1927 Building 

While this means the 1927 Building will be demolished, it also means that the proposal to keep only the front façade of the building and build condos behind it WILL NOT go forward. This is a huge victory for the historic district, which could have had an inappropriate development located in one of the most important neighborhoods in town.

It also means that HHA will move forward on plans to complete the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the building and work with the District’s staff and contractor regarding salvage of its key architectural components. We hope those artifacts will someday be used to create a commemorative gateway from the oak allée to the school district grounds beyond.

We want to thank all of you who attended school board meetings, sent letters and emails to the board, erected signs in your yard, and encouraged your friends and neighbors to speak out on this issue.  This was a challenging project from its earliest days. While HHA hoped from the outset that the 1927 Building could be saved, in the end, we believe we can all be proud of the fact that the property will continue to serve Hudson’s students as an educational asset and will remain a cornerstone of the District’s nearly 100-acre campus in the heart of Hudson’s historic district.

Special thanks to our Program Committee, and especially to Committee Chair Linda Matty, for the lovely evening we enjoyed May 12 on the grounds of Western Reserve Academy, where we celebrated HHA’s 60^th anniversary and presented our Preservation Awards to two organizations and one individual. Our evening began in the newly restored WRA Chapel, and then moved to the John D. Ong Library for refreshments and socializing. Thank you to WRA for its hospitality, and thank you to Shelley Sedlacek, chair of our Preservation Awards Committee, and her committee members for leading the process to nominate this year’s very deserving award recipients. More details about the awards can be found below.

Lastly, in May's featured home article about the Baldwin-Buss Merino House, we neglected to acknowledge the contributions of Peninsula Architects, John Milner Architects and Peg’s Foundation in the efforts to preserve and document the historical home. We thank them for their efforts! We would also like to thank Peninsula Architects for the beautiful rendering of the house depicting the house after restoration.

Kathy Russell & Diccon Ong

As part its commitment to recognize those who have made extraordinary contributions to the preservation of Hudson’s historical buildings, village streetscape and Western Reserve architectural aesthetic, Hudson Heritage Association has named two organizations and one individual to receive its annual Preservation Awards. The awards were presented at the organization’s Annual Members’ Event and Program, held at the Chapel of Western Reserve Academy May 12. This year’s recipients include:

The Board of Case Barlow Farm received a Hudson Heritage Association Preservation Award for its work to restore “Big Red,” the bank barn that sits as the centerpiece to the Case-Barlow farmstead located on Barlow Road in Hudson. Built in 1890 by the Case family to support a 465-acre dairy operation, the farm, farmhouse, barn and various outbuilding remained in the Case-Barlow family until the property was donated to the First Congregational Church of Hudson in 1996, and then purchased by a non-profit organization established to save and restore the property. In 2017, the group began a plan to transform the barn into a special events venue. The renovation included repairs to the exterior, interior structural improvements, the addition of bathrooms and a catering kitchen, new plumbing and electrical, and installation of tulip poplar flooring throughout the main floor of the building.

WRA received a Hudson Heritage Association Preservation Award for its work to restore the Academy’s Chapel, built in 1836 by Simeon Porter, one of the region’s most important early architects. The focal point of WRA’s “Brick Row,” the Chapel is the only structure of its style in the Western Reserve to have classrooms on the first floor and a chapel occupying the second and third stories. The project receiving this award was designed to remove some updates to the building and restore other elements reflecting its Federal/Greek Revival origins. Work included removing the pipe organ installed in the 1960s and re-installing Palladian windows on the Chapel’s east side, refurbishing and reinstalling the original pews, replacing the hardwood floor on the main level, removing, refurbishing and reinstalling lighting fixtures, adding ADA accessibility, and removing, refurbishing and reinstalling the 1890s tower clockworks.

Mrs. Eldredge received a Hudson Heritage Association Distinguished Contribution to Historic Preservation Award for more than 50 years of work to support historic preservation and downtown revitalization in Hudson. An active board member of Hudson Heritage Association for many years, she served on Hudson’s Architectural Board of Review for 14 years, was a founding member of the Case-Barlow Board of Trustees, and co-authored the book Square Dealers, which chronicled the businesses and buildings that lined Main Street in Hudson in the 19^th Century.  She also served as co-chair of the Downtown Improvement District Commission, which spearheaded the development of First and Main. In addition, she served as an early trustee of the Cleveland Restoration Society and sat on the board of the Ohio Historical Society, where she chaired the Physical Structures Committee, overseeing the Society’s 58 historic sites located throughout Ohio.

HHA’s Preservation Awards annually recognize and honor historic structures in Hudson that have been well-preserved or restored within the last five years in a manner that maintains the historic integrity of the property.  No minimum or maximum number of awards will be given in any year.  To be eligible for the award, properties must be at least 75 years old, and may include private residences, commercial buildings, publicly owned buildings, non-profit organizations and historic landscapes. For more information about nominating a property for the awards, visit https://hudsonheritage.org/events-news/hha-preservation-awards/

We wish you a pleasant summer and will return in September to resume our monthly programs. Please watch for more details as we begin our 61^st year helping to preserve and protect historic Hudson.

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