mansfield telephone

Mansfield gets another parking lot. 

rasberries

Yum

ironies

I couldn't resist putting up these two photos of north end ironies.  I promise I'll make up for it with some more uplifting and positive images in an upcoming post.

nsp3 demolitions

Two historic properties recently offered for sale together for $125,000 will now be demolished at taxpayer expense.

A list of Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Round 3 funded demolitions in Mansfield has been finalized and will be razed by June or July.  Several properties on the list are on the Ohio Historic Inventory.  Of particular note are two properties on S. Main Street that sit above the huge retaining wall that was created when Main Street was leveled and the properties undercut.

The current owner recently offered these two properties together for $125,000 as a "great opportunity", the houses being "not worth much" but "location is ticket to value".  Now five of his properties in a row are being demolished.  These NSP3 demolitions are "voluntary demolitions" offered to owners in targeted areas.  It will be interesting to see how much the owner will ask for this entire corner, once we've paid for demolitions.

194 S. Main is probably the oldest of the two.  This Greek Revival style house predates 1853 when it appears on the city map of that date.

198 S. Main, of Second Empire style, likely dates from the 1860s or later.  Note the balcony and doorway between the dormers is probably a later addition.

Unfortunately these, and the neighboring houses to the south, have been slumlorded into oblivion.  Large, clumsy additions were added to the rear of both houses at some point in the past.  Although the large retaining wall in front of the houses, and the impossibly steep driveways coming up off the busy street seemed to isolate these properties, they actually have a quite convenient access from the rear at the end a little street called Burnese.

NSP3 funds are being administered countywide, unlike previous rounds in which the city had its separate allocation. 

dog is named

Nadia

yet to be named

Meet my new family member.  She's a terrier mix puppy, 2 or 3 months old, and yet to be named.  Her name at the shelter was Frenzy, and that might be appropriate, but I'd like to come up with something a little more ladie-like.  I'll update when that is settled.

mansfield's performance since 2009 demo controversies

In 2009 the City of Mansfield had its NSP funding suspended by the Ohio Department of Development over their failure to correct their omission of Section 106 historical property reviews in the demolition process. 
As a result of the funding suspension the city agreed to correct the issues and bring its own Community Development Department up to compliance with the federal law.
I recently spoke to Justin Cook at the Ohio Historical Preservation Office to find out how Mansfield has performed in submitting reviews.  He made a check of records and confirmed that the Section 106 Reviews have been coming in regularly from here (as opposed to many years previously of non-compliance).  I updated Justin on what we had been doing here by reviewing demolitions submitted by Codes and Permits. 
In 2011 we had no updates from Codes, but as of the end of 2010 the Historical Society, relying on reviews by the Historic Preservation Commission, had passed on demolitions of 135 properties, and held up demolitions of 3 by commenting on their historical significance.  In one case the city continued the review (331 Prescott), and then dropped the case when the OHPO ruled it eligible for the National Register.  In the other two cases the city appears to have just moved on.
Justin was glad to hear the process was working on both ends.  It's ironic that the Preservation Act which incorporates all of the checks and balances of the review process and provides for citizen input in the spending of federal dollars, actually has next to nothing for enforcement remedies.  In our case, the suspension of the NSP funds worked, but took a disproportionate amount of effort on the part of the OHPO and Ohio Department of Development to bring about.  And the reality of how the process is working today is a far cry from the detailed expectations the Act lays out regarding how the public is a partner in the process. 
Basically neither OHPO nor the Historical Society here in Mansfield has a birdseye view of the process.  So talking to Justin brought things into perspective and I can say with confidence we accomplished positive things.  For a more detailed look at what happened in 2009 you can read the archived blog posts.

preservation commission

Today I learned that I have not been reappointed by the mayor to the Historic Preservation Commission of Mansfield which I have Chaired for a good number of years.  Several other long-time members were similarly dismissed also. 
I would just like to make it clear, for those who may confuse the two groups, that I am still the President of the Richland County Historical Society which operates Oak Hill Cottage. 
Oak Hill is a labor of love.  The HPCM chairmanship was much more of a burden of responsibility.  I was not ready to let it go, but I already feel the relief of not having to move that agenda forward this year.  Hopefully someone new will carry on appropriately.

more demolitions?

