Kickstarting Preservation
As we all know, funding and fundraising for preservation projects can be both difficult and frustrating at times. While traditional avenues may still bring in a larger sum, crowdfunding websites may be a great place to get your fundraising campaign started and to hone your message to potential investors. By far the most popular crowdfunding site is kickstarter.com. Kickstarter was launched in 2009 to fund creative projects such as artwork, music projects, and other creative endeavors. Soon after, a multitude of projects from every imaginable facet of creativity came pouring into the site. According to the website, over 30,000 projects have been funded by over 2.5 million people to the tune of $3.5 million and counting.
I have participated in a few Kickstarter projects, an even split between products I wanted to invest in and receive, and philanthropic donations. While visiting one of my favorite blogs, I saw a story for a Kickstarter proposal for the Blue Mouse Theatre in Tacoma, Washington. I wondered how common preservation projects were on Kickstarter. After playing around with different search keywords, I found several successfully funded preservation-related projects. I’ve selected a few for variety’s sake, but I suggest you take a look for yourself.
- Save Mid-Century Modern Architect Andrew Geller’s Archive
- Save the Historic Patio Theater
- Preserve Chicago’s Living History of Improvised Music
- Cleveland Architecture Coloring Book
If you’re thinking about trying a crowdfunded campaign, I have a few suggestions for you. First and foremost, do some research. See if there are similar projects out there and talk to those fundraisers about their experience with it. Find out what they would have done differently. Also, take a look around the web and get some books on the topic. It’s a relatively new concept, so there are plenty of new books coming out that address crowdfunding and similar topics. One I read recently was Makers by former Wired Magazine Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson. The book deals with a lot of topics that revolve around small-batch manufacturing, which Anderson sees as a major future component of manufacturing. One chapter is devoted to Kickstarter and the experiences of some inventors with the site. The material is very translatable for any preservation project.
Second, have a great story to tell. In my opinion, there is nothing more important than having a good story to pitch to these potential investors. I would wager that even the most amazing gadgets funded at hundreds of thousands of dollars on Kickstarter won people over with the amazing stories told in the video posted on each project page. So, as a preservationist, you’re going to want to tell the history of the building, what it means to the community, why it needs to be saved, and what you want to happen with the structure. In addition, this is a great way to get feedback on your story. When your project is funded, ask your funders about your story and what else they would have liked to have heard.
A major component of Kickstarter is the tiered-rewards system for backers. You set the values and rewards. I strongly urge you to make them count while being fulfillable. Often, projects promise the world, get a lot of money, and then realize they have to fulfill what they promised. So keep them intriguing, reasonable for the amounts, and something you want to offer. A night of tours might be much more rewarding to you and the donor than an agonizing marathon session of personalized, handwritten thank you notes.
Finally, make your goal achievable. Nothing will doom your project faster than aiming for the moon. You may need $100,000 to preserve the windows of a historic building, but wouldn’t it be nicer to get the $10,000 from Kickstarter and plan the rest of your fundraising strategy around that momentum. Remember, it’s an all or nothing game with most crowdfunding sites, so plan appropriately.
Combating Vacant Property Workshop
If you missed the vacant property workshop or you’d like to review the materials, you can find them all below.
The Legal Approach to Nuisance Property – Matthew Yourkvitch, esq.
The Cost of Vacant Property & Solutions You Can Use – Alison Goebel, Ph.D.
Sandusky’s Vacant Property Registry – Sandusky Fire Inspector Stephen Rucker
- Sandusky Vacant Property Ordinance
- Vacant/Abandoned Building Evaluation Form
- Commercial/Industrial Vacant Building Plan
Painesville Vacant Property Registry – Doug Lewis and Cathy Bieterman
"Scene" Anything Good Lately?
Having been out a little over a year, Scene in Ohio is one of many user-generated tourist tools offered by TourismOhio. On the Scene in Ohio website, users can explore venues that have appeared on TV or in a movie, the famous actors and actresses from Ohio, and plenty of trivia for the cinephile.
In addition to visiting the sites listed on the website, I think the best part of Scene in Ohio is it invites Ohioans to share their local knowledge and enhance the experience of the website. From the early days of Vaudeville and silent film to today’s blockbusters and foodie television shows, you’ll find plenty of places to visit around the state; to experience for yourself why these films and shows were filmed there.
There are plenty of amazing experiences to be had in Ohio this fall. TourismOhio also offers a collection of Grim Attractions, just in time for Halloween. You can also take advantage of the fall colors peaking now with one of their 2012 Autumn Adventures. Remember to plan an afternoon stop in one of Ohio’s Main Street communities to get in some holiday shopping and a great meal too.
Me, I’m going to plan a trip to the A Christmas Story House in Cleveland. It was my favorite movie when I was a child! “Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian.”
