Century-old buildings being demolished in downtown Ashland

 https://www.richlandsource.com/ashland_source/century-old-buildings-being-demolished-in-downtown-ashland/article_8e5a432a-c70c-11e8-a11f-6bcd07065a55.html

ASHLAND - Two century-old buildings on Ashland's Main Street are coming down this week Best known as the former Weiss Family Pharmacy, the downtown buildings at 76 and 80 East Main Street, are now owned by Matt Wurster through his limited liability company, Main Street Holdings of Ashland.  

The year “1905” is carved in stone on the cornice of the two-story brick building at 80 E. Main Street, and the three-story brick building at 76 E. Main St. dates back to 1920, according to form Ashland Main Street submitted to the National Park Service when downtown was named a historic district.

Wurster's company acquired the buildings in May, paying $90,000 for the two former Weiss buildings and the adjacent former Napa Auto Parts building at 88 E. Main St. The Napa building will remain standing. 

Prior to the May 9 sale, the buildings 76 and 80 E. Main St. were owned by Curt Connor, who purchased both for $8,911 in 2014 and later operated a flea market in the space.

The buildings have deteriorated greatly and over the years and recently suffered damage from a collapse, making them unsafe for use.

Both buildings have sat largely vacant since Weiss Family Pharmacy closed in 2003. Though the owners of Towne Pharmacy, which acquired the Weiss drugstore, bought the buildings with the intent to move into the space, Towne Pharmacy ended up moving to its Smith Road location instead.

Demolition of the two Weiss buildings originally was planned for last week, but contractors ran into some electrical issues that delayed the project, according to Mayor Matt Miller. 

Miller said after consulting with the city engineer, street department director and police chief, he determined the road did not need to be closed during demolition. 

"I'm sure if that's needed, we'll respond immediately," he said. 

After the demolition is complete, Miller said, the land will be seeded. 

Wurster hopes to put some sort of restaurant in the Napa Auto Parts building and to develop the sites of the other two buildings into something that will benefit the entire community and downtown, Miller told Ashland University radio station WRDL last week. The plans have not yet been finalized. 

Schine's Theatre restoration project moving forward FUNDRAISER THURSDAY SPONSORED BY LEADERSHIP ASHLAND ALUMNI

 

https://www.richlandsource.com/ashland_source/schines-theatre-restoration-project-moving-forward/article_ded6d8f6-452e-11e7-823d-47b63762d22e.html

ASHLAND – On March 27, 1942, Schine’s Theatre on Center Street opened its doors to the public. The theater featured live entertainment along with movies and drew throngs of Ashlanders to the 1,500-seat venue.

Over the years, many changes were made to the interior of the theater, including dividing it into three separate movie theaters – two downstairs and one upstairs. Now, a group of area residents are working to restore the theater to its opening-day condition.

“It’s kind of a streamlined, art deco look inside,” said Bill Sample, vice president of the Ashland Schine’s Theatre Organization. “To restore is a lot different than a remodel or a renovation. When you restore, you have to try and save as much of the original as possible, and we’ll do that.

"What we can’t save, we’ll have it replicated so it looks exactly like it did in 1942."

The History

The theatre was built by the Schine family who owned a chain of movie theaters in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Several are still in existence and have been restored, including one in Galion.

On opening night at what was known as The Ashland, standing-room only crowds watched two showings of “Rings on Her Fingers,” starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. The cost was 10 cents for children younger than 12, 30 cents for matinees and 40 cents for evening performances for adults.

The building next to the theater was most recently home to RSVP, which was originally a laundromat.

“You come in and do your laundry. You watch a movie, you come back out, throw them in the dryer, watch another movie, and it’s done. That was pretty innovative for 1942,” Sample said.

In the early days of the theater, it continued to show movies in its single, 1,500-seat theater, but it also played home to live entertainment, including Buddy Ebsen who visited Ashland in 1943.

In 1966, the Schines sold the theater to the Nussbaum family, who continued to run the theater until it closed.

The theater was converted into a triplex in the mid-1970s and continued to show movies in the three theaters until Ashland Square Cinema closed its doors in 2011. According to the owner at the time, the cinema could no longer compete with the larger theaters and the growth of home entertainment.

The Present

From that point, the former Schine’s Theatre sat unused for four years until The Ashland Schine’s Theatre Organization purchased the building in July 2015 with the goal of having the restoration project completed by March 2019.

Sample said the timeline for completing the project depends on several factors, but the group is still hopeful it will be completed within the next several years.

“The shell of the building is in real good shape,” Sample said.

The major issue with the exterior of the building is water collecting on the roof and leaking inside the theater. Last year the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission awarded $300,000 for the restoration project, which will be used toward repairing the roof.

Sample said the roof project should be finished within 30 days after the state releases the funds.

“Once we get it weatherized, then we can go in and do a ton of demolition, further than what we have,” Sample said.

Behind the two screens downstairs lies a back room with the original stage which has served as a storage area for nearly 40 years. Sample said when the previous owner converted the theater into a triplex in the 1970s, he attempted to use the stage area as a fourth theater but was unable to due to building codes.

