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CANTON DOWNTOWN
HISTORIC DISTRICT ADDED TO NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
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Canton,
Ohio (June 30,
2006) The center of downtown Canton
has been designated a historic district and has been added to the
National
Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior
effective
June 7, 2006. The official name of the new district is the Upper
Downtown
Canton Historic District. Approximately
30 city blocks are included in the new district. The
designation was determined by conducting a survey of historic
and architecturally significant buildings in the center city.
Sandvick Architects of Cleveland was
commissioned by the Downtown Canton Land Bank to perform the survey
because of
their knowledge and experience in historic preservation, restoration,
and
renovation. The street boundaries of
the district generally comprise 2nd Street South to 6th
Street North and Walnut Avenue Northeast to Dewalt
Avenue Northwest. According to the study, there
are
approximately 89 buildings in the district, of which, 59 are
noted as contributing buildings or ones that have
historical significance. One of the
benefits of a historic district is that owners of buildings will not
have to
apply individually to be listed on the National Register of Historic
Places and
incur the expense associated with this process.
SOME OWNERS MAY QUALIFY FOR
TAX CREDITS
According
to Michael P. Gill, Director of the Canton
Development Partnership, “ in addition to the honor of
listing on the National
Register, owners of qualifying income-producing buildings may be
eligible for a
federal investment tax credit. “ Tax
credits provide an incentive to renovate qualifying buildings by
returning a
very significant portion of the constructions costs to the
owner.
Gill believes that historic designation will
give another economic boost to our downtown by providing the next wave
of
capital investments downtown. This benefit will be in addition to the
substantial capital investments witnessed over the past 3-5
years.
The Canton Development Partnership will be
organizing an information session for interested parties to discuss the
historic district and the process for applying for tax credits in the
near
future. Gill, “ cautions that it is
important that people learn about the credit and how to qualify for it
first,
before undertaking the work. Interested
parties may call the Canton Development Partnership at 330-456-0468 or the Ohio Historic
Preservation Office at 614-298-2000.
ABOUT THE
NATIONAL REGISTER
The National Register lists
places which should be preserved because of their significance in
American
history, architecture, archaeology. engineering, and culture.
It includes buildings, sites, structures,
objects, and historical districts of national, state, and local
importance. National Register listing often raises
awareness of a property. However,
listing does not obligate owners to repair or improve their properties
and does
not prevent them from remodeling, altering, selling or even demolishing
them if
they choose to do so. In Ohio anyone
may prepare a National Register nomination.
Nominations are made through the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of
the Ohio Historical Society. Proposed
Nominations are reviewed by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation
Advisory Board,
a governor-appointed panel of citizens and professionals in history,
architecture,
The
Ohio Historic
Preservation Office is Ohio’s official historic preservation
agency. A part of the Ohio Historical Society, it
identifies historic places in Ohio, nominates properties to the
National
Register of Historic Places, reviews federally-assisted projects for
effects on
historic, architectural, and archaeological resources in Ohio, consults
on the
conservation of older buildings and sites, and offers educational
programs and
publications.
