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State Historic Preservation Officer Rachel Tooker has announced awards of $78,961 in federal
historic preservation grants to seven communities participating in the Ohio Historic Preservation
Office’s Certified Local Governments program. They include Berea, Green, Lancaster, New Richmond,
Parma, Portsmouth, and Shaker Heights.
Each year, 10 per cent of an annual allocation to Ohio from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s
Historic Preservation Fund is passed through to communities with certified historic preservation
programs. The Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society administers the
grants at the state level.
The grant projects include:
Berea: $16,800 to continue rehabilitation of the Little Red School House–Berea District 7
School. Work will include an architectural assessment of the structure for usability and Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, and repair of the chimney and slate roof. The work will
aid the community’s goal of re-establishing the school as a facility for public programs, such as
Art at the Schoolhouse. Local contact: Karen Ortiz, Secretary, City of Berea Heritage Architectural
Review Board, (440) 826-5816.
Green: $9,600 to develop design guidelines for the community and conduct public education
sessions on historic preservation issues and use of the guidelines. The project will also include a
training session for the local architectural review commission on the application and implementation
of design guidelines for consistent decision making with regard to locally designated historic
properties. Local contact: Wayne L. Wiethe, Planning Director, City of Green, (330) 896-6614.
Lancaster: $13,250 to revise and update design guidelines for the Old Lancaster Historic
District and amend the city’s existing historic preservation ordinance. Community Development Block
Grant funding will also be utilized in this project. The City will be working with the newly formed
Main Street Lancaster organization in administering the project. Local contact: John Hilliard,
Certified Building Department Administrator, City of Lancaster, (740) 687-6649.
New Richmond: $7,004 to continue long-term stabilization and preservation of the Ross Gowdy
House Museum by repairing or replacing seven windows on the west side of the structure. Matching
funds are being provided by Historic New Richmond, Inc. This is the second Certified Local
Government grant used to work on the museum’s windows. Local contact: David B. Kennedy, Village
Administrator, Village of New Richmond, (513) 553-4146.
Parma: $15,000 to continue stabilization of the 1849 Henninger House. A 2003 Certified Local
Government grant assisted with preparation of a master plan for the building and subsequent grants
have assisted with stabilizing and restoring key elements of it. The 2007 grant is to preserve and
protect the foundation by addressing moisture and drainage issues in and around the house. A key
property in the West Creek Reservation and Greenway Trail System, the Henninger House is being
restored for reuse as a trailhead facility. Local contact: Erik C. Tollerup, Director, Community
Development Department, City of Parma, (216) 661-7412.
Portsmouth: $8,895 to review and update the Boneyfiddle Historic District design guidelines.
The guidelines will be available on CD and posted on the City’s web site. The Design Review Board
will also receive formal training on application of the revised guidelines. Local contact: Jennifer
Hanlon, Director, City of Portsmouth Community Development Department, (740) 354-8807.
Shaker Heights: $8,412 to update, digitize, and reprint the City’s 1983 publication Shaker
Village Colors. An important resource and guide to exterior paint colors for residential
architecture dating from 1905 to 1939, it has served as a reference not only for Shaker Heights,
but for other communities throughout the state and midwest. It is being updated to provide
information on the color palette now available commercially that can authentically represent the
original exterior color standards for Shaker Village set forth in 1925, as well as other colors
recommended for residential architecture of this period. Local contact: Stacey Pfau, Planner,
Planning & Development Department, City of Shaker Heights, (216) 491-1433.
Background
The Certified Local Governments program recognizes communities who have provided for the protection
of historic properties as a function of local government. One of the benefits of participating in
the program is eligibility to apply for the grants, which are awarded annually on a competitive
basis.
Communities participating in the program use the Certified Local Government grants to identify
historic places and plan for their preservation, rehabilitate buildings listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, sponsor seminars and workshops, and develop architectural guidelines,
walking tour publications, videos, and other educational products.
Money for the grants comes from an annual allocation to Ohio from the U.S. Department of the
Interior’s Historic Preservation Fund, which derives its income from leases the federal government
sells for offshore oil-drilling rights. Money from sale of one natural resource is used for
conservation of other natural and historic resources.
Certified Local Government grants are awarded on a matching basis. The grant may constitute up to
60 percent of the project cost; the applicant must provide the remaining 40 percent through any
combination of cash or in-kind and donated services and materials. With the exception of Community
Development Block Grant funds, federal funds cannot be used to meet the matching share requirement
of Certified Local Government grants.
Recipients are recommended by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board, a state board of
citizens and professionals with expertise in history, architecture, archaeology, and related fields.
The board’s 17 members are appointed by the governor.
Forty-three communities currently participate in the Certified Local Governments program and are
eligible to apply for the grants, including Alliance, Aurora, Barberton, Berea, Canal Fulton, Canal
Winchester, Canfield, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Delaware, Dublin, Galion, Gallipolis,
Glendale, Green, Hudson, Lancaster, Lorain, Madison, Mansfield, Mariemont, Massillon, Medina,
Montgomery, Mt. Pleasant, New Richmond, Oberlin, Olmsted Falls, Oxford, Parma, Perrysburg,
Portsmouth, Salem, Shaker Heights, Springboro, Steubenville, Tipp City, Toledo, Waynesville,
Willoughby, and Zanesville.
To learn more about the Certified Local Governments program, call (614) 298-2000.
The Ohio Historic Preservation Office is Ohio’s official historic preservation agency. A part of
the Ohio Historical Society, it identifies historic places in Ohio, nominates properties to the
National Register of Historic Places, reviews federally-assisted projects for effects on historic,
architectural, and archaeological resources in Ohio, consults on conservation of older buildings
and sites, and offers educational programs and publications.
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Contact
Tom Wolf, Public Education Manager, Ohio Historic Preservation Office, (614) 298-2000, or via e-mail:
twolf@ohiohistory.org
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