Cuyahoga County has been in the news recently because of their demolitions: 1000 last year and looking to demolish 20,000 if they can get the funding, according to news reports. 
Hard hit communities all over the country are facing similar challenges, although the lawless stripping and looting of foreclosed properties seems to be much more out of control in Cleveland than in most other cities.  Given that houses are systematically rendered worthless there as soon as they go vacant, it's easy to understand the need to demolish them at that point.  But I'm questioning how or why the demolition after the fact is touted as fighting blight, instead of what it really is...cleaning up after a failure all down the line. 
Here in Mansfield, where the looters and strippers are a little more subdued, and where perhaps the neighborhood vigilance has not eroded so badly, we should have a chance to apply some real solutions short of the wrecking ball.  We should resist the urge to look to Cleveland as a model for fighting blight.  Blight has already won the battle there.  We still have a fighting chance here.

What I'm suggesting is that more attention and funding be put into securing vacant properties.  That we learn how to live with and manage them.  And that we invest in positive approaches to preventing deterioration.  The money we are going to spend tearing houses down might be better spent and might create a few jobs if we apply it to code enforcement, winterization, secure boardups, lawn mowing, and maintenance.  Even where the community has to step in and put some money into a property to save it, it makes more sense than waiting for demolition.  The cost goes on the tax bill either way.  The demolition compounds the cost and loss by destroying a certain amount of real estate value and creating a non-contributing empty lot to the landscape. 
I'm forseeing a mounting frustration with vacant properties that is building, and because we've been lazy in applying preventive maintenance, a growing consensus that demolition is the answer.  I'm not even speaking as a "perservationist" in opposing that, rather from the conviction that it has no significant effect on battling blight.  It's the last act of the defeated...clearing the dead and dying from the battlefield and little else.

proposed historic district in the east village

A proposed historic district in the East Village would honor its Bohemian and older past, but strong opposition has developed from the churches in the neighborhood who see the move as creating hardship, expense, and bureaucracy...a familiar theme: New York Times article

Vacant property registration

Mansfield is one of many cities around the country looking at vacant property registration as a possible tool to improve the maintenance and upkeep of properties during the foreclosure process.  But this article out of Chicago is an indication Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are going to be opposing implementation of these ordinances on their foreclosures.  Chicago Tribune Article

monarch butterfly

A monarch butterfly chrysalis 'hatches'.  According to my friend Phil who gave it to me, this is the last generation of the summer and this butterfly will return to winter in Mexico.  Previous generations of the year live only about a month as they move northward, but the last group flies south. Time lapse is one frame per second.  This video is one minute long  = 1 hour.

1980

Some forgotten pictures I took sometime in the late 1970s, to 1980.  Oak Hill has since been restored of course.  Fifth and Walnut still stands vacant and unrestored.  The Cracker Factory is gone.  The Brewery is gone.  And little did I know when I took the picture that I would be carting that urn from the basement to the Carriage House some day for display!

update on uncle john's

Tom Acevski is now one week into the renovations for Uncle John's Restaurant on the Square.  Owner Nick Tanchevski is happy with the progress. 
The windows on the second and third floors have been repaired, the transom window glass replaced, and brickwork completed in the entryway.  A major transformation is taking place inside also. 

world coverage

News coverage of the damage to Mansfield's Shawshank tree has been global.  Here's a tally of news outlets picking it up so far.
The Guardian.  UK
Mirror.  UK
San Francisco Chronicle
Newsday
Daily Mail. UK
iNews880
Yidio
Shockya
Ecorazzi ("Green Gosip")
Gather
Zee News.  Mumbai India
Cinema Blend
UPI
411mania
TMZ
San Antonio Express
Spokesman Reviews
KSDK
Huffington Post
Detroit Free Press
Forbes
Telegraph.  UK
AP
NewsMax
New Tribune. Tacoma