Witt seeks historic designation for campus

University could use status to get tax credits for renovation work.


Committed coverage

The Springfield News-Sun is committed to covering higher education in Clark and Champaign counties. For this story, the paper tracked a proposal from Wittenberg University to designate the campus on the National Register of Historic Places and explained what benefits it might provide to the university.

Wittenberg University officials want to recognize the majority of the campus as a historic district, a designation that could bring more prestige and potentially provide historic tax credits that could be used to help cover renovation costs.

Wittenberg’s proposal includes 28 buildings, including the majority of the university’s campus. The boundaries of the proposal roughly stretch along the campus from Bill Edwards Drive, North Fountain Avenue, West Ward and Plum Streets. Myers Hall is the only building currently listed on the National Register, and was added in 1975.

Wittenberg staff members are expected to meet in Columbus today with the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board, which will determine if the campus qualifies for historic status. If approved, the recommendation will be forwarded to the U.S. Department of the Interior for a final review, said Tom Wolf, a spokesman for the Ohio Historic Preservation Office.

“It’s not absolutely every square inch of the campus, but it’s most of the campus,” Wolf said.

Heather Rudge, a senior associate at Weber Murphy Fox in Cleveland, assisted Wittenberg with the proposal. Along with the honor of being listed on the National Register, it also gives the university an additional tool for fund-raising and building renovation.

“The one thing it does do is it opens up the opportunity for the university to access historic tax credits when there is building rehabilitation to be undertaken,” Rudge said.

In those cases, Rudge said typically it involves identifying a for-profit investor that is seeking tax credits. The investor, often a private corporation, pays for the renovation in exchange for the tax credits. The investor becomes a part-owner of the building during the renovation and for a brief period afterward. The hearing is an initial step for Wittenberg and could provide an additional tool to be used when planning building renovations.

“It’s in their tool kit now,” Rudge said. “They have it as an option. They may never pull the trigger on it, or they may.”

It’s not yet common for universities to use the credits, Rudge said, but they have been used at private institutions like Baldwin Wallace University to renovate dorm rooms and other structures.

The chance to become a historic district will help highlight Wittenberg’s commitment to providing a quality liberal arts education, said Seth Iiames, director of communications and online content at Wittenberg.

“We are excited by Wittenberg’s proposed nomination to the National Register of Historic Places,” Iiames said. “We believe it highlights our commitment to preserving an important part of Springfield and Wittenberg’s history.”

The hearing only discusses Wittenberg’s architectural and historical significance as it relates to the National Register. The tax credit process is a separate and lengthy process.

Information provided by Wittenberg to the state discusses the historical and architectural significance of the university, and its role in the region’s development. Founded in 1845, Wittenberg is one of the earliest colleges established in the state and one of the first Lutheran-affiliated campuses in America.

The university displays three periods of architectural design. Stone and brick buildings such as Myers Hall were built between 1840 to around 1910. Other buildings, like Blair and Koch Halls, were built from a period between 1920 to the 1950s when development was guided by a more specific campus plan. Other buildings, including Firestine Hall and Synod Hall, are described as having a more straightforward Mid-Century Modern style.

Work on the proposal has been ongoing since the spring, and Rudge said she worked closely with university staff to present a detailed proposal to the state board.

“I wouldn’t call it a formality, but we’ve all worked hard on it to make sure it’s as good as it should be to be reviewed,” she said.

Once the proposal is reviewed by the state board, it typically takes about 90 days for the federal review to be completed, Wolf said.

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