2021 Annual Conference Agenda

8:00 – 12:00

CANCELLED: Main Street 101 – Ticket Required

1:00 – 5:00

Main Street Networking
Sponsored by OHM Advisors

6:00 – 9:00

Legacy Circle Reception at the Westcott House – Ticket Required, Vaccination Required for reception.
Sponsored by GBX Group

7:00 – 8:00

Fun Run

8:00 – 9:00

Registration at the Hollenbeck Bayley Conference Center

9:00 – 10:00

Welcome & Opening Plenary:

Main Streets as the Next Thing
Dr. Mindy Thompson Fullilove

Main Streets have historically been central areas of American cities.  Though many Main Streets crumbled from competition from malls and now internet shopping, others have hung on.  The Main Streets that remain have a great deal to teach us about our heritage of citymaking, and the ways in which the gifts from the past can help us move forward. 

10:15 – 11:15

Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits
Mariangela Pfister
This session will review the application for federal historic preservation tax credits, where you will learn how to perfect your submissions, including what is involved in submitting a complete/reviewable application to the State Historic Preservation Office and National Park Service. Mariangela Pfister from the State Historic Preservation Office will explain best practices and considerations when completing the federal and state Historic Preservation Certification Application documents to ensure your rehabilitation will be reviewable and will meet the U.S. Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Tips will be offered on submission requirements, efficiently navigating the application review process, and rehabilitation work items that may require additional attention (e.g. window work).

Approved for 1.00 HSW credit.

Main Street Roles & Responsibilities
Frances Jo Hamilton

Most volunteers join Main Street because they want to plant flower pots, help set up concerts or farmers’ markets, like cleaning streets with our friends or installing public art. Well, organizations can not survive on these sexy parts alone. Roles and responsibilities of the leadership and how the organization is supposed to function if often lost under the current of all of the activity. In this session we will talk about roles from your Executive Director, Board Members, Committee Chairs, Event Chairs and so on. How to keep new volunteers rolling in and how to keep existing volunteers from getting overworked or bored. The right structure will help you properly utilize your volunteer community and sustain the health of your organization.

Preservation and Representation
Central State University Scholars

Selected Central State University history students will present a session on “Sense of Place,” from a personal perspective on the meaning and importance of political, geographic, and social places.

Tour: Introduction to Downtown Springfield
Kevin Rose

Was Springfield really founded by Jebediah Springfield? Do they call Springfield the Rose City after local historian Kevin Rose? And why is it also called the Champion City, Home City, and Town at the End of the Pike? Why does a city need so many nicknames? Why did the Wright Brothers’ patent their flying machine in Springfield and not Dayton? Is Springfield the center of the known universe? Join Kevin Rose has he answers these questions and more on a brief tour of Downtown Springfield. By the end of the tour, you will no doubt understand why Springfield is the coolest city in the state.

Approved for 1.00 LU credit.

11:30 – 12:30

Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits
Lisa Brownell

This session will review the application for federal historic preservation tax credits, where you will learn how to perfect your submissions, including what is involved in submitting a complete/reviewable application to the State Historic Preservation Office and National Park Service. Mariangela Pfister from the State Historic Preservation Office will explain best practices and considerations when completing the federal and state Historic Preservation Certification Application documents to ensure your rehabilitation will be reviewable and will meet the U.S. Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Tips will be offered on submission requirements, efficiently navigating the application review process, and rehabilitation work items that may require additional attention (e.g. window work).

Learn about the application and competitive scoring process used to evaluate applications for the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. Lisa Brownell from the Ohio Development Services Agency will review all scoring measures and explain funding pools, application review timing, and program requirements. Lisa will also review the Pipeline Initiative, which provides grants and technical assistance to prepare properties for tax credit redevelopment through National Register nomination, explaining current funding opportunities and application processes.

Approved for 1.00 HSW credit.

Illuminate Springfield: Light-Based Festival & Other Program Experiments
Marta Wojcik

Is the light-based art festival a type of event that only larger metropolitan areas can afford? As Springfield is gearing up to pilot the first edition of their light-based art festival, we will walk through the process of getting here, and facilitate a conversation about the need, purpose and feasibility of such initiatives in small to mid-size communities. Members of larger communities are encouraged to join us as well to share their perspective on this subject.

Young Ohio Preservationists Presentations:

Podcasts Save Preservation: New Waves in Documenting Cultural Significance
Deqah Hussein-Wetzel & Carrie Rhodus

Holder of History: Club Azteca and the Chicanx and the Mexican-American Immigrant Story
Bella Sin & Jessica Wobig

In preservation, demolition is often considered a four-letter word. This presentation spins that notion on its head and presents the need for inclusion in historical awareness and placemaking. In 1932,  Cleveland’s first Mexican pioneer families, who settled in northeastern Ohio beginning in the 1910s, formed Club Azteca.  The club was incorporated by 1945 and opened Ohio’s first permanent Mexican-American social hall in 1957 within the Gordon Square Historic District. By 2020, new mixed-use development was planned to replace the building, but the Mexican-American and broader Latinx community rallied together to raise awareness about Cleveland’s immigrant story.  Find out how a grassroots campaign brought awareness to underrepresented histories, and how you can support Club Azteca so that it can continue to serve as a place of inspiration for generations to come.