Ohio Main Street Program Membership Update Webinar
If you were unable to attend our recent webinars on the changes to the Ohio Main Street Program beginning in 2013, you can view the October 17th webinar below. Just click the link and it’ll take you to the recording. Please feel free to share these resources with anyone in your community. If you have any questions, please send them to Jeff Siegler at jsiegler@heritageohio.org or by calling 614.258.6200.
Presentation PDF
Recording of Webinar
Old World v. New World
I’m in London this week, and miraculously there is not rain in the forecast the entire time I’m here! Part of my vacation assignment was to write something on our blog about my trip. On the long flight from Dallas to London, I wondered what exactly I was going to write about. London offers a lot interesting topics to cover over preservation, revitalization, or whatever else flitted into my sleep-deprived head. But once I landed and made my way to Tower Hill and my hotel, my mind wandered into familiar territory for preservationists: Why does Europe seem to be more capable of reusing its older buildings and resisting the urge to tear them down?
These are more musings to myself than hardened fact, but here are a few thoughts I’ve had over the past few days:
- Some people back home say Americans are too progress oriented, but so are Londoners. Looking just around the Tower Hill area, there are several skyscrapers and plenty of modern buildings. But there are also plenty of older buildings as well. Some have been completely remodeled, while others look virtually untouched since they were constructed over a century ago. I think many of the banking sector employees across from my hotel would definitively say London is progress-minded, just like themselves. But I also think they have an appreciation for the past that is part of their cultural identities, both the the native Britons and the many foreigners who now call London home.
- On the topic of national/community identity, it is really interesting how Americans are unique in this realm, and I do think this may factor into our views of our own communities. I remember long ago, when I was an undergraduate, I was having a conversation with a Belgian girl. She asked me where my family was from. Like any American, I rattled off the list of countries where my ancestors hailed from and she immediately scoffed at the notion that I was anything other than an American. What she wanted to know was if I was from Ohio, or did my family lives somewhere else in The US. She hated that Americans tried to keep their heritage attached to places other than America, Europeans would never do such a thing (her opinion). She does make a good point though. Why do we as Americans hold multiple cultural heritages? Many of us have not met our family members who emigrated and came to America. Even more of us have never visited the country of family origin. But it remains important to us. [Pure speculation here] I wonder if/when Americans do embrace being “just American” with no ethic hyphens attached, will Americans develop a deeper appreciation for the cultural heritage of America? The buildings that defined our golden ages? There’s no way of knowing, but I think when we become “just American”, we’re going to see a growing importance in our cultural history. More than just we’re #1.
- One myth I hear frequently is “We tear our buildings down. In Europe, that doesn’t happen”. While it’s a generalization, I think it affects how American preservationists view the two worlds. Having been in London a for a little over a day, clearly things have been torn down and are going to be as the city continues to grow. A city this old has had plenty of fires, misguided development ventures (None more than those stucco and brick apartments near Hammersmith I saw off the Piccadilly line. Absolutely horrific.), and the like. We romanticize a certain period of time, have architectural styles we all love and others we wouldn’t miss. While London may have a few buildings that are a thousand years old, we have to look at how many of them survived, why, and what replaced the ones which did not. I often wonder if we, the old building lovers of America, would be so angry with old buildings being torn down if it were replaced with a building that was architecturally stunning, constructed with quality materials, and was meant to last more than 20 years? I think we would, but maybe we’d be a little less angry at what the suggested replacement was.
Now I’ve left out a lot of this discussion. Politics, funding, economic conditions, etc. Preservation and reuse of historic buildings is an amazingly complex issue, but we should be fortunate enough to be able to tackle it. So, what do you see as the most important root causation to our preservation issues in America? Let’s us know below in the comments section.
I’ll be share plenty of photos of my visit to London on Heritage Ohio’s Facebook page. Look for them to start appearing in the next few days.
Devin
Conference Registration is Open!
The 2012 Annual Preservation and Revitalization Conference will be held May 8-10 at the Grand Plaza Hotel in beautiful Downtown Toledo.
Early Bird Registration begins on March 1st!
Here are just a few of the sessions available to you at this year’s conference:
- Retail is Detail
- Show Me The Money!
- The Heritage Home Program
- Preservation Tours
- Alphabet Soup: Understanding Community Development Organizations
- Fundraising Salesmanship
- Improving Small Businesses
- Demystifying the Syndication Process
- All-Day How-To Repair Workshop
- LEED Historic Buildings
- Vistula Neighborhood Tour
- Developers’ Tour
- Downtown Toledo Walking Tour
- Warehouse District Tour
- Hardhat Tour of the Water Street Station
In addition to the conference schedule, we have a few special events for you this year. On Tuesday evening, The Legacy Circle Reception will be held at the historic Toledo Club. Following the conference day on Wednesday, there will be an evening tour of Toledo’s Olde West End neighborhood and a reception at the Mansion View Inn.
After May 3, please register by calling Vicki at 614-258-6200 or registering at the conference on the day you attend.
