Heritage News of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio

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Yet again the Carlisle building is in the news - or rather, on the opinion page. Two letters-to-the-editor last week called for demolition of the landmark, undoubtedely spurred by the October 5th news that the city is citing the owners for code violations.

Why not? It's a burned-out hulk, a building past ts time, it's stood empty and unrepaired too long, the weather has destroyed it, we need parking there more than a landmark. Right?

Oh, come on, Chillicothe. We didn't make it to 200 by being short-sighted, wasteful, and ignorant.

All right, how about a categorical refutation of the seemingly popular doom-saying?

• "The downtown is in need of more parking"

  The downtown is in need of more intelligent parking.

  And adequate studies of parking, and a realistic look at parking. The studies I've seen have selctively shown only part of the picture. There's plenty of parking downtown - there just a scarcity of people willing to walk as far as they do at the malls without knowing it. Creating a new parking lot is not more important than saving the Carlisle.

• The building has outlived its useful life

  The Carlisle was built with methods and materials that had stood the test of time. With proper and resonable and not excessive care, the bulding will last hundreds of years. Not so our modern constructs, the quick and cheaply built boxes that sometimes have an engineered lifespan of only 20 years. Don't confuse the two.

• Fire, water, and weather have damaged the building beyond repair

  Three- and four-brick-thick load-bearing masonry walls withstand fire, water, and weathering well, even with damage to their wooden superstructure. Competent engineers have combed over the building and declared it safe, and have designed repair work for it. I'm confident in the building and its laborers, even unfinished as they are.

  "I believe if something is not done soon to save it, the Carlisle will decide the issue on its own by crumbling before our very eyes." If by "soon" you mean 50 years, yes, maybe. Again, don't confuse Bridge Street with Paint Street.

• Demolition is progress

  Just as amputation is healthful living.

  Yes, sometimes a building must be removed for good reasons. There are none present in this situation.

• The building is an eyesore

  The empty lot at 41 South Walnut Street is an eyesore. The empty lot at 64 West Second Street is an eyesore. The empty lots on the northeast corner of North Mulberry Street and East Second Street are eyesores. The empty lots at North Hickory Street and East Second Street are eyesores.

  What's worse than seeing a dilapidated but repairable building is seeing a hole - a hole in the local economy, a hole in the downtown building stock, a hole in the built environment, a hole in the culture.

• "Downtown needs progress"

  Ah, there we can agree!

  You are referring to proper management of the downtown, no doubt - a revitilization plan, better parking management, more pride?

• A parking garage can be built

  With what money?

  If the Carlisle goes down, it will be a surface parking lot. It will be a gaptoothed hole in the heart of the downtown that all visitors will see and wonder why Chillicothe couldn't do a better job.

  Parking garages are very expensive, and bring in little income. Without much planning and saving, a parking garage is impossible in Chillicothe. And there are two far better places for a garage: behind City Hall between North and South Market streets, or in the lot at 26 East Second Street - not to mention the three city surface lots.

• "Preservationism can be taken too far"

  Yes. But so can delusions of "progress."

  Preservation has not been taken far enough in downtown Chillicothe - witness the short list of demolitions above. Historic Preservation is a proven economic tool that many other towns the size and composition of Chillicothe have used to their advantage. Why is Chillicothe so adamantly opposed to it?

A candle-lit Carlisle tower on a better evening several years ago

"The parking garage could be built with a colonial-style facade and bear a plaque with the history of the Carlisle Building."

Chillicothe is not Colonial. And if you can't support the preservation of a solid landmark like the Carlisle, you can keep your plaque.

The problem with the Carlisle is not the building - its the management of the building.

< HNews_Carlisle2005.html> v1.4w - 10/19/05, 10/18/05, 10/17/05, 10/15/05

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