Canton is welcoming hundreds of history lovers this week in some of its most historic buildings downtown.
The Heritage Ohio Annual Conference brings together developers, business owners and historians to share takeaways on reviving downtowns through preserving historic buildings, said Matt Wiederhold, the nonprofit’s executive director.
“This is a great opportunity for them to come to the conference and learn about potential funding opportunities, to learn how to list their building on the National Register and to get insights on how to preserve and restore those buildings for a new use,” Wiederhold said.
It’s also a chance for Canton to show off its downtown revitalization efforts, he said.
Canton is considered one of Ohio’s legacy cities, like Youngstown and Mansfield, that are building back and thriving after losing major industries, he said.
“Canton is a wonderful story of a city on a comeback,” Wiederhold said. “Through the use of historic preservation tax credits, many of their key downtown structures have been saved and put into new use.”
Structures like the historic Onesto Event Center, a 1930’s-era hotel that had fallen into such disrepair, it was once slated for demolition, Wiederhold said.
A “catalytic” restoration project in 2008 repurposed the hotel into a state-of-the-art venue for weddings and events, he said.
Conference sessions will be held there, as well as the historic Canton Palace Theatre and Doubletree Hotel - formerly the McKinley Grand Hotel. Discussions will focus on state historic tax credits and programs like Main Street grants, including a keynote presentation from Erin Barnes, CEO of the Main Street America program.
Canton is a prime example of how restoring old buildings can spark economic development and help preserve a city’s heritage, Wiederhold added.
“These historic structures are more than just old buildings. They are the identity of the history of that community,” Wiederhold said. “They were built by people who perhaps founded or invested in that community, and they stand as landmarks to the past.”
They’ll also honor the late Ohio Sen. Kirk Schuring, a Canton native who helped create the state’s historic tax credit program, Wiederhold said. Schuring died last November.
“He worked so hard across the state to help downtown revitalization, so this is a way for us to kind of honor his legacy after his passing last year, and to kind of lift up Canton as a great example of a city on a comeback,” Wiederhold said.
The conference runs Tuesday through Thursday. Wiederhold expects about 350 to 400 attendees, he said.
