Historic District Designation Sought for Part of Detroit Avenue

LakewoodAlive is excited to announce that the designation of Downtown Lakewood as a National Register Historic District is moving along.

The written nomination has been prepared and submitted to the Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) in Columbus. The National Register of Historic Places is America's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance.

Established as a financial incentive tool, buildings in the district that are deemed historic are eligible for state and/or federal historic tax credits to facilitate financing for renovations. Should a building owner seek to avoid oversight from OHPO for renovations, they would simply not apply for the tax credits and follow the rules already in place by the City of Lakewood.

The Downtown Lakewood Historic District will extend from near Bunts Road to mid-way between Hall and Ethel Avenues along Detroit Avenue, as well as along Warren Road from Detroit to nearly Franklin Boulevard. The district will also include a number of apartment buildings located very close to Detroit Avenue on side streets.

Following a Public Information Meeting held virtually on May 14, the next step will be a review of the nomination by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board on June 19, 2020, followed by a National Park Service review.

For more information about the National Register process in Ohio and the Ohio Historic
Site Preservation Advisory Board, click here.

The Downtown Lakewood Historic District project is sponsored by LakewoodAlive, with support from the City of Lakewood and the Ohio Development Services Agency.