News from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society July 1, 2013 For Immediate Release Contact: Tom Wolf Communications Ohio Historical Society 614.298.2000 or 614.297.2396 twolf@ohiohistory.org STATE BOARD RECOMMENDS SEVEN OHIO NOMINATIONS TO THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COLUMBUS, Ohio - Members of the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board have voted to recommend that nominations for seven properties in Ohio be forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places for her consideration They include: Akron / Summit County: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Headquarters, 1144 East Market St Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Headquarters was recommended for nomination to the National Register for its association with the history of commerce, industry, transportation and invention in Akron and the United States Goodyear was founded in 1898 and by 1916 had grown to become the world's largest tire manufacturer The nomination encompasses the Headquarters Building, historically known as Plant No 1, the earliest portion of which dates to 1909 Used for manufacturing until 1962, Plant No was transformed into the company's world headquarters and opened on Goodyear's 75th anniversary in 1973 Bexley / Franklin County:Capital University Historic District Boundary Increase, bounded by E Main St., Pleasant Ridge, Astor and College Aves A proposed expansion of the existing Capital University Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982 would include 20 campus buildings dating from 1876 to 1969 in the block bounded by E Main St and Pleasant Ridge, Astor and College avenues The earlier historic district encompassed a smaller portion of the campus with buildings dating from 1876, when Capital moved to Bexley, through 1928, and focused on the buildings' architectural significance The proposed expansion would update the National Register documentation to reflect Capital University's historical significance in the areas of education and religion, as well Cincinnati / Hamilton County: Kirby Road School, 1710 Bruce Ave. An imposing three-story brick school building completed in 1910, the Kirby Road School was recommended for nomination to the National Register for its history of association with the Northside neighborhood and for its local architectural significance as an example of the early 20th century Neoclassical style Cincinnati / Hamilton County: The Kinsey, 2415 Maplewood Ave Completed circa 1907, The Kinsey was built as a three-story luxury apartment building with two large units per floor The units feature oak floors, beamed ceilings, pocket doors, marble wainscoting and other high-quality materials and finishes that reflect the migration of prosperous early 20th-century Cincinnatians to newly developing neighborhoods on the outlying hillsides The Kinsey was recommended for nomination to the National Register as a representative example of Cincinnati apartment buildings of the era Mantua /Portage County: Mantua Center School, 11741 Mantua Center Rd Built in 1914 to consolidate Mantua Township's one-room schools into a single, centralized facility, the Mantua Center School was recommended for nomination to the National Register for its association with the history of education in Portage County and for its local significance as an example of the Neoclassical-style architecture of the era Smithville / Wayne County: Green Township High School, 484 E Main St A Smithville landmark, Green Township High School (now Greene Middle School) is a two-story consolidated school building completed in 1939 as a New Deal-era public works project The building served as the area's high school from 1939 to 1969 and has been a middle school building since then It was recommended for nomination to the National Register for its association with the history of education in the Smithville area and for its local architectural significance as an example of the Collegiate Gothic style Zoar / Tuscarawas County: Zoar Historic District Amendment The Zoar Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1969 for its history of association with the Society of Separatists, who settled Zoar in 1817 and operated a communal society there until 1898 The proposed amendment would correct a discrepancy in the district boundary as it was described in a 1975 amendment; clarify the count of historic features within the district; add more detailed descriptions of them to the National Register documentation; and extend the boundaries of the Zoar Historic District to include a bridge to land once owned by the Society of Separatists south of the Tuscarawas River; an area east of the village associated with farming and sheep-tending by the Society of Separatists; the Society of Separatists cemetery and an early road linking the cemetery to Zoar The proposed amendment to the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Zoar Historic District also expands the historical documentation included in the nomination to further establish the national significance of Zoar as a 19th-century utopian community The board’s recommendations were made on Friday, June 21, 2013, during a meeting held at the Ohio History Center in Columbus As a result, nominations for each of the properties will be forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register, who directs the program for the U.S Department of the Interior If the Keeper agrees that the properties meet the criteria for listing, they will be added to the National Register of Historic Places A decision from the Keeper is expected in about 90 days The board concluded that an eighth proposed nomination, for the Westerly Apartments at 14300 Detroit Ave in Lakewood, Ohio, did not appear to meet the criteria for listing on the National Register on the basis of the information presented Proposed for nomination to the National Register for their local and statewide significance in social history and for their local architectural significance, the Westerly Apartments comprise three interconnected highrise Modernist buildings built over a 12-year period between 1962 and 1974 Constructed as affordable multi-unit housing for the elderly combined with a community center, in proximity to public transportation, churches, shopping, a library and a large regional hospital, the Westerly Apartments were Ohio's first use of the U.S Housing and Urban Development Section 202 initiative The program provides affordable housing for the elderly About the National Register The National Register lists places that should be preserved because of their significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture It includes buildings, sites, structures, objects, and historic districts of national, state, and local importance To be eligible for listing on the National Register a property or district must: - be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history, or - be associated with the lives of people significant in our past, or - embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic values, or represent a significant, distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction (e.g a historic district), or - have yielded, or be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history National Register listing often raises community awareness of a property However, listing does not obligate owners to repair or improve their properties and does not prevent them from remodeling, altering, selling, or even demolishing them if they choose to so Owners or long-term tenants who rehabilitate income-producing properties listed on the National Register can qualify for a 20 percent federal income tax credit if the work they follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, guidelines used nationwide for repairs and alterations to historic buildings A similar 25 percent state income tax credit is also offered through the Ohio Development Services Agency's Office of Redevelopment, with assistance provided by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Department of Taxation In Ohio anyone may prepare a National Register nomination Nominations are made through the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society Proposed nominations are reviewed by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board, a governor-appointed panel of citizens and professionals in history, architecture, archaeology, and related fields The board reviews each nomination to see whether it appears to be eligible for listing on the National Register, then makes a recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer The final decision to add a property to the register is made by the National Park Service, which administers the program nationwide About the Ohio Historic Preservation Office 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 the conservation of older buildings and sites, and offers educational programs and publications -30-