Many of the original ornamental lights and other items that had been removed have been stored in that area, which will allow the group to save money by not having to purchase new items.

To aid in their restoration efforts the organization was lucky enough to find one of the ushers who worked in the theater when it opened in 1942. The usher had taken several photos of the Schine’s Theatre on opening day and gave those pictures to the group.

Sample also found the original architect’s plans for the building when he was sorting through all the items left in the theater.

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - Application Procedure

Ordinance 51-05 Ashland, Ohio

“Application Procedures.

(1) Submission requirements. Before it can be considered at a meeting of the Historic Preservation Board, an application along with any supporting documents, shall be filed with the Planning Commission Building & Zoning Office. In order for an application to be reviewed and approved, the applicant shall submit drawings, photographs, specifications and material samples as outlined below. A minimum of six sets of drawings and one set of photographs and material samples shall be submitted. These items shall accurately represent the proposed alterations or additions and new construction. The Building & Zoning Office Planning Commission will place the applicant on the next meeting’s agenda and forward the submitted copies to all the Board members.

A. Alterations and change of color.

1. Photographs of existing conditions.

2. Drawings indicating any changes to the physical appearance.

3. An outline describing work and the procedures to be performed.

4. Material samples and manufacturer’s literature for major materials and products to be incorporated in the building.

B. New Buildings.

1. Photographs (8”x10”) of the proposed site and adjoining building.

2. Site plan and elevation drawings showing the design, indicating drives, road, parking, walks, walls, fences, landscaping, doors, windows, decoration, materials, finishes and other features accurately representing the proposed design.

3. Material samples and manufacturer’s literature for major materials and products to be incorporated in the proposed design.

C. Additions to existing buildings.

1. Photographs (8” x 10”) of the existing building and adjoining building.

2. Site plan and elevation drawings showing the design, indicating drives, road, parking, walks, walls, fences, landscaping, doors, windows, decoration, materials, finishes and other features accurately representing the proposed design.

3. Material samples and manufacturer’s literature for major materials and products to be incorporated in the proposed design.”

The application process listed above is nowhere to be found on any City of Ashland website.  So even if one happens to know a preservation ordinance is in effect, one can not comply because the process may not be available to them.  

Application as defined by Webster’s online dictionary is, “ a form used in making a request.” To my knowledge, no form/application has ever been created by the City of Ashland, the Building and Zoning Office, or the Historic Preservation Board.  “In order for an application to be reviewed and approved, the applicant shall submit drawings, photographs, specifications and material samples as outlined below.”  This statement implies that a form must be accompanied by drawings, photographs, specifications, etc. in order to be reviewed.  A simple application would document the homeowner’s name, address, contact information.  When applying for a recent job, I don’t just send in my teaching certificate and curriculum vitae.  I must complete a form accompanied with a cover letter and other required documents.

With technology today, an online application is easy to create as well as complete.  “A minimum of six sets of drawings and one set of photographs” is outdated.  A computerized log would be created if the applications and items requested were submitted digitally, no file cabinets needed.  Stating that pictures must be 8” x 10” is also outdated in a digital world.  I can print an 8” x 10” picture that is extremely pixelated.  Requesting a digital image with a certain number of pixels is much better.  Yearbook and other printing companies do this to maintain quality.

If Ordinance 51-05 will ever be successful in the preservation of the Center Street Historic District, the Historic Preservation Board and the City of Ashland must start with an updated application process for documentation purposes.

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - Design Guidelines

“DESIGN GUIDELINES/DEMOLITION CRITERIA.

Preface. The purpose of these guidelines is to preserve the architectural history of existing buildings or structures and to ensure the procedures and materials used are compatible with the existing building or structure and help to ensure its preservation into the future and are meant to give architects and owners design direction consistent with the Codified Ordinances of the City of Ashland.  In principle, the Board adopts the United States of America, Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.” - Ordinance 51-05 Ashland, Ohio

Many years back, I attended a number of Historic Preservation Board meetings in Ashland.  Because the Ordinance and Board were new, I suggested that prior to a decision for each application being made, one member of the Board prepare a written explanation much like that of the Supreme Court of the United States.  Explain the reasons for the decision, whether in favor or not.  This creates precedents to support the Historic Preservation Board in the future, provides information to homeowners as to what has been acceptable and what has been declined, and displays how the Board has reflected back to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.  To this date, no evidence of a written explanation using Department of Interior's Standards has been propagated.

The lack of the Historic Preservation Board’s understanding of the Department of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation is evident with many of the applications approved by the Board.  A number of homes have been vinyl sided with the blessing of the Board.  The problem is not with the vinyl but that it has covered up types of shingled siding that is not found with the new vinyl siding.  As stated in the first post about A Broken Preservation Ordinance, Center Street was put on the National Register of Historic Places because it was a textbook of architectural styles.  By applying vinyl siding over these unique shingled sided homes, the historic appearance has been altered, and potential damage has been done to the original shingles as nails tack in the vinyl causing irreparable damage to the home itself.  One homeowner in the Center Street Historic District was told that the back of the home didn’t matter and neither did the garage, yet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards would disagree.



