Facade Grants Would Encourage Preservation and Rehabilitation

Downtown Mansfield has had their own struggles to preserve theirown historic buildings. Part of their revitalization program though has focused on Mansfield's historic structures. Downtown Mansfield realizes these buildings are a "valuable resource worth preserving". To encourage building owners to preserve, restore, and/or rehabilitate a property in the downtown core, Main Street Mansfield has developed a Façade Improvement Matching Grant. The grant pays up to "50% of a planed project, or $2,500, whichever is less."
While this is not exorbitant amount of money, it proves that local grants are available and this grant is a base to build upon. There is no reason Ashland can not use this same model.
http://www.downtownmansfield.com/index.php/component/docman/doc_download/3-facade-improvement.html
Whether we look at Wooster and Medina, or Copenhagen and London, the reason people find these cities exciting and interesting is their historic charm. Heritage tourism is growing quickly. With a great location between Cleveland and Columbus, with Mohican and Amish Country bordering our community, Ashland is a prime location. Let's not loose out!

New Urban Center Will Meet The Need For Higher Education

originally posted on: 12/17/2010 10:27:09 AM at http://www.northcentralohio.com/newsboard/single.asp?Story=44232

The Urban Center of North Central State College, at 134 North Main Street in Mansfield, held an open house Thursday.

Urban Center director Cheryl Carter says the new center will serve students and businesses in downtown Mansfield and throughout north central Ohio.

The center will offer higher education classes, seminars and programs in the newly renovated 7,700-square-foot $1.2 million facility located in the Carrousel District.

Carter says classes offered include accounting, basic composition, speech and entrepreneurship and small business. She says there will also be classes for beginning computer users, GED instruction, customer service and project management,

The Urban Center will offer a Lunch and Learn business seminar series.

The Urban Center is funded primarily by doors. North Central State College is one of 15 colleges in the nation that received a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant.

Carter says the center will open Jan. 3 for winter quarter classes. The hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.

For more information visit www.ncstatecollege.edu/urban-center or contact Cheryl Carter at 567-274-3952 or ccarter@ncstatecollege.edu.

Losing a link to the past: Guy Krueger has many fond memories of AU's Miller Hall

By IRV OSLIN

T-G Staff Writer

Life seemed to come full-circle for Guy Krueger as he witnessed the demolition of Miller Hall this week. Through most of his 40-year career at Ashland University his office was on the second floor of the building.

"The big machine started tearing into my office," Krueger said. "I glanced down and it was poignant -- it was such a strange feeling because I realized I was standing on the same spot in 1952 when I watched Founders Hall burn to the ground. It was tough."

Krueger, 79, was a student when Founders Hall burned down. It was the beginning of a lifelong affiliation with the institution -- 46 years counting his years as a student at what was then Ashland College.

Watching Miller Hall come down triggered plenty of memories of his student years and the decades he spent there working as admissions director.

When the original Founder's Hall caught fire in the early morning hours of Oct. 20, 1952, Krueger was living at his aunt's house on Chestnut Street.

"I saw the glow and thought that had to be something at the college," he said. "I ran up to the college and went up the walk. They (the firefighters) couldn't get water up high enough. That really kind of hit me."

Krueger, who majored in business administration with minors in marketing and psychology, graduated in 1955. His wife, the late Betty J. Krueger, graduated two years later. While she was finishing her college education, he still maintained a presence on campus on weekends.

He worked in Wellington after graduation, but wanted to come back to his hometown.

"The best thing that happened to me is seeing how things were someplace else," Krueger said.

In 1958, Krueger seized an opportunity to return. He was hired as assistant admissions director of Ashland College. About four or five years later, he was named admissions director.

His office originally was in the new Founders Hall. In the mid 1960s, he moved into an office on the northwest corner of the second floor of Miller Hall.

"Of all the offices I ever had, that was my favorite," Krueger said.

The building originally housed the library and classrooms, including the chemistry and science department.

To make way for the admissions department in the 1960s, a classroom along the west side of the building was converted into a reception area, with a hole cut into the wall linking it to admissions offices. Krueger recalled that the wall was so thick, the workers had a difficult time making a hole for the door.

He was impressed with the job Gib Rogers of Gilbert's Furniture did carpeting and furnishing the reception area -- often the first place prospective students and their parents would come when visiting the campus.

"I think he did it gratis," Krueger said. "At the time, it was really a showcase."

Raymond Bixler chaired the history department and had an office on the south end of the building. Krueger recalled that Bixler's brother, Paul, was an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns and got him tickets to the 1964 championship game against the Baltimore Colts, which the Browns won 27-0.

"There are a lot of really good memories about that building," Krueger said.

During his tenure there, he worked with James Ganyer and the late George Valentine, who served as admissions counselors. Ganyer's father owned a clothing store in Ashland. Valentine went on to be a teacher, coaching legend and accomplished golfer and golf coach.

Krueger and Valentine often traveled to Columbus on recruiting trips.

"We were very good friends," Krueger said.

He also recalled feeding the squirrels outside his office window. They would climb up the vines on the building for corn cobs Krueger put out for them.

"I'd turn around and look at the window and there would be a humongous squirrel sitting there," he said "They were really tame."

AU President Frederick Finks told him that, when the cupola was removed from the building, squirrels scattered in every direction. Apparently they had been nesting there.

Krueger's son, Kurt Krueger, who works on the grounds at the university, encouraged him to come witness the demolition of Miller Hall.

Krueger is glad he did.

"It was a rather sad thing as far as I'm concerned; I was associated with that place for 46 years," he said. "I thought somebody who cared ought to be there when that building came down."

He acknowledged that the cost of renovating Miller Hall would have been prohibitive.

