Understanding Cleveland's "Recent Past"
 the challenge of preserving architecture less than 50 years old

The Cleveland Museum of Art has recently re-opened its handsome 1916 building and is currently restoring its Marcel Breuer wing, constructed in 1970 and considered to be a significant work of the "recent past." Works by Breuer and other Modernists are being studied more fully by scholars today. How should we be thinking about the landmarks of the "recent past" and their role in Cleveland's cityscape? Join the Cleveland Restoration Society on December 11 for its 36th annual Community Luncheon with speaker Timothy Rub, CMA director and a specialist in architectural history and modern and contemporary art. The luncheon will take place at the Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square, 1260 Euclid Avenue, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For tickets contact Ted Sande at 216-426-3103.

 

 Holiday Gift Baskets
 something for the preservationists in your life

CRS is offering this year a festive gift basket that contains three books: Cleveland Sketchbook, Creative Essence and The Boulevard Neighborhoods of Cleveland; the Franklin Boulevard streetscape poster (rolled); a CRS coffee mug and tape measure; a one-year CRS membership; a private guided tour of the Sarah Benedict House; and a certificate for a historic exterior paint color consultation. All this for only $85.00, an incredible value! Print out an order form and return it to CRS with payment to place an order.

 

 New Market Tax Credits, Round 6
 federal tax credit incentive

The National Trust Community Investment Corporation (NTCIC) has just announced that it has been awarded a $40 million allocation under the New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) program. The award will be used to provide equity to support the rehabilitation of strategic vacant properties in designated economic development districts that bring community facilities, jobs and retail services to low-income communities across the country. With this award, NTCIC has received a total of $280 million from NMTC since its inception. NTCIC will continue to specialize in combining the New Markets Tax Credit with the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit to bring additional capital to landmark properties. If you have or know of a qualified project contact Corinne Ingrassia.

 

 Common Ground Between Preservation and "Green"
 read Richard Moe's speech online

National Trust for Historic Preservation president Richard Moe recently spoke at the USGBC's Green Build Conference and emphasized the importance of historic preservation as a key component of any effort to promote sustainable development and combat climate change. Moe's speech offered the following six principles to what was largely a new audience:

• Promote a culture of reuse,
• Reinvest at a community scale,
• Value the lessons of heritage buildings and communities,
• Make use of the economic advantages of reuse, reinvestment and retrofits,
• Re-imagine historic preservation policies and practices as they relate to sustainability, and
• Take immediate and decisive action.

Video of the speech will be available soon, but for now you can read Moe's entire remarks online.

 

 New Heritage Travel Initiative
 new subsidiary of National Trust

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has developed Heritage Travel, Inc., a comprehensive, online resource for heritage travelers and historic destinations. This new commercial venture will launch its website in early 2009. The site will provide extensive visibility for historic destinations, enable consumers to find and share heritage-rich experiences and provide a professional forum where historic destinations can network and share best practices. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months.

 

 History Day Receives Grant
 urban schools pilot program

A $20,000 grant from the Harry C. Moores Foundation will enable the Ohio Historical Society's National History Day program to encourage more than 300 social studies students at seven Columbus middle and high schools to undertake competitively evaluated historical projects. History Day, a nationally recognized competition that was started in Cleveland by members of the CWRU history department in 1974, has been enormously successful in stimulating an interest in history among the young, but has tended to attract suburban students more than those from the inner city. The idea is to change that imbalance and to develop a broader appreciation of history among the children from Ohio's urban areas. CRS sees this as a positive step in reinforcing an awareness of the richly textured historical environment of our cities.

