Ohio History Connection announces recipients of National Park Service grant Projects in Painesville, Piqua, Ravenna and Van Wert receive funding through the National Park Service’s Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program
(COLUMBUS, OH)— The Ohio History Connection has announced that projects in Painesville, Piqua, Ravenna and Van Wert are recipients of the National Park Service’s Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program. This program assists Ohio’s Main Street communities with the rehabilitation of historic buildings that prioritize economic impact, use of commercial first floor space and upper floor residential space and encourage reactivation of vacant spaces. Ohio was one of eight states to be awarded this funding in August 2020. The Ohio History Connection is re-granting $446,327 to four projects in Main Street communities.
The Ohio Main Street Program, administered by Heritage Ohio, works with communities across the state to revitalize their historic or traditional commercial areas. Based in historic preservation, the Main Street approach was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to save historic commercial architecture and the fabric of American communities’ built environment. Heritage Ohio will oversee the grant projects working in conjunction with the local Main Street organization.
Main Street community projects awarded:
Painesville
Lake County National Bank Building
30 South Park Place
The former Lake County National Bank Building was a financial hub for Painesville since its construction in 1965, until it was recently vacated. The property owner will revitalize the building to serve Lake Erie College students, offering mixed-use space including residential. Paul Bruhn funds will go toward exterior rehabilitation efforts including spot repointing of the brick, brick replacement where necessary, and exterior cleaning.
Piqua
- Zollinger Company Building
101 South Wayne Street
Vacant for over a decade, the historic Zollinger Company Building once held a key position in local commerce as a commercial grocery warehouse. The owners plan to reimagine the historic space to accommodate mixed uses including residential, and a ground floor market hall. Grant funds will help pay to restore historic windows to operating efficiency, and to replace non-historic windows with complementary replacements.
Ravenna
Riddle Block 9
200 West Main Street and 113-115 Chestnut Street
New owners have taken on a big project: the rehabilitation of the historic, but neglected, Riddle Block 9 in downtown Ravenna. With 50,000 square feet to work with, the building will be readied for a variety of potential uses including commercial/office, retail, residential, and even light industrial. Paul Bruhn funds will return now-vacant residential and commercial spaces to active use. The glass-enclosed atrium will also be restored, returning architectural beauty to one of the iconic Riddle buildings in downtown Ravenna.
Van Wert
The Kauke & McCurdy Block
101 East Main Street
As part of an ambitious downtown rehab initiative, the Van Wert County Foundation was successful in obtaining Paul Bruhn funds to invest in the historic Kauke & McCurdy Block, once home to the Van Wert chapter of the IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows). The owner’s plans for the building include creating 16 new housing units and rehabbing 5,780 square feet of commercial space. Grant dollars will fund an integral component of the building’s rejuvenation—the installation of a new elevator, vital to making the three-story building attractive and accessible for contemporary use.
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About the Ohio History Connection
The Ohio History Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society, is a statewide history organization with the mission to spark discovery of Ohio’s stories. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered in 1885, the Ohio History Connection carries out history services for Ohio and its citizens focused on preserving and sharing the state’s history. This includes housing the State Historic Preservation Office, the official State Archives, Local History Office and managing more than 50 historic sites and museums across Ohio. Learn more at ohiohistory.org.
About Heritage Ohio
As Ohio’s official historic preservation and Main Street organization, Heritage Ohio fosters economic development and sustainability through preservation of historic buildings, revitalization of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts, and promotion of local tourism. Learn more by visiting www.heritageohio.org
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