Help for Your Home Projects

Whether you are thinking about painting your old house this spring, or hiring a contractor to fix your tired old roof, the Cleveland Restoration Society can help you with the right resources for the job. Work with our old house experts to get impartial construction advice or low fixed rate financing for your home improvement projects. We cover everything from roofs to basements. If you are interested in a helping hand for your project planning this spring give us a call today at 216-426-1000 or visit our website.

May is National Preservation Month

May is National Preservation Month and this year's theme is "Celebrating America's Treasures." Throughout our nation's communities there are significant places that have contributed to our American experience - whether it is a battlefield, a ship, church or house museum. Thousands of preservation projects in cities and towns from coast to coast have worked to preserve these irreplaceable and tangible reminders of our roots. By "Celebrating America's Treasures," the National Trust for Historic Preservation hopes that communities and organizations across the country will help spread the word that programs like Save America's Treasures not only protect the places that tell our nation's story, but also create jobs and spur economic development in our Main Streets. Check out the extensive Calendar of Events in this issue of Perspectives - Northeast Ohio abounds with opportunities to get out and experience our architectural treasures for Preservation Month. Get involved today!

Federal Preservation Funding Update

Congress passed a year-end continuing resolution (CR) to finally conclude FY'11 appropriations.The six-month CR included $38.5 billion in spending cuts, including elimination of the Save America's Treasures and Preserve America programs.  State and Tribal Preservation Historic Preservation Offices received FY'10 level funding of $54.5 million.  Overall, the Interior bill received $29.2 billion but was cut 8.1 percent or $2.62 billion below FY'10 enacted levels.  The House passed the bill by a vote of 260-167 and the Senate cleared it the same day by a vote of 81-19. The bill was immediately sent to President Obama for signature before the current CR expired on April 15. For a full accounting of the funding levels, click here.  

Applaud the 2011 Preservation Winners 

The winners have been selected for the 2011 Celebration of Preservation.  Have you reserved your seat for the show yet? The awards will be handed out on Thursday, May 19 at the Hanna Theatre. RSVP today to attend this year's party to honor the best preservation projects of the past year in Northeast Ohio, sponsored by the Cleveland Restoration Society, AIA Cleveland, and AIA Akron. Tickets are $15 per person. The program starts at 5:30 pm, with a reception from 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Event sponsors are the Sherwin-Williams Company and Turner Construction Company. 

Is your business interested in joining us as a sponsor of the event or in advertising in the printed program? There is still time! Contact us immediately! 

Inner Belt Project Update  

The long-awaited and planned-for Cleveland Inner Belt Project has begun with a ceremonial groundbreaking this past Monday. Three historic buildings will be impacted: the Marathon Gas Station and Broadway Mills Building at 300 Central Viaduct have already been demolished. Level II documentation as specified by the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) was prepared for both buildings and a commemorative display on the Broadway Mill is supposed to be created for the site as part of the Section 106 Programmatic Agreement.

Demolition on the Distribution Terminal Warehouse at 2000 West 14th Street has begun. A historic context will be prepared documenting the importance of this resource in relation to the City of Cleveland's food distribution. Ohio City, Inc., Tremont West Development, and Councilman Cimperman have already convened stakeholders to insure strong lines of communication between them, the City, and ODOT and to minimize negative impacts of the project on these two historic neighborhoods.    

Economics of Preservation Handout Updated

An updated two-page handout, "12 Economic Benefits of Historic Preservation"  is now available online. Be up to date when you talk numbers and statistics regarding preservation's economic benefits. This short and sweet handout features the work of Donovan Rypkema, David Listokin, Michael Lahr, and Mandala Research, LLC, compiled by Jennifer Buddenborg of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Greening the Skyline

A recent Time magazine article discussed the issue of energy efficiency in existing tall building and even mentions the 32-story Celebrezze Federal Building in Cleveland (pictured here). Click here to read "Greening the Skyline" in its entirety.

Heritage Ohio Photography Contest

Do you have a great photo to share? Heritage Ohio is once again sponsoring a photography contest as part of Preservation Month. One winner will have their image featured on a future cover of the Windows newsletter (like last year's winner, pictured here) and one winner will have their image featured as one of Heritage Ohio's Capital One Heritage Ohio credit card images! The selection committee will post finalists on the web site and the public will vote for the winners online. Images must be submitted by May 15.

Diversity Scholarship Application Deadline June 1

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Diversity Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the 2011 National Preservation Conference, to be held in Buffalo, New York, October 19-22, 2011. The program provides financial assistance to community leaders from diverse social, economic, racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to attend the conference, where they will learn the necessary tools to strengthen their commitment and effectiveness in preserving historic places and revitalizing communities. Applications must be submitted electronically by Wednesday, June 1, 2011.

Federal Reserve Video Features Cleveland

The real estate crisis has left communities across the country struggling to deal with foreclosures, vacant homes, declining property values, and destabilized neighborhoods. In a series of video reports, the Federal Reserve is highlighting promising stabilization work from three cities: Cleveland, Phoenix, and Detroit. The Federal Reserve, through its Community Development staff located at twelve regional reserve banks and the Board of Governors in Washington, DC, works to bring together key community stakeholders to identify local problems and explore solutions. Click here to see the video that highlights the work being done in Cleveland.

New LiveCLEVELAND! Guide

What's so great about living in Cleveland?  A lot! The 2011 edition of the LiveCLEVELAND! guide provides the ultimate look into Cleveland's neighborhoods. Produced by LiveCLEVELAND! and Cleveland Magazine, this free resource showcases why Cleveland is a fabulous community that offers a great quality of life in a unique urban setting. Neighborhood amenities, special events, housing programs, and new construction housing options are all outlined. Bulk copies are available at a discounted price. New for this year is a digital copy online. 

