Sometimes, preserving the past requires stepping forward boldly into the future. Such will be the case when the new Ohio Preservation Connection (OPC) is unveiled this spring.
In a single, easy-to-use interface that does not require sophisticated use of coding or other technological know-how, preservation organizations, downtown revitalization groups, local communities, property owners, and more will be able to ask questions of the new OPC and receive quick, detailed, and Ohio-based responses.
The unlimited number of questions which can be answered could include:
- What funding sources are available for my downtown commercial building in Cadiz?
- How does the National Register of Historic Places work?
- What elements have fueled downtown economic growth in Ohio?
- Which grants have been used to fund Ohio preservation projects like mine?
- What architectural style is represented by the building in this photo? (This type of question can involve the uploading of an image).
- What corporate grant funders have provided funding for Ohio preservation projects?
- What arguments support the use of local historic districts to promote investment in traditional central cities?
With each answer, more details can be obtained through an interactive, question and answer dialogue. If the answer references the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, for instance; additional resources and then contact information can then be obtained for OHPO officials.
These answers can also include reference to dozens of videos and webinars offered by statewide and national preservation and revitalization organizations which have been indexed by keyword and content. A question about how crowdfunding has been used in historic preservation could result in an answer which references videos or webinars where that topic has been discussed in depth, together with a link to view the same.
This tool can be paired with a new Local Preservation Connection (LPC) which puts communities, downtowns, neighborhoods, and/or historic districts online. More information on these shortly. The Cleveland LPC can look different than the Zanesville LPC, for instance; questions in Columbus can have information tied to programs available in that city.
In a short amount of time, this type of tool will be available everywhere. For now, we are launching the first of its kind right here in Ohio, and we will be traveling around the state to introduce the OPC to Ohio’s preservation and revitalization communities.
Members of Preservation Ohio will have a front seat view as the OPC is released. There’s no better time to join Ohio’s original statewide preservation organization; details on how to do so are here.
