Hotel Swisher and Pioneer School receive rehabilitation assistance
COLUMBUS — Two local projects were among 46 to receive Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits through the Ohio Department of Development. A total of 56 buildings will benefit from $67.5 million in tax credits.
Receiving $250,000 in tax credits equates to an approximately $4.2 million rehabilitation of Hotel Swisher, 117-119 E. Main St., Somerset. The building, which was once the Swisher Cigar Factory, also housed grocery, hardware and automobile sales over the years. The currently vacant property will be converted into a 15-room boutique hotel aimed at the region’s heritage tourism market. The Swisher complex, located at 115 and 121 East Main Street in Somerset, received $130,000 in tax credits for the $1.3 million project earlier this year. It was built in 1880 as a law office and later converted into apartments.
Receiving $594,000 in tax credits equates to approximately $5.4 million in rehabilitation of the Pioneer School, located at 952 E. Main St. in Zanesville. Built in 1915 on a prominent hill overlooking the city of Zanesville, the Pioneer School provided education to the city’s children until 2005. The building eventually became home to a clay and ceramics education, performance, and gallery center. The building is currently vacant but will be renovated into 28 market-rate apartments. The university’s Gothic building retains many of its defining architectural features, including decorative stonework, wooden floors, and blackboards.
The award supports private developers who restore historic buildings in downtown and neighborhoods. Today, many of the buildings are vacant and generate little economic activity. Once renovated, it will attract further investment and interest in adjacent properties. Developers will only be issued tax credits once construction of the project is complete and all program requirements have been verified.
The Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program is operated in partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Office of Historic Preservation. The State Historic Preservation Office determines whether a property qualifies as a historic landmark and whether the restoration plan complies with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s restoration standards.