Historic marquee is back

 Workers from Simonson Construction work Monday on replacing the reconstructed historic marquee at the Schines Theatre in downtown Ashland. The reconstructed marquee was done locally by Harris Welding. Ashland Schine’s Theatre Organization is restoring the old theater building. The original Schines Theatre opened with 1,500 seats in 1942. Later known as Ashland Square Cinema, the facility closed in 2011. The building at 216 Center St. sat vacant until the Ashland Schines Theatre Organization bought it in July 2015 and then began its reclamation project.

Volunteer cleanup group tackles dump sites at Siler Trails

 https://www.times-gazette.com/news/20190423/volunteer-cleanup-group-tackles-dump-sites-at-siler-trails

An independent group of Ashland residents decided to take cleanup matters into their own hands after witnessing the amount of trash and dumping at Siler Trails.

“I walk the trails down there along Jamison Creek with my neighbor ... and we were coming up through and we just looked down and it was just so disgusting,” said Barbara Morejon, a member of the Siler Trails group.

Located at the end of East Bank Street next to the Old Siler House, Siler Trails is a city-owned recreation area that follows Jamison Creek and opens up on Hillcrest Drive. While the trails themselves have remained clear of trash and debris, bottles, tires, scrap metal and even an older record player can be found littered among the woods.

The Siler Trails volunteer group — composed of Morejon and Ashland residents Barry Wheeler, Heidi and Gary Weller, Beatrice North, Eric Boyer, Jason and Tanya Nell and Aaron Ross — formed with the assistance of Local Roots volunteer Karisa Wild.

“I had made a Facebook page called Friends For the Future as an online resource for somewhere people can find events pertaining to local cleanup efforts,” Wild said. “It’s just a place for people to get more information.”

In late March, the nine-person Siler Trails’ group contacted Ashland City Parks & Recreations Department Director Jason Counts to verify if their volunteer group had permission to conduct a cleanup. The city was able to provide trash bags and also offered to pick up any trash collected.

“I appreciate the fact that the community is willing to help; it helps them to take pride in the parks,” Counts said. “It also helps create pride in the city.”

Morejon and eight volunteers spent roughly four hours at Siler Trails and collected nearly 30 bags of trash and debris from one section of the trails, though Morejon said they only just scratched the surface.

“We pulled out old trash bags that had trash in them that fell apart as you’re pulling it out,” she said. “Underneath the trash bags, there were more trash bags.”

Standing water from rain in early April inhibited the group from continuing their cleanup, but Morejon said the plan is to return to Siler Trails as soon as the water recedes and she hoped to get some extra assistance from the Parks & Rec department.

“The more bags we pulled out the deeper the hole got,” Morejon said. “I’d like to see if the Parks & Recreation can get a backhoe in there and kind of dig some of that out, and then we can go back and clean what’s left.”

And while the Siler Trails group’s efforts uncovered evidence of frequent dumping, Counts said he did not believe dumping was a prominent problem throughout the city’s parks and trails.

“We recently even toured the Sandusky Hollow trails and it wasn’t that bad, but do we find that stuff? Yes,” Counts said. “It’s something that we clean up right away; I can’t say that there’s one particular park that is always trashed.”

Wild believed the contrary and has worked with several independent groups of volunteers to canvas other parks and recreation areas to focus on cleanup.

“I think this is an issue that we have not had a lot of enforcement on in regard to making people aware of the kind of problems that it creates,” Wild said. “It’s an education issue and it’s an awareness issue, and I think in the past in Ashland we haven’t had a large movement of people who consider this to be an important issue.”

“It was so nice once all the trash is gone, (the area) is just plastered with buttercups; it was just beautiful,” Morejon said.

— Jessica Speweike can be reached at 419-281-0581, ext. 237, and jspeweike@times-gazette.com.

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.