Protecting Our History - What Can I Do?

If an historic building in your area is threatened with demolition, one of the first things you can do is research the property to determine if it has been designated a local landmark, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places or is part of a local or national historic district.

You can contact your local preservation organization, historical society or landmarks commission for a list of locally designated landmarks in your community. You may also contact you local planning or building department in your town’s city hall. Or, try the Ohio Historic Preservation Office’s Listing of National Register Historic Places in Ohio or the National Park Service’s national listing.

A building does not have to be a designated landmark to be considered worth saving; however, it may be easier to build the case for saving it if it is already designated.

The real protective power of historic preservation lies at the local level where property owners deal directly with municipal officials. While the federal government and the National Trust, a non-profit organization, set out an overall superstructure of preservation activities and ensure the consistency of state preservation efforts, they have no regulatory power. However, municipalities can become Certified Local Governments by the National Park Service Department of the Interior, through the State Historic Preservation Offices. These offices provide a link between federal and local government and monitor state laws authorized for local programs.

Local communities can regulate and protect historic properties through legal ordinance. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 encouraged local governments to establish local historic preservation ordinances and historic district commissions to monitor them. Each community can decide for itself what is historically significant, what is valuable to the community and what steps should be taken for protection. Each community’s ordinance will be slightly different, so it is important to carefully review the ordinance in your area.

Get Involved in Preservation In Your Community
The most effective way to preserve our history is to take a proactive approach. Join your local preservation organization and let your voice be heard. Support your local organization’s efforts to survey, landmark and protect important buildings, landscapes and neighborhoods. See our list of local preservation organizations.

Become a Member of CRS
The Cleveland Restoration Society and Preservation Resource Center of Northeastern Ohio has been an integral partner in the saving and rehabilitation of countless historic buildings and neighborhoods and has set a national standard for innovative and effective local preservation programs.

CRS is one of the largest professionally staffed, private preservation organizations in the country and the premier preservation organization in Northeast Ohio. We serve a seven-county region, which includes Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Portage, Summit, Medina, and Lorain. Join us!

CRS’ Advocacy Efforts
The Cleveland Restoration Society and Preservation Resource Center has been a respected advocate both for preserving individual structures in our local area and for the affecting policy change that would enhance the prospects for preservation of large groups of buildings, such as religious properties, neighborhood schools and residential structures.

Over the years, CRS has effectively advocated for the preservation of the Society for Savings Building, the Allen Memorial Theatre, the War Memorial Fountain, the Eastman Reading Garden and the Society’s own headquarters, the Sarah Benedict House.

In 2003-2004, CRS has been working with the Cleveland Municipal School District and Ohio School Facilities Commission to save Cleveland’s historic neighborhood schools and with neighborhood groups to save the Cozad-Bates House in Cleveland’s University Circle.

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