Don’t forget to check out the whole story of NoBo.

add your zip code to show your support of History in Ohio

Link to their site HERE

A company town located just off US33, the main drag boasts a unique collection of buildings that also served as advertisements for the variety of masonry blocks the nearby company could fabricate. Especially intriguing is the Methodist Church, that really serves as a visual catalog for all the different types of brick the company could supply to a building project.

Many of Haydenville’s buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. While this is a great honor, and could possibly pave the way for tax credit incentives on a building rehab, the listing wouldn’t necessarily prevent any of these unique buildings from demolition.

If you didn’t get a chance to look at the town’s unique architecture, here are a couple images from our quick trip there a couple years ago.

With huge chunks of roof and wall sections torn away, demolition became the only viable option.

That was our hope until powerful storms ripped through Williams County less than a week ago.

In a matter of minutes, strong winds tore the roof from the building. Whole sections of wall were destroyed in the process, leaving gaping holes open to the elements. The damage compromised the building’s structural integrity, and the village moved quickly to demolish it.

Although the Edgerton Historical Society had lost its preservation battle for the building, members continued to encourage the village to save as many building artifacts and architectural components as possible.

The passion members showed in their desire to preserve the town hall will help them cope with the sudden loss of their Top Opportunity; but, as Shirley Krill states, “We have lost our greatest treasure in Edgerton.” There are still some forces that even the greatest passion for preservation can’t overcome.

Activity around the building is now focused on efforts to pluck artifacts out of the rubble. Unfortunately, architectural components such as the grand staircase will likely be lost.

Special thanks to Shirley Krill for providing information and images.

A historical view of Edgerton's Town Hall

If there is one word that could most aptly describe residents of Edgerton and how they feel about their town hall, it would be passionate. That’s certainly the sense Joyce and I could feel when we visited the village a couple years ago on a Top Opportunity site visit. The Edgerton Historical Society, headed by Shirley Krill, had led the charge to nominate the Edgerton Town Hall to our annual list of great Ohio preservation opportunities.

Edgerton is a small village in the northwestern corner of Ohio, in Williams County. Perhaps its most recognizable historic landmark is the town hall. Constructed in the mid-1880s as part public meeting space and part performance venue, it’s stood as the heart of the community for generations. Over the years it played host to concerts, plays, elections, civic meetings, class commencements, dances, even basketball games. It was a place of dates and first kisses, a place to find one’s voice when it came to debate on public issues, and it was a place that inspired civic pride throughout the community.

It was a place to celebrate personal accomplishments, large and small, and it was a place where passion—the best type of passion, the passion that moves a community forward—resided. The building had a history with the community. They were intertwined, and after a history measured in centuries, you should not try to separate one from the other for fear of causing great harm to both. But I digress, speaking as a preservationist. Sometimes a building can only be seen as the sum of its board feet of wood and the quantity of its brick. When this happens, the time-worn creak of the pine step does not convey a rich history and bright potential, only the mindful lament of a building past its prime.

We worry when this happens to a building—when it’s judged only as it stands today, and not judged based on its past history or future potential. It can be difficult to look past boarded-up windows, stained plaster, and peeling paint, to see a rehab project worth undertaking. You can destroy a collection of wood and brick much easier, and without regret, than you can destroy a piece of living history, or a promising building project. At its heart, this is why we created the Top Opportunity program. We want the residents of the community to see their community landmark as much more than just the sum of its building components, based on its current condition. We want the residents to remember again (or to learn) what an important role the building played in a community’s history. We want the residents to get excited about the future of their community that includes their community landmark. We name Top Opportunities because we want to help change local attitudes so the thinking shifts from “We can’t save that old building” to “Let’s all work together to save our community landmark.”

So, we found ourselves in Edgerton a couple years ago, doing what we could to help change attitudes and magnify the community voices speaking out in favor of preserving the Edgerton Town Hall.

Tomorrow: An update on the status of the Edgerton Town Hall.

At the Intersection of Preservation and Community Revitalization

Imagine world art, blossoming foliage, countless volumes of literature, and smooth jazz playing in the background.  This is the space Bertha Willis calls home in NoBo, a community in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville Historic District.  When this property was purchased three years ago it was part of a collaborative effort between Homeport (formerly Columbus Housing Partnership) and the City of Columbus to create an economically diverse urban community that would set the standard for neighborhood redevelopment.  Elements of historic preservation, revitalization, responsible environmental practices, and community development are being used to create NoBo.

“NoBo is a jewel of a project”, says Randy Black, Historic Preservation Officer for the City of   Columbus.  Bertha Willis’ home was rehabilitated under this unique neighborhood redevelopment initiative. The original staircase, mantle, and balustrade remain as prominent features in the home, though extensive work had to be done on the interior and exterior of the property.   Rehabilitation of the home, originally built in 1918, had to follow best practices for historic rehab under Section 106 review.   Section 106, administered by the Historic Preservation Office for the City of Columbus, attempts to maintain the historical and cultural significance of a home by guiding the rehab of features such as the porch, roof, gutters, exterior paint, and windows.   The HPO also guides infill development in historic districts. New builds should be designed with characteristics that “fit” in the neighborhood like scale, setbacks, and porches.  Since 2005 Homeport has rehabbed 18 homes and built 8 new properties to fill the vacant lots in the NoBo community.

“I wanted an older home with some history in the city.”  Bertha, a native of Cleveland, was drawn to the small community just east of Downtown Columbus from the start.  NoBo is on E. 21st St. nestled between E. Long St and Mt. Vernon Ave .   Realtors advised Bertha to wait 10 years for NoBo to mature and suggested properties in more established communities like Westgate and Merion Village.

Fortunately, Homeport does more than just build and rehab properties for low to moderate income home owners.  Homeport is committed to building vibrant, sustainable communities where one can live, work, shop, and be entertained in a pedestrian friendly neighborhood.   When asked about the neighborhood and its progress under Homeport, Bertha just smiles and says “The sense of community is strong and is still building, my neighbors are invaluable. It’s home and I feel good here. ”  In the two years that Bertha has been a resident of NoBo, Homeport has supported the neighborhood through homeowner education classes, provided a tool library, planted a community garden, and helped to organize a block watch.   Additionally, Homeport worked with the existing residents to improve their own homes.

“King-Lincoln used to be a thriving community, and that history was what really attracted me to the area.”  The King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood was the hub of African-American society in 1920’s Columbus complete with a commercial district, entertainment venues, and a middle class.  The renovation of the Historic Lincoln Theater was an integral part of Mayor Coleman’s 2002 initiative to revitalize the district.  In its heyday legendary artists like Count Basie and Cab Calloway graced the Lincoln’s stage.  The 80 year old building re-opened its doors in May 2009 with seating for 560, a ballroom, rehearsal studios, community events space, and a mix of resident performance groups.

Solar panels, rain gardens, and programmable HVAC and lighting from the convenience of your PDA all sound out of place in a historic district like King-Lincoln Bronzeville, but Homeport has found a way to incorporate green initiatives with historic design elements in NoBo.   Home to the “greenest house in Ohio,” the property at 258 N. 21st St was awarded the highest level of recognition, LEED Platinum Certification, by the U.S. Green Building Council.  Rehabbed homes like Bertha Willis’ and new development in the NoBo community boasts efficient appliances, low VOC carpets and paints, and the use of local materials in construction and design.

Interview with Resident of NOBO – Click Here.