Akron Easement
800 Dan St
Akron, OH 44310
Our easement program has been active since 2004, when we accepted our first easement on the Rawson Block in Findlay. Over the years we’ve seen how the program can be adapted: we’ve worked with owners in a variety of communities, and we’ve worked with a variety of property owners, including commercial property owners, nonprofit owners, and municipalities. Additionally, easements have been placed on buildings well before a full-scale rehab has been completed, and years after a large-scale rehab was completed.
The main Reserve Training Building, constructed in 1956
In Akron, we accepted an easement on the former Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in 2015, as the result of a Section 106 agreement forged among the City of Akron, the US government, and the State Historic Preservation Office. Briefly, a Section 106 consultation among preservation interests is triggered when federal funds are used that could affect a resource either listed in the National Register, or eligible for listing in the National Register. A Section 106 consultation can also be triggered when the action of a federal agency, in this case, the US government, could result in an adverse effect on the historic resource. In Akron, the US government was divesting itself of the reserve center, as a caretaker for the Navy, and the federal loss of site control was deemed an adverse effect, since a new owner could demolish the historic buildings on site.
While we ideally like to see Section 106 negotiations end when a viable preservation solution is found that all parties can agree to, the reality is that many times the Section 106 agreement paves the way for the demolition of the historic resource in question. Thankfully, in the case of Akron, the stakeholders agreed that by donating an easement in perpetuity to Heritage Ohio, the reserve center would be permanently preserved, thereby negating any adverse effect from changes in ownership, now or in the future.
“We were pleased to be part of a creative preservation solution in the Section 106 process, providing an outcome everyone could support, while giving us the ability to ensure the site’s continued preservation. We’re hopeful we can assist on future Section 106 agreements that translate into wins for preservation,” stated Joyce Barrett, executive director.