Above - The original wood siding of the Heltman Home
Below - The vinyl siding as seen today
Similar issues can be seen on the Pancoast Home as well.

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - Board Membership

Ordinance 51-05 - Ashland, Ohio

“BOARD MEMBERSHIP

The Historic Preservation Board shall consist of five (5) members as follows:

One architect, to the extend he/she is available in the community.

One preservation related professional member, to the extent he/she is available in the community (this shall include history, planning, archaeology or related disciplines).

Two property owners from within the district and also, to the extent possible, from within the community.

One resident of the City, generally.

Members shall be appointed by the Mayor and approved by Council and shall serve for four-year terms, except that the initial appointments shall be one for one year, one for two years, one for three years and two for four years.”

During the Revolutionary War colonists protested taxes being levied without the consent of those governed.  Taxation without representation was a fundamental cause for the break between England and 13 of her American colonies.  Today, I see the similar issues as only two of the members of the Historic Preservation Board in Ashland are property owners within the district.  When the Board was first created, one other position was held by a homeowner, but the mayor has not reappointed this man back to the Board, even though that person is more qualified than anyone who has held that position since.  Chris Buchanan not only has an appropriate university degree, but ran his own restoration/rehabilitation business.  Chris currently currently works as a Restoration Project Coordinator for the Ohio History Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society.  Chris recently coordinated the restoration of the Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio and had many other projects in the works.  Even I have a B.A. in History but I doubt the mayor will appoint me to the board because I have been too vocal about Ordinance issues. With a mayor appointing members to the Historic Preservation Board, he or she can project their influence without any check to their power by the citizens of the historic district.  So, the mayor could appoint individuals with little desire or interest in preservation and that Board will make decisions for the Center Street Historic District, even though less than half the members of the board actually live in the district.  The citizens in the Historic District deserve the right to vote for their representatives.  We deserve to have our own residents on the Historic Preservation Board.  Just as residents in Ashland would not want the people of Mansfield or any other community making decisions for our city, the citizens of the Center Street Historic District deserve to create our own path.  If other property owners in the city opt into the guidelines of the preservation ordinance, then they too deserve their representation.

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - The Intended Purpose

As stated in Ordinance 51-05 of Ashland, Ohio

“Council, being mindful of the proud history of this community and of the importance of beauty in the everyday lives of our residents hereby declare as a matter of public policy that the identification, evaluation, designation, and protection of designated historic and prehistoric resources within the boundaries of Ashland be provided for and preserve and rehabilitate eligible historic properties within Ashland for future generations

A. Safeguard the heritage of Ashland as represented by those buildings, districts, objects, sites and structures which reflect significant elements of Ashland History. B. Foster civic and neighborhood pride in the beauty and accomplishments of the past, and a sense of identity based on Ashland history. C. Stabilize or improve the aesthetic and economic vitality and values of such sites, improvements and objects. D. Assist, encourage and provide incentives to private owners for preservation, restoration, redevelopment and use of outstanding historic buildings, districts, objects, sites and structures. E. Promote and facilitate the early identification and resolution of conflicts between preservation of historic resources and alternative land uses. F. Conserve valuable material and energy resources by ongoing use and maintenance of the existing built environment.” The irony of the purpose statement of this preservation law was accentuated when the A.N. Myers home was destroyed by the Ashland County Historical Society. One member of Ashland’s City Council served on the board of the historical society. Council and the historical society didn’t “Safeguard the heritage of Ashland as represented by those buildings...which reflect significant elements of Ashland history”, “encourage and provide incentives”, or “Stabilize or improve the aesthetic and economic vitality and values”. The National Register of Historic Places nomination form for the Center Street Historic District referred to the street as a “veritable textbook of architectural styles”. As more historic structures in the district are destroyed, the historic architectural primer loses the vitality that made it so great. Safeguarding these properties is essential to what caught the eye of the US Department of Interior, leading to the distinction of a Nationally Registered historic district. Traditionally, historic district property values have been higher than other neighborhoods. Without safeguards and incentives to provide stable property values, sale prices for properties in the Center Street Historic District may not recover. During conflicts over the demolition of 408 Center Street and 309 Center Street, Ashland City Council did little to promote and facilitate a resolution of conflicting parties. This opportunity to display leadership was lost. The foundation and purpose of Ordinance 51-05 is solid. While some verbiage must be transformed, it is the metamorphosis of the minds of leaders to fully comprehend the assets that lay before us in the Center Street Historic District that is needed most.

A Broken Preservation Ordinance

When Ordinance 51-05 in Ashland, Ohio was created eleven years ago, no homeowner in the Center Street Historic District expected the law to be challenged.  The ordinance was the desire of the homeowners to preserve the district as a veritable textbook of architectural styles, the reason the reason the district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Since the establishment of 51-05, two demolition permits have been granted, numerous violations have been committed, and although law, the ordinance has not been sent on to the Ohio Historic Preservation Office.  Over the course of the next two weeks, I will document the ineffectiveness of the law.

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - The Intended Purpose

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - Board Membership

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - Design Guidelines

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - Application Procedure

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - Demolition of Historic Properties

A Broken Preservation Ordinance - Enforcement of the Ordinance