Adventures in Preservation
Donald Boerger

Listen and learn more as Donald Boerger shares his journey, experiences & lessons learned for a champion of historic preservation, revitalization & community identity in Marysville, Ohio. Donald is activist, urban planner, and currently serves as the Ward 4 Councilman for the City of Marysville. Saving old buildings and neighborhoods is an effective way to provide continuity in the places where we live. As a member of the old neighborhood, he believe it is his responsibility to preserve the integrity of our heritage. 

Tour: COhatch Springfield
Rachel Erie

Welcome to COhatch The Market. Restoring, repurposing and bringing back to life one of America’s largest and oldest public markets, the former Myer’s Market building, built in 1908 will offer the following amenities: A variety of coworking options, private offices, meeting space, event space, and a seasonal market to include locally grown produce, locally sourced meats and poultry, plus the finest baked goods and confections… additionally the widest variety of food and drink options all, under one roof.

Approved for 1.00 LU credit.

2:00 – 3:00

The Top 10 Things to Know About the National Register of Historic Places
Barbara Powers

Learn the basic facts about the National Register program and process for nominating properties. Session will include information about what National Register listing means and does not mean and share essential tips for completing successful National Register nominations for individual buildings and historic districts.

Approved for 1.00 LU credit.

Vibrant Communities
Kristi Tanner

The Vibrant Community Program recognizes that distressed communities may not have adequate resources to develop and implement economic development projects that can attract private investment and create new jobs in the community.

JobsOhio has identified 98 cities with populations between 5,000 and 75,000 and poverty rates that are at or above the state’s average poverty rate that are eligible for support in this program.

The Vibrant Community Program will offer competitive grants of up to $2 million for development projects that help transform areas within a distressed community.

Approved for 1.00 LU credit.

Confessions of a Residential Rehabber
Matt Wiederhold

Enjoy this presentation by veteran Main Street director, Matt Wiederhold, as he shares experiences and architectural discoveries from his 25 years of renovating historic homes across Northern Ohio, ranging from a cozy 1,100 square foot workmans cottage to a 4,500 square foot Shingle-style mansion. Currently working on house number 10, Matt will share valuable tips and tricks of the trade he’s learned along the way. Is he a rehab addict, or is his obsession with old houses driven by life choices? Join the session and YOU decide.

2:00 – 4:15

Tour: George & Sarah Gammon Underground Safehouse: An African American Landmark
Dale Henry

There are not many landmarks associated with the African-American community in Clark County, Ohio. One outstanding example of historic preservation has transformed what was once an integral part of the network of underground railroad safehouses from the Ohio River to Canada, from a dilapidated, unsafe structure to the pride of the southside as a museum.

Since 1999, a dedicated group of citizens have been on a journey to promote the level of integrity and authenticity associated with sites of this significance in American history.

This session will inform visitors how a family of color, at tremendous risk, helped escaping slaves to gain their freedom during one of the most turbulent eras in the history of the United States.

Approved for 2.00 HSW credits.

3:15 – 4:15

How to Secure Capital Funding for Your Cultural Facility Project
Jessica DeLong

This session will walk you through the steps to secure a grant for construction projects related to visual & performing arts centers, museums, science & technology centers, art education facilities, and local historical facilities.  Everything you need to know when you approach your local State Representatives to receiving project approval for a grant from the OFCC will be discussed. 

Approved for 1.00 LU credit.

Diversifying Revenues for Main Street Organizations
Cristie Thomas

Across the Main Street network, Main Street organizations are hard at work positively impacting their communities and doing so with very limited budgets. Main Street organizations are known for their dedication, resilience, and resourcefulness. By increasing revenue to support operations, Main Street organizations will increase their internal capacity and their ability to more robustly achieve their missions. In this session, participants will learn about a variety of revenue streams, including fundraising, grants, merchandise, programs, sponsorships and major contributions. In addition, participants will learn about different ideas in each category to help spark creativity!

Tour: Downtown Art Crawl
Kevin Rose

Public art has played a key role in shaping Springfield’s urban environment and giving live to local revitalization efforts, from the Wittenberg’s Community Walls Project of the 1970s to Project Jericho’s work in the 2010s. Join historian Kevin Rose on this Public Art Crawl as we explore several significant works, including David Black’s Flipover, Mariah Kaminsky’s Rose City mural, and Ronald Bladen’s controversial sculpture Oracle’s Vision. Meet outside COhatch Market, 101 South Fountain Avenue, with your favorite drink in a DORA cup.

Approved for 1.00 LU credit.

4:15 – 6:00

Vendors’ Reception & Pitch Party

6:30 – 8:00

Networking at Mother Stewart’s Brewing Company

7:00 – 8:00

Fun Run & Yoga

8:00 – 9:00

Registration at the Hollenbeck Bayley Conference Center

9:00 – 9:45

Opening Plenary
ODOD Director Lydia Mihalik

10:00 – 11:00

Structures: The Ups & The Downs
Don Gillie

Our communities are filled with historic buildings.  A lot of people make statements about structural integrity, without any qualifications. This session will be an overview of legacy structural systems what has caused damage, how serious is the damage and how extensive will be  the repairs.