Albano Receives Rome Prize

Last month Albert Albano, director of Cleveland's Intermuseum Conservation Association in Cleveland for 15 years, was named a winner of the Rome Prize. The prize is offered annually through the American Academy in Rome. Winners receive a stipend and get to spend 11 months studying and working at the American Academy in Rome and traveling across Italy. Later this year Albano will leave for an eleven-month sabbatical in Rome, where he'll conduct a physical and cultural analysis of masterpieces by Italian Renaissance and Baroque artists. His study will focus on how the artists'materials have caused the appearance of their paintings to change over time, and how the appearances of their works were additionally altered by painting conservators from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Albano plans to bring a fresh perspective on his work at ICA, and how that organization fits into the arts and culture landscape, back upon his return to Cleveland. CRS's president, Kathleen H. Crowther, recently spent six weeks in Rome as a visiting scholar at the American Academy. On behalf of the entire CRS family, congratulations!

Ohio City Neighborhood Launches New Identity

Ohio City Near West Development Corporation has recently changed its named to Ohio City Inc. as part of a rebranding exercise and effort to market the neighborhood, one of Cleveland's oldest, as a center of arts and culture activity in the city. Also known as the Near West Side, Ohio City is a diverse neighborhood with a wealth of historic housing stock. CRS been working to rehabilitate the homes of Ohio City for decades and considers it one of Cleveland's biggest success stories. To date we have facilitated 88 home rehabilitation loans valued at over $4.5 million and have provided 200 properties with specialized historic preservation technical assistance for projects valued at approximately $8.1 million. For more information about this special Cleveland neighborhood visit www.ohiocity.org.

St. Hedwig Opens as Museum of Divine Statues

Following a formal blessing by Bishop Richard Lennon, the Museum of Divine Statues has opened to the public. The museum is housed in the former St. Hedwig Church, 12903 Madison Avenue in Lakewood, and was founded by artist Louis McClung, who has restored the statues that are displayed within it. Visitors who pay the small entrance fee will have the opportunity  to learn details about each statue's history and the symbols depicted. Some of these statutes were obtained from recently closed parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland. The museum opened to the public on Sunday, April 10, and is now open on Sundays from 12:00 - 5:00 p.m.

St. Lukes's to be Redeveloped

The former St. Luke's Hospital, at the corner of Shaker Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in Cleveland, is poised to be developed into 72 units of low-income senior housing. The large brick structure is a landmark that has served as the gateway to the Buckeye and Larchmere-Shaker Square neighborhoods for decades. Closed since 1999, the hospital building's redevelopment is part of a larger neighborhood revitalization effort that includes new home construction, a new school and library, and improvements to the rapid station. New Village Corporation, the nonprofit development entity of Neighborhood Progress, Inc., and Pennrose Properties broke ground on St. Luke's Manor on April 29 and expect to use low-income housing tax credits and federal historic tax credits.

Cleveland Heights Launches Smartphone App

On May 1, the Center for Public History + Digital Humanities at Cleveland State University, in partnership with the City of Cleveland Heights, rolled out a series of Cleveland Heights sites on the Cleveland Historical mobile app. App sites highlight the history of some of the city's noted attractions through photos, oral histories, and short films. The app is available for iPhone and Droid users, with select content also appearing on the city's cable channel and website. The city has also scheduled several events in May and June to celebrate Preservation Month (registration is required), in collaboration with FutureHeights and the Cleveland Heights Historical Society. Check out the Calendar of Events in this newsletter for more information.

Lakewood's 2nd Annual Scavenger Hunt

The Lakewood Historical Society is celebrating  Lakewood's architectural treasures and Preservation Month with the organization's 2nd annual Scavenger Hunt. The scavenger hunt of twenty historic architectural features, all found throughout the city of Lakewood, will run May 14 - 24. Visit www.lakewoodhistory.org on May 14 to download the entry form. Completed entries with all correct answers will be entered into a drawing to win great prizes from Lakewood businesses. Last year, thanks to the generosity of Lakewood's businesses, the historical society was able to offer prizes totaling over $400 in value.

Summer of History 2011

Twenty-four local historical organizations, in collaboration with Positively Cleveland, invite you to celebrate the history of the Western Reserve this summer. The "Summer of History 2011" initiative launches with a "Travel Rally" hosted by Positively Cleveland on Tuesday, May 10 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. in Tower City in downtown Cleveland. Representatives of participating organizations will be in attendance to talk about their groups and the activities they have planned from now until October 1. Participating organizations include historical organizations, museums, cemeteries, and parks, and Positively Cleveland. Visit the website to find out more about the events being offered.

Take A Hike! Tours Begin in May

The Take a Hike! program returns this year to downtown Cleveland.From May 12 through September 18, explore our city's history with free, guided walking tours of four unique neighborhoods in Downtown Cleveland featuring actors portraying historic Clevelanders. The Historic Gateway Neighborhood Tour takes place every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. starting from the Arcade; the Canal Basin Park Tour takes place on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. from the Settler's Landing RTA Station; the Playhouse Square Tour takes place Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. from the State Theatre Lobby; and the Historic Warehouse District Tour begins every Thursday at 6:00 p.m. from Constantino's Market. Groups of 10 or more should call 216-771-1994 in advance. Tours last approximately90 minutes. Donations are encouraged to help fund future tours. For further information visit www.historicgateway.org.