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| Ohio State Historic Preservation Office | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ohio State Historic Preservation Office |
| Formed | 1970s |
| Jurisdiction | Ohio |
| Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio |
| Parent agency | Ohio History Connection |
Ohio State Historic Preservation Office
The Ohio State Historic Preservation Office serves as the state-level steward for historic resources in Ohio, coordinating with federal agencies, statewide institutions, municipal governments, and nonprofit organizations to identify, evaluate, and protect historic sites, districts, and structures. It works closely with the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Ohio History Connection, and numerous local historical societies to administer the National Register of Historic Places program, tax credit incentives, and survey efforts across counties such as Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, and Summit. The office supports preservation projects involving landmarks, archaeological sites, historic landscapes, and heritage tourism destinations including properties associated with figures like William Howard Taft, Thomas Edison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Presidents linked to Ohio.
The office traces its origins to the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and subsequent establishment of State Historic Preservation Offices; it developed alongside national preservation milestones like the National Register program, the National Historic Landmarks program, and amendments tied to the Tax Reform Act of 1976. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the office collaborated with entities such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Ohio Historical Society to inventory resources in counties from Ashtabula to Washington. Key preservation moments in Ohio involved projects tied to the Ohio and Erie Canal, the Underground Railroad, the Wright Brothers narrative at Dayton, and industrial heritage in Youngstown and Cleveland, with guidance shaped by legislation like the National Environmental Policy Act and state statutes enacted by the Ohio General Assembly.
Administratively, the office operates within or in partnership with the Ohio History Connection and coordinates with federal agencies including the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior, as well as state entities like the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Archaeological Council. The office comprises divisions responsible for survey and registration, tax credit administration, archaeology, compliance, and outreach, staffed by professionals drawn from institutions such as Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, and the University of Cincinnati. Governance involves appointed and career staff interfacing with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the State Historic Preservation Review Board, municipal preservation commissions in Cincinnati and Columbus, and county historical societies from Fairfield to Stark.
Core programs encompass National Register nominations, Certified Local Government support, Section 106 review coordination with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Federal Highway Administration, and administration of state and federal historic tax credits in coordination with the Internal Revenue Service. The office leads survey projects in partnership with universities and museums such as the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cincinnati Museum Center, Toledo Museum of Art, and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park; it also manages archaeological permitting in consultation with the Ohio Archaeological Council and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for projects affecting sites linked to Native American cultures, canal-era settlements, and Civil War-era sites like those connected to the Battle of Buffington Island.
The office prepares and reviews nominations for the National Register of Historic Places and collaborates on National Historic Landmark designations with the National Park Service and the Secretary of the Interior; notable National Register campaigns have involved sites related to the Underground Railroad, the National Road, and industrial complexes in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Youngstown, and Akron. Survey efforts have documented resources across metropolitan regions such as Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati and rural counties like Gallia and Hocking, often partnering with preservation organizations including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Ohio, and local heritage foundations to create multiple property submissions and thematic nominations for architects and builders such as Daniel Burnham, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Alfred S. Alschuler-linked commissions in the state.
The office administers historic rehabilitation tax credit programs in coordination with the Internal Revenue Service and the National Park Service, distributes grant funding from sources including the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund, and supports state-level grant programs often backed by the Ohio General Assembly. It works with foundations and funding partners such as the Cleveland Foundation, the Columbus Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and the Ford Foundation to leverage investment in downtown revitalization projects in Akron and Dayton, heritage tourism initiatives in Marietta and Chillicothe, and adaptive reuse projects involving rail complexes, warehouse districts, and former textile mills in Lima and Zanesville.
Partnerships span federal agencies like the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state entities such as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Department of Transportation, academic partners including Ohio State University and Miami University, and nonprofit collaborators including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Ohio, local historical societies, and Main Street America programs in cities such as Springfield and Mansfield. Outreach includes workshops for municipal preservation commissioners, technical assistance to Certified Local Governments, public history programming with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, and community engagement around themes tied to the Underground Railroad, labor history linked to U.S. Steel and Republic Steel, and the cultural landscapes associated with Native American nations like the Shawnee and Delaware.
Case studies include rehabilitation of downtown Cincinnati warehouses into mixed-use developments, restoration of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, adaptive reuse of the Dayton Arcade, survey and nomination work for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park corridor, stabilization of historic bridges on the National Road, preservation of canal-related structures along the Ohio and Erie Canal, and archaeological investigations at mound sites related to the Hopewell Culture. High-profile collaborations have involved the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, the Federal Highway Administration, and local governments in projects affecting sites connected to figures such as Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, William Howard Taft, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Presidents Hayes and Garfield.
Category:Historic preservation in Ohio