Springfield Register of Historic Properties
The following districts and buildings are on the local register by the Springfield Historic Landmarks Commission:
•The South Fountain Preservation Area
•The East High Street District
•The former Springfield News-Sun building, 202 N. Limestone St.
•Fellowship Spring Hill, 714 N. Limestone St., formerly known as Church of God Sanctified, Third Presbyterian Church or Northminster Presbyterian Church
•The Bushnell Building, 14 E. Main St. and 16-18 N. Fountain Ave., formerly Wren’s Department Store
•Pennsylvania House, 1311 W. Main St.
•IOOF Home for the Aged, 404 E. McCreight Ave.
•Wittenberg University’s Myers Hall
•The Heritage Center, 117 S. Fountain Ave., formerly known as The Marketplace
Formerly listed, now demolished:
•The Arcade Building, located on the southeast corner of East High Street and South Fountain Avenue
•Clark County Veterans Memorial Hall, 300 W. Main St.
•Innisfallen Greenhouse/C.A. Reeser House, believed to be the site of the first successful mail-order nursery.
Top 10 Potential Landmarks
A group of local preservationists and experts proposed the following list to the Springfield Historic Landmarks Commission earlier this month:
•Springfield Civic District: A.B. Graham Building, 31 N. Limestone St.; Clark County Court House, 101 N. Limestone St.; U.S. Post Office, 150 N. Limestone St.; Covenant Presbyterian Church, 201 N. Limestone St.; News and Sun Building, 202 N. Limestone St.
•Mast Mansion, also known as Castle Knoll, 910 W. High St.
•Gammon House, 620 Piqua Place
•Springfield High School, 700 S. Limestone St.
•Regent Theatre, 117 S. Limestone St.
•Center Street YMCA, 521 S. Center St.
•Champion Machine Warehouse/Champion Chemical, southeast corner of Linden and Monroe
•Charles A. Cregar House, 483 Park Place
•Crowell-Collier Plant, 200 W. High St.
•Wissinger-Gish House, 621 Linden Ave.
Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has reported extensively on the debate about historic preservation and downtown buildings, including recent stories about the Warder Library landmarks nomination and the proposed demolition of Ferncliff Cemetery’s historic superintendent house.
The Crowell-Collier building and a downtown civic district highlight the top-10 list of potential targets recommended to the Springfield Register of Historic Properties.
A panel of preservationists and historians compiled the list based on architectural, historical and cultural significance. The list (See a timeline of when the buildings were constructed) was released to the Springfield Landmarks Commission earlier this month. It was reduced to 10 from about 40 Springfield structures which were being considered earlier this year.
The commission may make nominations for the historic properties register later this year, but will work with property owners whose buildings are being considered, said landmarks commission chairwoman Becky Krieger. If a property is listed, no exterior changes could be made to it without the consent of the commission.
“It’s not something we’re going to try to force on people,” Krieger said.
The Springfield Register of Historic Properties has seven historic structures and two districts listed. Three other structures were originally listed, but have since been demolished: Clark County Veterans Memorial Hall, the Arcade Building and the Innisfallen Greenhouse/C.A. Reeser House.
The recommended structures are some of the most important to Springfield’s history, including buildings representative of women, African-Americans and manufacturing, said Kevin Rose, a local historian who led the panel.
“We wanted to represent the Springfield population and Springfield history and not just have big, grand buildings owned by wealthy white men,” Rose said. “Naturally, a lot of those are what our landmarks are — Mast Mansion is a great example of it — but we’re doing a disservice to Springfield history if we only talk about that.”
The Crowell-Collier building was recommended by the panel to become a landmark, but none of those discussions should take place until after the current court-ordered demolition of buildings K, J and F is completed, Rose said.
“It’s not an advocacy or a push like the News-Sun (building) discussion (last year),” Rose said. “It’s a, ‘Let’s see what happens with Crowell-Collier,’ and let the city have those discussions. It’s not meant to interfere with those in any way.”
Building owner Mosier Industrial Services would be interested in discussing the issue with the landmarks commission, said Joe Reidy, a lawyer with Frost, Brown and Todd of Columbus. The company has considered potentially seeking state and federal historic preservation tax credits for the building as part of its redevelopment. He said he has not spoken with the local landmarks commission.
“We think the property is already a landmark, the question is what the commission wants to do,” Reidy said. “Obviously there is significant history tied to the property through Crowell-Collier’s former use. As we’ve been with others in the city, we’re open to hearing what they have to say.”
Demolition of Building J is nearing completion and demolition of Building K along Lowry Avenue is nearly ready to begin, Reidy said.
The oldest portion of the building on West High Street is the most likely to be saved, Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland said. However, unless a buyer comes forward who is willing to invest in the property, it may be time to demolish the entire structure.
“If somebody wants to come forward who thinks they can find a good use for the oldest part of the building, we’re certainly willing to look at that,” Copeland said. “Until that happens, the best thing for it is to come down.”
The proposed downtown civic district would include the Clark County Courthouse, the A.B. Graham Building, Covenant Presbyterian Church, the U.S. Post Office and the most recent addition to the landmarks list, the former News-Sun building — all located along North Limestone Street.
Both the courthouse and the A.B. Graham Building are owned by Clark County, which is planning to spend about $1 million on each building to make interior upgrades. The county would likely be supportive of listing both properties, said Clark County Commissioner John Detrick.
“They’re an important part of our history,” Detrick said.
Several government-owned buildings were recommended as landmarks, including the former Springfield High School. While the buildings are exempt from landmark requirements, they could be added to the register with honorary status.
The list is more about celebrating the history of Springfield, Rose said. He believes the community should do more to celebrate what makes the city special, including possibly adding local historic markers at the structures currently listed on the Springfield historic register.
“If we can get our community to understand why these buildings are important, it helps us in so many ways,” Rose said.
Architecture and cultural heritage is a big draw for tourism in this area, Rose said. If a building is recommended to become a landmark, the community believes the building is important and needs oversight from the landmarks commission.
Even with the protections, it’s possible for these landmarks to be demolished. Some of the recommendations may not ever get off the paper, Rose said.
“If the current owners of the building are not interested in that, maybe we wait and hopefully find a new owner who wants to see it listed,” Rose said. “This is not about public hearings and fiery comments. That’s not what this panel was about.”
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