Approved for 1.00 HSW credit.

My Committees are Supposed to be Doing What?!
Frances Jo Hamilton

Do you have defunct committees that have forgotten how to even hold a meeting? Maybe you have one or two who have not met since the lockdown. Even our longest running Main Street communities get a little lost in the hustle of work and committees can often lose their way. In this session we will answer the super hard questions around what each of the four-point approach committees are supposed to be doing and how they should be functioning in the greater makeup of the Main Street approach.

Tour: Downtown Victorian Walking Tour
Kevin Rose

At the end of the 19th century, Springfield leaders understood that great architecture was part of their civic duty. With downtown as their canvas, architects painted a streetscape that exemplified Springfield’s past achievements and future aspirations, including three of the best Victorian buildings in the Midwest: Warder Library (1890), City Building and Market (1890), and Bushnell Building (1893). Join Kevin Rose, national president of the Victorian Society on this tour through Springfield’s Golden Age of architecture. Meet in the Fountain Avenue Esplanade (in front of the Courtyard Hotel).

Approved for 1.00 LU credit.

10:00 – 12:00

Tour & Presentation: Stewardship of the Westcott House:  Informing Decisions Through Assessment, Design, & Management – Ticket Required
Lauren Pinney Burge & Bob Loversidge

The Burton J. Westcott House, completed in 1908, is located in Springfield, Ohio, and is the first design of Frank Lloyd Wright in Ohio. Mr. Westcott, an automobile manufacturer, and his wife Orpha, were prominent citizens of Springfield; Burton served as the mayor of Springfield.   In 2001, a Historic Structure Report (HSR) was prepared for the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and The Westcott House Foundation.  Their desire was to stabilize the structure which was in severe disrepair from termite damage and water infiltration, and had been altered from a single family residence into seven apartments in the 1940s.  The work also included recommendations for restoration and future use of the house as a museum.

Join our presenters’  Lauren Pinney Burge, AIA and Bob Loversidge, FAIA in a double-session on-site to learn about the steps to assessing the structure, creating the HSR, key areas of restoration, and continued stewardship and management of the house museum.

Approved for 2.00 HSW credits.

11:15 – 12:15

Applying for and Managing CDBG Downtown Revitalization and Target of Opportunities Grants
Mary Oakley

Mary Oakley with the Office of Community Development will discuss best practices in applying for and managing a CDBG grants: environmental reviews, section 106 compliance, procurement practices, labor standards and deadlines.

These are competitive grant programs for non-entitlement communities.

Approved for 1.00 LU credit.

Epic Experiences
Melinda Huntley & Chris Schutte

Most of us are familiar with the importance of providing experiences as you work to attract visitors to your community. As everyone gets into the experience game, however, competition grows. According to authors Pine and Gilmore, the next phase for differentiating yourself is transformation. The Ohio Travel Association has done its own research on elevating experiences to a transformative level and is launching an Epic Group Experiences designation program for businesses throughout the Midwest. Learn more about this program to attract groups to your downtown. During this hands-on session, we’ll talk about how businesses and communities can create experiences that go beyond the ordinary, and we’ll practice using a fun tool guaranteed to generate innovative ideas. Then hear how Springfield created an experiential way to explore its downtown through Sip.Shop.Dine

Tour: The Wren Lofts Hardhat Tour
Jonathan Sandvick & Peter Ketter

A group of local citizens worked to save this building from active demolition back in 2014, which resulted in its sale to the Turner Foundation the following year. Turner immediately began plans to convert the former department store into market rate housing, which has been an arduous seven-year journey. This transformative downtown project, set to open in 2023, is a case study in the immense value of state historic tax credits in Tier 3 legacy cities. Simply put, an adaptive reuse project of this scale in a city like Springfield would not be possible without these credits. Join architects and preservationists from Sandvick Architects, as well as the project historian at the Turner Foundation, on this hard hat tour of the future Wren Lofts.

Approved for 1.00 HSW credit.

1:00 – 3:00

Tour: Hartman Rock Garden
Kevin Rose

Join Kevin Rose on a tour of the Hartman Rock Garden, a nationally recognized visionary art environment by self-taught artist Ben Hartman. Ben constructed every object by hand between 1932 and 1944 using concrete, metal, glass, stone, wood, and whatever else he could find. Following Ben’s death from silicosis in 1944, his widow Mary Hartman maintained and operated his historical rock garden for the next 53 years. In 2009, following a decade of decline due to Mary’s deteriorating health and eventual death, the Wisconsin-based Kohler Foundation purchased the site and began an extensive $1.6 million restoration. On this tour, Kevin will analyze the things that inspired Ben Hartman to create his art environment, including magazines, books, poetry, songs, radio programs, and film.

Self Transportation. 

1:00 – 5:00

Tour: Civil Rights Sites of Wilberforce – Ticket Required

Lunch Included. Self Transportation.