Rawson Block Easement

321 S Main St.
Findlay, OH 45840

December of 2004 was an exciting time for Heritage Ohio’s nascent easement program, when it accepted its first easement, taken on the Rawson Block located in downtown Findlay. A lot has changed since we accepted that first easement nearly 14 years ago, including exterior protection as a result of the easement.

Before the IRS adopted new regulations on easements and their donations, only the façade of a building was commonly “donated” in an easement agreement, and that was the case with the Rawson Block. However, our Rawson Block easement also included a loss of development rights, insuring there is never any building “up” on the site. Now, the IRS stipulates that for an owner to realize a charitable contribution (and subsequent federal tax deduction) the entire building envelope must be included under the terms of the easement. The IRS also enacted new regulations to ensure that only legitimate nonprofit organizations such as Heritage Ohio hold easements on historic properties. In fact, the Department of Justice went so far as to bring suit against the Trust for Architectural Easements over its easement acceptance practices.

As is the case with many of our easements, the agreement included stipulations for exterior alterations and stipulations restricting new construction either on the property or above the building (the loss of development rights mentioned earlier).

Working with the Rawson Block owners was a unique experience, too, as the LLC owner of the building comprised more than 50 community members who pooled their money to purchase and rehab a historic landmark in their downtown. And it’s a lesson we still enjoy sharing today: before you die of old age waiting for the rich developer to come riding in on his real estate unicorn to save your buildings, gather your residents together, pool your money, and save your places that matter NOW! It can be done, as the folks in Findlay can attest to.