 

 Baker Electric Showroom
 1910 building on Euclid undergoing renovation

A $7.1 million renovation is preserving much of the original character and detail of the historic Baker Motor Vehicle Company's Cleveland showroom located at E. 71 and Euclid. Baker, one of Cleveland's early automobile manufacturers, was the first to make electric cars, the first of which was sold to Thomas Edison. The firm grew quickly to become one of the largest - if not the largest - electric-car maker in the world in the early twentieth century. Walter Baker built a 50,000 sq. ft. showroom for his "electrics" in 1910 in the heart of what was then called "Millionaire's Row." The architect of the Arts and Crafts-style brick structure was Frank Meade, a prominent figure of the time. Developer Dick Pace has factored in many "green" practices into the project for the showroom, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

 

 Local History Book Reprinted
 add your support to a local preservation effort

The Barberton Historical Society is reprinting the late W. F. Fleming's America's Match King - Ohio Columbus Barber, a 300-page, illustrated, hard- cover book in a limited edition of 1000 copies in order to match grant funds for a new project on the Anna Dean Farm estate. The society has recently received a grant from the Barberton Community Foundation to buy the O. C. Barber Wishing Well. The native field stone structure, designed by noted American landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds, was built in 1910 on the farm and is the last vestige of the forty- acre park that surrounded the O. C. Barber Mansion, demolished in 1965. All net proceeds from the book will be used to match the Foundation's funds and support the wishing well project. Pre-orders in the amount of $24.95 plus $5.00 postage can be made by sending a check or money order to Barberton Historical Society, P. O. Box 666, Barberton, Ohio 44203. For more information contact Stephen Kelleher.

 

 In Memoriam: Ed Hauser
 

Known to many as the "Mayor of Whiskey Island", Ed Hauser was devoted to saving and improving Cleveland's waterfront for the use and enjoyment of Northeast Ohio residents. A Cleveland native, he was an engineer at LTV Steel Co. until the late 1990s when he was laid off and then channeled his energies full- time to preservation and conservation issues. Ed was an ardent advocate for saving the surviving evidence of Cleveland's industrial past, attended virtually every public meeting dealing with plans for waterfront improvement, and was leader of the Friends of Whiskey Island. He suffered a heart attack and died on November 14, 2008 at the age of 47.

 

 Calendar of Events
 what to do, where to do it, and when to go

December 2
Let's Look at Oberlin Landmarks!
Kendal at Oberlin, 7:15 pm
Heiser Auditorium, 600 Kendal Dr.
Oberlin Heritage Center
City of Oberlin Historic Preservation Commission

December 5
Scrooge's Night Out
Galleria at Erieview, 1301 E. 9th, Cleveland
7:00 pm - 12:00 am, reservations required, $$
Ohio Canal Corridor

December 6
Christmas Bus Tour
Begins in Canton with breakfast at 7:00 am, $$
Canton Preservation Society, 330-452-9341

December 6 - 7
Christmas Sale on the Grounds
Nicholson House, 13335 Detroit, Lakewood
10:00 am - 3:00 pm, Saturday
12:00 - 3:00 pm, Sunday
Lakewood Historical Society

December 7
Christmas in the Village
Amherst Sandstone Village, 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Amherst Historical Society

December 9
Section 106 Project Summary Form Training Class
State Library of Ohio ,1:00 - 3:00 pm
274 E. First Ave., Columbus, $$
Ohio Historic Preservation Office

December 10
Annual Holiday Tour in the Historic Warehouse District
5:30 - 11:00 pm, RSVP by 12/3, $$
Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation

December 11
36th Annual Community Luncheon
Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square
11:30 am - 1:30 pm, $$
Cleveland Restoration Society, 216-426-3103

December 11
"The Greenest Building is Already Built: Sustainability and Historic Preservation"
Featuring Sara Hobbs, Cleveland Restoration Society
Lakewood Public Library auditorium, 7:00 pm
Lakewood Historical Society

December 14
Holiday Homes Tour
Tickets available in advance, $
Lorain County Historical Society, 440-322-3341

 

 Save the Date!
 

January 28
New Members Reception
Sarah Benedict House, 3751 Prospect, Cleveland
Cleveland Restoration Society, 216-426-1000