"I realize it had to come down, but it was really sad," Krueger said. "It's kind of like closing another chapter in the history of AU; it's my last link to Ashland College."

n Irv Oslin can be reached at 419-281-0581 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 419-281-0581 end_of_the_skype_highlighting ext. 240 or at ioslin@times-gazette.com.







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3 Total Comments
3. Posted by LONEY about 20 hours ago
Being a business ed major, a majority of my classes were either in Miller Hall or Bixler Hall. I, too, have a great many fond memories of classes and meetings in Miller Hall and will miss seeing it when I come back to Ashland for visits.



2. Posted by pnmatia1 December 17, 2010
I stopped to pay my respects, too. A sad good-bye.



1. Posted by nwasen1 December 17, 2010
Nice to see that Mr. Krueger was there to bid adieu to this old building. I am sure it had to be a bittersweet day for him.

Fundraising Works - Ask and you shall receive

The United Way of Ashland has almost reached their goal...just shy of one million dollars. Since I've lived in Ashland, the United Way has had similar goals reached. If the President Finks of Ashland University thinks that people would not help in the fundraising efforts to save an historic structure like Miller Hall, he is wrong. The United Way fund proves that to me. I also received my AU President's report today in the mail which documents MILLIONS given to the Ashland University. Ask and you shall receive...isn't that what the Bible says? For a religiously backed institution, you would think President Finks and the AU Board would at least ask.
Hmmm, sounds all too familiar with the former Ashland County Historical Society's director and their board when the A.N. Myers home came tumbling down.

Why won't those in power listen?

In my short time here in Ashland, I've learned that once people in power have made their decision about destroying an historic property, not much can be done to change their mind. It has happened countless times in Ashland; the original courthouse in the 1920s, in the 1960s the homes of Center Street where Trinity Luthern Church now sits, the F.E. Myers Home at the corner of Center and College torn down in the 1970s, the old jail, the First National Bank buiding, the A.N. Myers Home, the list could go on.
During the A.N. Myers Home controversy, the National Trust for Historic Preservation contacted the Ashland County Historical Society to offer "assistance or consult" with the Society with the potential restoration of the A.N. Myers Home. The Ashland-Times never reported this. The Ashland County Historical Society never contacted the National Trust. Their decision was made. (Read more about the A.N. Myers House controversy at http://www.centerstreethistoricdistrict.org/researchinformation.html)
Miller Hall will be down within the next week. There is not much we can do now. The people of Ashland who really want to preserve our heritage and historic architecture need to learn from our past. We can no longer be reactive to historic buildings being destroyed. We must become a proactive community and begin a strong preservation plan. I've out lined that plan in this blog but I can't do this alone. It must be grassroots and must be a community effort.

Miller Hall Demolition

As final week comes to a close, so is the life of Miller Hall. The oldest building on Ashland University's campus. The cupola was removed and sitting next to the building yesterday afternoon. I expect the rest of the building will come down quickly over the next few days. If you have any pictures of the demolition process, I would love to be able to post them here.

The Williams House - 208 W. Walnut – Sided and a rental

The Williams family lived in this home during the Victorian Era. The home was quite possibly built by a local carpenter named Theodore McNeely. McNeely built numerous homes in Ashland including the Locke-Mason House on Pleasant Street and the Brinton House on Center. The woodwork in the home is almost identical to that of the Lock-Mason and Brinton Homes.

Mr. and Mrs. William's daughter, Olivia, married Charles F. Kettering in the Williams House in 1905. Charles Kettering was a famous inventor who created Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO) which was eventually taken over by General Motors. Kettering had over 100 patents to his name and headed up General Motors' research division for almost three decades. In 1933 Kettering even made the cover of Time magazine.

In 1997 this home sold for $81,328. In May of 2010, FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORP. took over the property that was then valued at $50,667. On October 5, 2010 David and Amy Brucato purchased the property for a bargain price of $22,000 from the bank. The Brucatos have taken off some of the original molding outside and replaced originally windows with replacements. Unfortunately this takes away some of the historic value of the house, but at least the home has a new lease on life. I would rather have seen wood siding and new storms built. Also unfortunate is that the Brucatos didn’t take advantage of the tax credits to rehab historic properties. The potential was an approximate 10% federal tax credit. Who wouldn’t want to save a few thousand dollars in this day and age. Too bad so many home buyers and realtors don’t know enough about the historic home tax credits.

F.E. Harris House at 502 Claremont Aveune - In Contract

Located on the southwest corner of West Walnut Street and Claremont Avenue, the Harris House was most currently used as the Ashland County Bureau of Motor Vehicles and AAA. Now in contract, the question remains...who is interested? A fast food restaurant that will knock it down? Ashland University, which the president doesn't feel that historic buildings merit saving? This story is yet to unfold. Only the realtors know at this point.

F.E. Harris worked for the F.E. Myers and Bros Company for about 50 years. Mr. Harris had the house built at 502 Claremont in 1916. By the 1950s the home began to be used as office space and that is when the three car carriage house was torn down to make way for parking.

Since the BMV recently relocated, the home now sits empty. When the Harris House was built, every corner of West Walnut Street and Claremont Avenue had a grand home. Now it stands as the only home left at that intersection. Will this home suffer the same fate as the other mansions on Claremont and be torn down to make way for a fast food restaurant or gas station? Will it be chopped up further inside and out, past the point of recongition of a single family residence? For these reasons, the Harris House was #9 on my list of the top 10 endangered historic properties in Ashland County last August.

212 College Avenue - Razed this week

Yet another century home destroyed! The north side of College Avenue only has a handfull of homes one what was a residential street. Paved paradise, put up a parking lot.