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Community Properties Wins National Award
Community Properties of Ohio (CPO) has rehabilitated more than 200 buildings over a seven year period in Columbus. This project has provided housing for 1,300 families and has had a significant impact on multiple Columbus neighborhoods and historic properties. In 2008, CPO was awarded Columbus Landmarks Foundation’s prestigious James B. Recchie Design Award. Now the project has received well-deserved attention in a national forum. On October 20 in Buffalo NY, CPO was awarded a 2011 National Preservation Honor Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. How proud we are to have Columbus represented among the collection of extraordinary projects from across the country receiving recognition.
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Congratulations to The Athletic Club of Columbus on the recent listing of their building at 136 E. Broad St. in the National Register of Historic Places. It has been a pleasure working with their Preservation Committee on this endeavor.
More info on National Register of Historic Places
Read 10/13/2011 Columbus Dispatch story
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Lincoln Theatre Wins 2011 James B. Recchie Award

Columbus, Ohio (October 13, 2011) — In a ceremony at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus Landmarks Foundation announced the winners of its 2011 James B. Recchie Design & Preservation Awards. The 2011 James B. Recchie Design Award was presented to Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long Street, owned by Lincoln Theatre Association/CAPA and designed by Hardlines Design Company.

"The Jury was impressed with the transformation of this formerly derelict building into a busy hub for the arts in Columbus and for its deep commitment to programs rooted in the community, “ said Nancy Recchie, Historic Preservation Consultant with Benjamin D. Rickey & Co. and sister of the Award’s namesake. “The quality level is outstanding and this project reinforces the value of having CAPA in Columbus. The Lincoln Theatre demonstrates that it can take years of commitment, staying power, creativity, and collaboration to realize success. The combined uses of the building recall and honor the proud history of jazz in Columbus' King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood and it returns an important landmark to the community."

Each year Columbus Landmarks honors individuals and institutions that have made exceptional strides in promoting historic preservation and producing quality urban design in central Ohio with seven awards, including the prestigious James B. Recchie Design Award. James Recchie was a noted Columbus attorney and Columbus Landmarks founding trustee. The award celebrates his vision of a better Columbus through quality urban design. Following a public nomination process, five finalists were selected by a screening committee. Jurors then determined the winner after visiting the five finalists. The 2011 jurors were Mark Feinknopf, Architecture & Planning Consultant, Sacred Space Inc.; Cleve Ricksecker, Executive Director, Capital Crossroads and Discovery District SID; and Patty Stevens, Chief of Park Planning, Cleveland Metroparks.

The four other finalists for the James B. Recchie Design Award were Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Ave., owned by The Ohio State University and designed by Jonathan Barnes Architecture & Design and MSI; East High School, 1500 E. Broad St., owned by Columbus City Schools and designed by Moody-Nolan, Inc. and Schooley Caldwell Associates; One Neighborhood Condominiums, 50 N. Fourth St., owned by Edwards Companies and designed by Brian Kent Jones Architecture and Lupton Rausch Architects, Inc.; and The Scioto Mile, Civic Center Drive, owned by Columbus Downtown Development Corporation and Columbus Recreation and Parks Department and designed by MSI, 360 Architecture, Schooley Caldwell Associates, HKI, EMH&T, and Shelley Metz Baumann Hawk, Inc.

The 2011 Preservation Awards recipients are:

Paul E. Young, Jr. Students Award
Centennial High School Students, Hanford Village Legacy Project
Henry L. Hunker Urban Legacy Award
Citizens for a Better Skyline Outstanding Person
Ed Lentz Dixie Sayre Miller Patron Award
Judge George C. Smith and The Athletic Club of ColumbusFrederick J. Holdridge Outstanding Group
Weinland Park Community Civic Association and Habitat for Humanity – Greater Columbus
James L. Keyes President’s Award
Franklinton
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Americorps Position Available
AmeriCorps is currently accepting applications for an Ohio Historic Inventory Surveyor at Columbus Landmarks Foundation. The volunteer position is full-time with service from October 5, 2011 to August 31, 2012. Members must complete 1,700 hours. The application deadline is September 9, 2011.

Program benefits: AmeriCorps members will be provided:

Leadership and Training Opportunities

Health Insurance

Travel Reimbursements

Living Stipend up to $12,100

Possibility of an Educational Award equal to $5350 to pay off current or existing school loans

Experience serving your community!

The members will survey historic properties to identify and record historic themes and buildings, focusing on the mid-20th century, from 1940-1970, and additional local survey priorities as appropriate. These surveys will provide new information about housing, subdivisions, public and commercial buildings and the work of area builders, developers and architects from the recent past. The historic resource surveys, and the resulting documentation, help preserve our heritage to stabilize neighborhoods, provide affordable housing, stimulate private investments, attract tourists and strengthen community pride. Members will cultivate their understanding of architectural style and design history relating to community development.