College Week
Heritage Ohio is excited to share with you 3 of Ohio’s collegiate historic preservation programs. Discover what the universities and their programs can offer to you and your children, and see what they’re doing to promote historic preservation in Ohio!
Tuesday, April 17th at 2:00 PM
Belmont College’s Building Preservation Technology Program
Register Here
Thursday, April 19th at 10:00 AM
Ursuline College’s Historic Preservation Programs
Register Here
Thursday, April 19th at 2:00 PM
Youngstown State University’s Historic Preservation Programs
Register Here
Main Street Fundraising Success Stories
In addition to community support, fundraising is key to a Main Street Program’s success. But building a successful fundraising event takes a lot of planning, member engagement, and creativity. Who better to ask than our Main Street Managers to discover what a successful fundraising event looks like! In addition to the featured selections below, you can find more in our newest issue of Revitalize Ohio.
Portsmouth
Main Street Portsmouth’s most successful fundraiser is our Heritage Golf Tournament. The event is well-sponsored by individual and corporate sponsors, who also donate door prizes. In additional to generous sponsorship, there are also many volunteers from the community and Main Street Portsmouth.
The Heritage Golf Tournament takes place at the historic Elks Country Club Golf Course, which was designed by Donald Ross, famed Scottish golfer and designer of over 400 courses. In addition to a relaxing round of golf, attendees can look forward to seeing the rich history of the club, as well as an award’s ceremony and gourmet dinner.
Last year’s tournament brought in over $11,000, easily making the Golf Tournament our most successful fundraiser of the year. This year’s Heritage Golf Tournament will be April 27, 2012.
Cambridge
The 9th Annual National Road Bike Show & Rib Fest in beautiful, historic downtown Cambridge, Ohio; located on the National Road ( Ohio State Route 40). Cambridge Main Street partners with the National Road Riders for great food and fun! The festival features the Ohio Bike Builders, a beer garden, live music and ribs! The schedule of events includes a fabulous Bike Show, 50/50 Drawing, Tattoo Contest, Live Auction, Hot Dog Eating Contest, Big Belly Contest and much, much more! Come and enjoy a great day of events and beautiful new streetscape in the heart of downtown Cambridge, June 18,2012 from 11am to 8pm.
Mount Vernon
The Heritage Centre Association sponsors the Annual Rubber Duck River Race for the benefit of furthering our mission of promoting Downtown Mount Vernon. The Heritage Centre Association will conduct the contest for our second season as part of the First Friday event, occurring this year on September 7, 2012. Come for a chance to win one of the following prizes:
First Prize, in association with Donley Ford Lincoln of Mount Vernon, is a 2-year pre-paid lease OR up to $3,000 cash (determined by total number of Entry Packets sold); Second Prize, in association with Herald’s Appliances and Electronics, is a big screen TV with sound system; Third Prize, in association with several downtown businesses, is a $500 Downtown Shopping spree to be spent at winner’s discretion from Third Prize Sponsors List; Fourth Prize in association with the City of Mount Vernon, is a 2013 Family Season Pass to the Hiawatha Water Park/Pool.
The contest can be entered at the Heritage Centre Association office located at 102 South Main Street, First Fridays, Mount Vernon Makers Market, Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival and other HCA events prior to the race through September 7, 2012. Contestants will make a $20 donation to receive an entry packet and sponsor a numbered rubber duck. There will be a maximum of 2,000 ducks. Each duck will have a number printed on it, with each number only represented once. Each entry packet includes the chance to win, along with coupons for other valuable items from local businesses, as well as a day pass to the Hiawatha Water Park and Pool. Buy one, or buy five, and get one free for a “six quack”! The more packets sold, the more money raised for promoting Downtown Mount Vernon.
The first year of the Rubber Duck River Race we raised more than any previous fundraiser in our history! We see plenty of continued growth for the Rubber Duck River Race, and were so excited to see the city and community support our efforts.In our first year, we raised over $9,000 and hope to see an even more successful Rubber Duck River Race in 2012!
We're Renaming Windows…What's Your Suggestion?
Windows has been Heritage Ohio's Preservation & Revitalization publication since 2001, keeping Ohioans updated about the latest news.
As you’ve probably seen, Heritage Ohio has a new look for 2012. However, it’s not just our new logo. While our member publication, Windows, has kept you updated about Ohio preservation & revitalization over the past 11 years, it’s time to freshen up the look of it (including the title) and that’s where we need your help. We’re renaming Windows and want your suggestions!
Either like our Facebook page and post your suggested magazine name on our wall, OR enter your suggested name in the comments section below. We will accept naming entries until Friday, January 20, 2012.
The winning suggestion will receive a complimentary one-night stay for two at the Georgian Manor Inn – B&B in Norwalk. If we receive multiple identical winning suggestions, one name will be chosen from random to receive the one-night stay at the Georgian Manor.
Good luck and send us your suggestions!
Update: the issue we’ve had with our comments section has been resolved, so you’re welcomed to post your suggestion below!