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Heritage Ohio’s 2023 Preservation Month Photo Contest: And the winner is…..

The votes have been tallied and it’s time to announce this year’s winner. Congratulations go out to Brian Hiles for his photo of Elder High School in Cincinnati!

Photo of Elder High School

Be sure to catch the winning image on a future issue of Revitalize Ohio. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest and who voted for their favorite image.

Heritage Ohio’s 2023 Preservation Month Photo Contest | The Story of Historic Preservation

Help us celebrate Preservation Month this May by participating in our annual Preservation Month Photo Contest. This year’s theme is “The Story of Historic Preservation” and we’ll be looking for your great images that capture what YOU think celebrates historic preservation. In tandem with your image, we want to hear the great story that goes with it. Whether it’s a story of a formerly endangered building that has been saved, a story of the people who built it, or a story of the people today who love it, we want to know why your subject material is important.

Once you get that perfect image and write the story behind it, submit your entry using our online submission form below (available beginning April 14). Our Preservation Committee and Board of Trustees will choose finalists from all of the entries we receive, and then we’ll open the contest to online voting. As in years past, your online votes will determine the winner! The winning image will be featured on the cover of a future issue of Revitalize Ohio. Good luck!

Dates to remember

Entries accepted: Friday, April 14-Friday, May 12

Online voting of finalists: Friday, May 19-Thursday, May 25

Winner announced: Friday, May 26

Heritage Ohio’s 2022 Preservation Month Photo Contest: and the winner is…

Thank you to everyone who voted this past week for our entries. We’re pleased to announce the winning entry: A Moment Frozen in Time, submitted by Mary Beth Sills.

An intriguing setting combined with great public support for the entry translated into an emphatic contest win. Congratulations to Mary Beth! We’ll be featuring her winning image on a future cover of Revitalize Ohio. Thanks to everyone who voted.

Webinar: Division of Liquor Control Temporary Permits

Wednesday, July 6th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control Licensing Section will provide an overview of temporary permits including who can apply, what’s permitted and not, and how they interact with Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas (DORAs). The Division will explain how to apply for temporary permits online, too.

Heritage Ohio’s 2022 Preservation Month Photo Contest: vote for your favorite!

The entries have come in and our finalists have moved on to the online voting round of our Preservation Month Photo Contest. Check out our finalists below and vote for your favorite. Voting closes Monday, May 30, so don’t sleep on casting your vote for your favorite. We’ll announce the winner Tuesday, May 31. Good luck to our finalists, and thanks to everyone who submitted an entry.

Remember, the stakes are high: the winning image will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of Revitalize Ohio! Good luck!



Learn more about how each image conveys the spirit of preservation, in the photographer’s own words.

1. For the Love of Liberty: Our Powell Liberty and Delaware County Historical Societies, as well as our Liberty Township Trustees have been instrumental in ensuring the preservation of this, our 1876 farmhouse and home to generations of Bartholomews and Cases. We are so grateful to live in a community that protects its history while embracing its future.

2. Preserving Ohio’s Past for the Future: The white stone exterior of the Ohio Judicial Center captures the pride felt in Ohio’s history. On the front are 14 carved stone panels showing the important industries when the building was completed in 1933. The large art deco statues on either end of the building were proud statement of Ohio’s booming economy. The pride in preserving this historic building is the pride we have in the state of Ohio.

3. Walk Through: Often, I walk through buildings for many reasons including: evaluating conditions, showing property, checking construction progress, etc. When I captured this image, I was really focused on the door frame and how it invited me to walk through. Beyond the door frame, the stairs drew my eyes upward toward a future of possibilities for this space. Then there’s the light. The way in streamed in. It’s like the past was right there and so was the future.

4. Kaleidoscope Carnivore Cafe: The Toledo Zoo’s Carnivore Cafe is one of the most creative adaptive uses in NW Ohio, having been converted from the Carnivora House to the Carnivore Cafe. Now the Toledo Zoo’s most popular eatery, during the famous “Lights Before Christmas” display the cafe literally glows.