Read the postition description and apply online at https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=42018
Interested applicants can contact Mary Cannon, Project Director, by phone and/or email with questions at mcannon@Ohiohistory.org or 614-297-2392.
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Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Renewed
The Ohio General Assembly and Gov. John Kasich have renewed the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit with an aggregate cap of $60 million a year with no sunset.

The program was originally created in 2007 as a tax credit refund, with a caveat that a Cost Benefit Analysis of each potential project would factor into the selection process. During this extremely challenging budget cycle, the Cost Benefit Analysis concept strongly contributed to the legislative support to renew the credit.

For more information about the renewal and details of the program, visit Heritage Ohio or the Ohio Department of Development.
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Nathalie Wright joins Columbus Landmarks as Field Representative
We welcome our new Field Representative, Nathalie Wright, who will serve as a liaison for both Columbus Landmarks Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the broader Columbus metropolitan area. As a central Ohio native and longime Columbus resident, she is familiar with Columbus' various neighborhoods and the city's overall historic development. She brings with her the necessary knowledge and experience to promote the programs of both organizations, while providing guidance on historic preservation issues to the general public and developing a network of preservation partners.

As a previous volunteer and consultant for Columbus Landmarks and a former employee of the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Nathalie is knowledgeable about historic preservation programs at the local, state and federal level. One of her longtime special interests is the Recent Past and mid-century modern architecture, including Columbus' own Lustron Homes. In line with this interest, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Society for Commercial Archaeology.

Nathalie's first initiative is organizing a series of workshops intended for the homeowner on basic maintenance topics relevant to older homes. In addition to a broad-based seminar, she will be planning more in-depth, hands-on workshops on exterior wood and masonry issues. If you are interested in receivng more information about these workshops, please call Nathalie at 221-0227 or email her at nwright@columbuslandmarks.org.

This part-time position is funded, in part, by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Partner-in-the-Field Matching Grant Program and United Way of Central Ohio.
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Help write the History of Columbus
The Home Grown History Project is looking for representatives of neighborhoods who would like to identify, research and contribute to an encyclopedia of Columbus neighborhoods and landmarks. For more information on timelines and how to be involved, contact Doreen Uhas Sauer at duhassauer@columbuslandmarks.org or 614-477-1124. Home Grown History is made possible with support from Bob Evans, The Columbus Foundation, National City Bank/PNC, Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, United Way of Central Ohio and the Humanities House, The Ohio State University. Columbus Landmarks Foundation serves as the fiscal agent for Home Grown History.

Information Session: Sat., Apr. 23 from 1-4 p.m. at the Columbus Metropolitan Main Library, 96 S. Grant, in the History and Biography Room, Third Floor., All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Nominate a landmark for the Encyclopedia: Entry Form - Word Doc or Entry Form- PDF »
Home Grown History Project info »
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Congratulations to Mayor Michael B. Coleman
President Barack Obama has appointed Mayor Coleman to the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
read Columbus Dispatch article
read Business First article
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In Sympathy
Columbus Landmarks extends deepest sympathy to the families, friends, neighbors and colleagues of Theodore van Fossen and Fred Holdridge. Van Fossen, the architect of Rush Creek Village and the Gunning House, died December 9 at age 91. Holdridge, the unofficial mayor of German Village and Columbus Landmarks Honorary Trustee, died December 23 at age 86. Both gentlemen leave a legacy of preservation in Columbus.
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Lights, Camera, LeVeque - event photos
Thank you to all of our patrons and volunteers who made this Nov. 30 sold-out event a great success. Learn more about The Citadel: The Birth of The LeVeque Tower documentary film more »
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North Columbus Commercial Historic District Listed on National Register

(COLUMBUS, OHIO)—The North Columbus Commercial Historic District has recently been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the Director of the National Park Service. The nomination was prepared by Columbus Landmarks Foundation in conjunction with the University District Organization.

About the District

The North Columbus Commercial Historic District is significant for its association with the late 19th- and early-mid 20th- century commercial development of North Columbus, a former town established in 1842, platted in 1852, and annexed to the City of Columbus in 1871. The listed historic district consists of a four-block span of the commercial district spanning North High Street between Hudson Avenue and Dodridge Street.

The North Columbus Commercial District is significant for its cohesive and distinctive commercial architecture dating from 1880 to 1960 with 23 existing commercial structures in the district. Even though North Columbus had been annexed to Columbus, it retained its separate identity both visually and by name. The 1880s architecture of the North Columbus Commercial District is testimony to the level of economic prosperity and social stratification of its citizens during the late 19th century. The buildings were built with local brick and adorned with local tile, articulated by elaborate overstated cornices and embellished with decorative features common for this time period. Many of these Italianate buildings remain the most prominent in the district.

