Hello from the President’s Desk:
June, 2010
The past few years, months and even days have been a huge stress on
our historic preservation attempts and hopes.
Since we lost the American Hotel to the tragic arson fire, then the
Crist building adjacent to it by the inadequate shoring up of the
wall when the demolition was finished and the Art Deco Circleville
Oil building due to the owner’s desire to have an empty lot to sell,
we have suffered many changes in the streetscape of downtown
Circleville.
The Smith block (the west end of the old Commercial Row of
buildings) built in the 1830s has been the most recent casualty.
The Historic District Review Board heard the initial appeal for a
demolition permit and acted according to their mandate to preserve
and protect the downtown Historic District. When the developers
appealed their denial to City Council, the Council heard many
statements from the developers, Franklin Conaway, David Carroll (an
attorney hired by the Conservancy) and agreed to have a third party
opinion. The owners denied access to the structural engineering
firm from Columbus, brought the appeal back to City Council, and
with two recused members, the vote was 3 to 2 to overturn the
Historic District’s decision and allow the demolition.
Our hope, as a preservation group, is that the City Council will
work closely with the Historic District Review Board and the
Planning and Zoning Board to have strong rules in place regarding
the purchase of a building in the Historic District, when it is
stated that it is purchased for demolition.
Please continue to watch the Historic District Review Board’s
hearings, the City Council’s meetings and speak to your
representatives if you favor preservation and appropriate use of
Historic Buildings.
October 2009:
Just in time
for Christmas gifts, we have available three artists’ renderings for
you. The Roundtown Conservancy is offering these three as a Chinese
auction item. (All pictures are framed.)
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