like Cadiz, that is an impressive number. "Outsiders" stand up in small towns at their own peril. A very informative article by an academic explains how newcomers are often treated in small tight knit communities: https://theconversation.com/why-do-small-rural-communities-often-shun-newcomers-even-when-they-need-them-199984

Yesterday, I was notified that at last Friday's CIC (Community Improvement Corporation) meeting in Cadiz, options for saving the uptown bank building were deemed too expensive and a unanimous vote to go ahead with the old Bank Building's demolition was approved. Therefore, beginning Monday, November 6, the bank structure will be demolished leaving another vacant lot in our downtown streetscape. I wasn't involved in the search for redevelopment bids but I was told they were twice as high as it would be to construct a new building on the site. Better to try and fail than to do nothing, IMO.  A new Sheriff's Department building and county Jail broke ground this past summer and already some are speaking out about the need to demolish the 1909 Neo-Classical structure when the department moves to the outskirts of town.  The Cadiz mayor's election vote is on Tuesday and in the local newspaper, none of the four candidates expressed interest in historic preservation. The incumbent, Mayor John Migliore, was mildly sympathetic about saving our shrinking downtown in a newspaper interview, so he'll get my vote on Tuesday. Even though Historic Preservation has a demonstrated track record of economic success, it's still an uphill battle because of embedded old beliefs about the benefits of urban renewal. The economic realities of the 1950's are not the same in the 2000's. I can only hope in the years to come that others will become more enlightened.

Epilogue

The Harrison County News-Herald in Cadiz published a letter to the editor I submitted in the Friday, Nov. 17 edition. (attached) The old Uptown Bank Building is now gone. Efforts now need to be focused on identifying and coming up with plans to preserve those buildings in the business district that have a chance of being saved.  Cadiz had a mayor's race on November 7 and R. Kevin Jones is our new mayor-elect to replace longtime Cadiz Mayor John Migliore.  Jones is on record with describing our downtown as being in terrible shape but he hasn't offered a plan yet to remedy the situation. I can only hope this does not lead to more recommendations for demolition as we've just lost the only Beaux Arts style building in Cadiz.  No plans are in place to replace it with something new. Just as I had feared, there's already growing concerns about the building that was next to the bank building, currently in use as a hair salon. It now has an exposed brick wall where the bank building was and no steps have been taken to stabilize and bolster the vulnerable wall.  It would truly be regrettable for the next chapter to be the loss of the entire historic block directly across from the Harrison County Courthouse. My hopes going forward are pinned on the new citizens group to work closely with Village leaders to minimize future losses. The viability of Cadiz as a sustainable community will depend on actions taken in the months and years ahead. I've said this countless times, but a community cannot demolish its way to prosperity. Heaven knows, there are many Ohio communities that have tried that method only to discover that less is not necessarily more.