View National Register nomination
View Images of North Columbus Commercial District

About the Process

In the spring of 2010, Columbus Landmarks Foundation assisted in securing a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant awarded to the City of Columbus from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society to prepare a National Register nomination for the North Columbus Commercial District in the Ohio State University neighborhood. Matching funds and in-kind service were provided by the University District Organization. The North Columbus Commercial District nomination was presented to the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board (OHSPAB) on July 16, 2010, and was recommended for forwarding to the National Park Service by Burt Logan, state historic preservation officer and executive director and CEO of the Ohio Historical Society. In October, 2010, the North Columbus Commercial District was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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COLUMBUS LANDMARKS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2010
JAMES B. RECCHIE & DESIGN AWARD WINNERS

In a ceremony at The Ohio State University’s William Oxley Thompson Library, Columbus Landmarks Foundation announced the winners of its 2010 James B. Recchie Design & Preservation Awards. The 2010 James B. Recchie Design Award was presented to the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Community Garden Campus and Chase Community Garden Center, 1820 Franklin Park South, owned by the City of Columbus and Franklin Park Conservatory and designed by Schooley Caldwell Associates, MSI and JMMD. "The quality of execution of design [of the community gardens and garden center complex] is world class," said George Acock, juror and AIA, Acock Associates Architects. Jurors were impressed by the "whole package" of the project, including the planning and execution of park buildings, rehabilitated and new, the attention to detail in the gardens, the community involvement and outreach, and the programming.

Each year Columbus Landmarks honors individuals and institutions that have made exceptional strides in promoting historic preservation and producing quality urban design in central Ohio with seven awards, including the prestigious James B. Recchie Design Award. James Recchie was a noted Columbus attorney and Columbus Landmarks founding trustee. The award celebrates his vision of a better Columbus through quality urban design. Following a public nomination process, five finalists were selected by a screening committee. Jurors then determined the winner after visiting the five finalists. The 2010 jurors were George Acock, AIA, CEO, Acock Associates Architects; Kyle Katz, President, Katz Interests, Inc.; and Carol Thaler, AICP, Program Officer, Cuyahoga County Planning Commission.

The four other finalists for the James B. Recchie Design Award were East High School, 1500 E. Broad St., owned by Columbus City Schools and designed by Moody-Nolan, Inc. and Schooley Caldwell Associates; Goodwill Columbus, 1331 Edgehill Rd., owned by Goodwill Columbus and designed by DesignGroup; Scioto Audubon Metro Park and Grange Insurance Audubon Center, 505 W. Whittier St., owned by Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks and Audubon Ohio and designed by DesignGroup and KKG; and The Lincoln Theatre, owned by the City of Columbus and Lincoln Theatre Association and designed by Hardlines Design Company.

The 2010 Preservation Awards recipients are:

Neighborhood Design Center - Paul E. Young, Jr. Students Award

Columbus Downtown Development Corporation for the Lazarus Building - Henry L. Hunker Urban Legacy Award

Brad Feinknopf - Outstanding Person

Robert D. Loversidge, Jr. - Dixie Sayre Miller Patron Award

Merion Village & Hungarian Village Neighborhoods - Outstanding Group

WOSU Public Media for its Columbus Neighborhoods Project - James L. KeyesPresident’s Award
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COLUMBUS LANDMARKS TO HOST AMERICORPS MEMBER
Columbus Landmarks Foundation has just been selected as the partnering Host Site in Columbus for a new AmeriCorps member in conjunction with a $260,000 grant from the Ohio Community Service Council to the Ohio Historical Society. Partnering with local organizations, the Ohio History Service Corps will place 20 AmeriCorps service members in communities across the state for the next year, educating citizens on why history is relavant and how it can be used as an effective economic development tool. The AmeriCorps volunteers will focus on the continued preservation and promotion of the state's historic resources to stimulate tourism and economic growth.

The project comprises three components: Civil War 150 Leadership Corps, Ohio History Tech Corps and Ohio Historic Preservation Corps members, one each in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, will identify and record historic buildings for inclusion in the Ohio Historic Inventory. Applicant interviews are in progress and this full-time intern will start doing architectural survey work in October.

Types of resources documented will include mid-century modern buildings and sites to complement the Ohio Historic Preservation Office's "Ohio Modern: Preserving Ohio's Recent Past" initiative. We are compiling a list of central Ohio buildings dating from 1940 to 1970 that may merit documentation, so please share any suggestions you may have. Also let us know if you would be interested in being part of a volunteer affinity group related to mid-cetury modern architecture in central Ohio.
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