5. A Moment Frozen In Time: Taken in Cambridge’s Underground store front this image showcases a prop used during the few tours given to the community to help preserve this rare space.

Webinar: Ohio’s Historic Opera Houses & Theatres

Thursday, May 5th – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Heritage Ohio is excited to partner with the Ohio Arts Council for an in-depth look at Ohio’s historic theatres and opera houses. We’ll begin with the cultural history and development of these storied institutions, then transition to stories of several rural opera houses and theatres making significant economic and cultural impact in their communities, and conclude with four case studies of successful restoration and preservation efforts from around the state.

Featured Theatres & Opera Houses

Twin City Opera House – McConnelsville
The Twin City Opera House has been in continuous operation since it opened as an opera house and town hall in 1892. Today, 130 years later, the opera house continues host a variety of live performances, movies, and community events.
 
Ashland Schine’s Theatre – Ashland
The theatre first opened its doors as a deco-style movie theater in 1942. Over the years, the building entered a period of decline, eventually closing its doors in 2009. In 2015, a dedicated group of volunteers known as the Ashland Schine’s Theatre Organization purchased the theatre and began to restore it with the goal of making Ashland “Schine” in 2022.
 
Murphy Theatre – Wilmington
This historic grand theatre was built in 1918 as a gift to the people of Wilmington. More than 100 years later, it has become an economic boost to the community and the center of activities in Clinton County, with a wide variety of programming attracting audiences from miles away to shop, eat, and enjoy downtown Wilmington before and after shows.
 
St Marys Theatre and Grand Opera House – St. Marys
Built in 1895 as a performance theater and later modified as a movie house in 1930s and 1940s, the historic theatre is now under rehabilitation. Friends of the St. Marys Theatre and Opera House, Inc., is transforming the space into a vibrant performing arts center featuring artistic and educational performances for generations to come and is expected to reopen in September 2023.



Preservation Month Webinar: Design Review: How NOT to be the Hysterical Review Board

Tuesday, May 24th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

As design review boards go, it seems like landmines are lurking everywhere: bad applicants, misinformed board members, apathetic city governments, bullying property owners, and murky ordinances can cause the board’s best efforts to go awry. Hear from Ohio design review veterans on how they’ve reacted to difficult situations, and have built design review programs to function fairly and efficiently.

Preservation Month Webinar: Design Review 101

Wednesday, May 11th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Join us for an introduction to design review with Nathan Bevil of the State Historic Preservation Office. We’ll touch on topics such as legal framework, design guidelines, board service, the decision-making process & framework, and running fair & efficient meetings.

Our Presenter

Nathan Bevil, Community Planning & Preservation Manager, holds a bachelor’s degree in history and historic preservation from Mary Washington College and a Master of Historic Preservation degree from the University of Georgia. He administers the CLG program, manages the Building Doctor program, guided the development of the State Historic Preservation Plan, and provides technical assistance to communities on local historic preservation matters.

Heritage Ohio’s 2022 Preservation Month Photo Contest | The Spirit of Historic Preservation

May will be here before we know it, and that brings Preservation Month. And we’re planning to celebrate in style. Already a momentous month for the organization (we’ll be saying good bye to Joyce Barrett, and welcoming Matt Wiederhold as our new executive director) we’re also working on a Preservation Month Webinar Series. Plus, our Preservation Month Photo Contest will launch in late April.

This year’s theme is “The Spirit of Historic Preservation” and we want to know what that means to you, and how you convey that spirit in your photo entry. It could be an artistic image of your favorite historic Ohio building, a vibrant Main Street in action, or a beautiful home awaiting its rehab hero.

Once you get that perfect image, submit your entry using our online submission form below (available beginning April 25). Our Preservation Committee will choose finalists from all of our entries, and we’ll open the contest to online voting. As in years past, your online votes will determine the winner!

