The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
City eyes historic designation
Downtown could qualify for more money as National Register of Historic Places District
A new historic designation could supplement the revitalization efforts improving downtown Lorain, said supporters of the federal program that recognizes historical areas of the nation.
Pursuit of a National Register of Historic Places District designation for downtown Lorain landed on the 2021 list of goals for Mayor Jack Bradley.
“In the end, it’s about strengthening downtown as a business district,” said Max Upton, director of building, housing and planning for Lorain. “And if we strengthen the downtown business district, that ultimately is good for the entire city.”
The historic designation won’t happen overnight — but it could lead to more money for building restoration and more promotion of Broadway.
In December 2020, the city of Lakewood announced its downtown area officially was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The 1.2-mile corridor with 105 buildings along Detroit Road now is on the nation’s official list of sites significant in American history and culture, maintained by the National Park Service.
Lakewood City Hall and the LakewoodAlive, a nonprofit community development organization, along with property owners, joined to obtain the designation.
They worked with consultant Placemark Collaborative and the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office.
“Our mission is to foster and sustain vibrant neighborhoods,” said Ian Andrews, Lakewood Alive executive director. “We take historic preservation very seriously, and so, we make every effort within reason, and within economic reason, to try ensure that we keep historic integrity of the commercial and residential building stock in the city.”
Lakewood’s historic nomination process evolved over four years due to limited staff capacity, because Lakewood Alive is a small nonprofit, Andrews said.
He predicted Lorain’s process could go faster, but it is no small task.
Lakewood’s nomination form is 169 pages long, with building photos and descriptions and maps.
It’s a big document that requires technical expertise, so communities do best to hire a consultant to help, Andrews said.
Lorain’s process started in January when Bradley and Safety-Service Director Sanford Washington, who make up the city Board of Control, approved hiring Naylor Wellman LLC Historic Preservation Consulting.
The city will pay $30,000 for the work, but aims to get that money back through successful grant applications.
Financial incentives
There can be financial incentives for owners of buildings at least 50 years old and part of the historic district, said Andrews and Gary Fischer, a Lorain architect, who has worked on historic building restoration.
Owners may qualify for federal historic preservation tax credits and may compete for state historic tax credits, Andrews and Fischer said.
The tax credits can total up to 45 percent of the total investment in a renovation project.
The project owners sell the tax credits, generally to corporate buyers who reduce their tax burden, and use the proceeds to pay for building rehabilitation, Fischer said.
A sense of place
The historic designation may be an income generator because it’s advertising that could boost tourism in Lorain.
“There’s a whole ecosystem built around heritage tourism that you see in different states and different areas,” said Shawn Leininger, Lakewood city director of planning and development.
People like to feel like they have arrived someplace special, Andrews said.
Fischer agreed, and the historic designation is like a badge of honor for the building owners there.
“Where would you rather go? he asked. “Would you rather go down by the Black River, or would you rather go to the waterfront district? Or the waterfront historic district? Which one is better?”
Another example might be downtown Vermilion compared to Harbourtown, for the stores and neighborhoods around that city’s center.
“There is something to be said for that,” Fischer said. “You start to create a sense of place, and that then helps generate business for the businesses that are there and encourages other people to move in because, again, you’re part of something bigger than just your little building.”
Stringent regulations
Some people may think the historic designation limits what property owners can do with their buildings.
The National Park Service states: “Under federal law, the listing of a property in the National Register places no restrictions on what a non federal owner may do with their property up to and including destruction, unless the property is involved in a project that receives federal assistance, usually funding or licensing/permitting.”
The U.S. Department of the Interior has standards that tell owners what they can or can’t do and what is important to retain, Fischer said.
Those come into play if a building owner is using state or federal historic preservation tax credits to help finance a renovation project, he said.
“It doesn’t mean you can’t do what you want with your building,” Fischer said. “But, if you want to access those particular financing avenues, you have to follow the guidelines.”
Supporters of historic districts would hope that property owners recognize the historic value and want to maintain it, Fischer said.
But they don’t have to. “I always tell people, just because a building is on the National Register, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be torn down,” Fischer said.
Even with the federal designation, property owners must follow local or state codes for issues such as zoning, property maintenance, fire safety and architectural review, Fischer and Andrews said.