Remember: the winner’s prize includes their winning image featured on the cover of Revitalize Ohio! Good luck!

Dates to remember

Entries accepted: Monday, April 25-Monday, May 16 at noon

Online voting of finalists: Monday, May 23-Monday, May 30

Winner announced: Tuesday, May 31

Preservation Month Photo Contest 2021: And the winner is…

Update 5/31: We’ve tallied the votes and we’re pleased to announce the winner of the 2021 Preservation Month Photo Contest:

Devin Brautigam of Sidney submitted this striking image of the Big Four Bridge,  Sunrise Over Big Four, and the voters have voted. Congratulations, Devin!

We’ll feature Devin’s winning entry on the cover of a future issue of Revitalize Ohio.

Thanks to all of our photographers who submitted their images, our finalists who provided five stunning entries for us to choose from, everyone who voted, and our website chatters who talked up their favorites and supported our photographers.

Photographer’s statement:
Sunrise Over Big Four
The “Big Four Bridge” in Sidney, OH. Many call it the “Gateway into Shelby County”. The bridge was constructed in 1923-1924. Some folks lost their lives during the construction of this, which I believe, adds to the historical nature of the structure.

The bridge has been deteriorating over the last several years. While downtown Sidney has started alot of revitalization, improving it’s courthouse area, I really hope one way or another we can keep this bridge maintained before it’s too late. In the photo you can see the cracks and chucks of concrete that’s either been weathered away or have fallen. The condition of the bridge has been a popular topic among the community, many folks worrying about safety. As a hometown photographer of Sidney, this bridge has not only served a purpose for what it is, but it’s allowed me to really be creative and grow as an artist.

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Medina’s House of Treasures: The Restoration of the McDowell-Phillips House Webinar

Wednesday, May 26th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

In 2019, the Medina County Historical Society society held a capital drive to purchase and preserve the iconic McDowell-Phillips house located at 205 S. Prospect street in Medina. This beautiful Queen Anne Shingle-style home was built in 1890 by R.M. McDowell. Located in the Bankers Row historic district the house features 7 fireplaces, and 14 rooms; considered the largest house in Medina.

Join us during Preservation Month to learn about this successful project.

Presenters

Brian FeronPresident of the Medina County Historical Society
Born and raised in Medina County, Brian is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in Business Administration. He retired in 2020, after working in senior management positions in customer relations, inside sales and technical support in the steel, toy, plumbing and lighting industries. Brian joined the Medina County Historical Society Board in 1999 and has served several terms as president. Key projects he has worked on recently include a $150,000 capital campaign in 2016 to improve the basement; drainage; foundation; and museum space in the John Smart House, a 1886 Queen Anne Victorian owned by the historical society and used as a public museum.

Matt WiederholdExecutive Director of Main Street Medina
Matt Wiederhold has been involved in community development and revitalization for 20 years, and is a graduate of the National Main Street Institute. He currently serves as the original and current executive director of Main Street Medina, in Medina Ohio. A 1992 graduate of the University of Toledo with a degree in art history, focused on American art and architecture from 1860-1930.

 

 

The Preservation Month Photo Contest – stay tuned for finalists and online voting!

Update 5/17: We’ve received some great entries and we’ll open voting soon. You can choose your favorite!

Preservation Month is just around the corner and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the spirit of revitalization and preservation in a (hopefully) soon-to-be post-Covid Ohio than to bring back our photo contest. The contest is open and we’re ready to receive entries.

Just complete the form below to submit your entry (one entry per person, please) and put these dates on your calendar:
Entries accepted: April 26-May 14
Finalists announced: May 21
Online voting: May 21-28
Winner announced: May 31

Good luck! You can enter your image below.

Need some inspiration? Check out our 2019 winner Harrison Wicks’ entry below of the historic former Erie Depot in downtown Kent.

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