Article published October 21, 2009
Civil War museum is scouting Tiffin site
Mark Young, shown at the former site of the museum in Bowling Green, says the new museum could be open by March 1. The potential site is the former post office on South Washington Street in Tiffin. The city has been awarded a $200,000 state grant, and museum supporters believe they can raise another $200,000 to renovate the site.
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THE BLADE
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By JENNIFER FEEHAN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
TIFFIN — Ever since closing the Civil War Museum of Ohio he started in Bowling Green, Mark Young has been working with officials in Tiffin to reopen the museum in a more promising location.
Now, it looks like they have found the site and the financing to get it done.
Mayor James Boroff told City Council on Monday that the city had been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development to help pay for renovations at the former post office on South Washington Street for the museum.
With $150,000 from a private foundation and $30,000 from the city’s Revolving Loan Fund, museum supporters believe they will be able to raise close to $200,000 in additional funds to complete renovations at the 1915 Federalist-style building.
“I’ve been excited about it ever since it was brought to my attention,” Mr. Boroff said yesterday. “Obviously something like this can only help to enhance the community.”
Mr. Young said that if all goes well, the museum could be opened by March 1.
“I just can’t say enough for what Tiffin has done so far,” he said, “It’s been terrific.”
The museum, which would have more than twice as much exhibit space as it had in Bowling Green, would incorporate a regional Civil War prisoner-of-war research center operated by Heidelberg University.
It would create a home for the research that’s been done by Heidelberg anthropology professor David Bush. director of the Center for Historic and Military Archaeology at Heidelberg, Mr. Bush has spent more than 21 years doing excavation and research at Johnson Island, the site of a Civil War military prison in Sandusky Bay.
Rich Focht, president and chief executive officer of the Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corp., said the relationship between the Civil War Museum of Ohio and Heidelberg’s Johnson Island project is a natural.
“We think there is potential for this to become a learning center with the university and the museum, that they would attract other people to come in and study various aspects of the Civil War and have all the information at hand,” he said. “We just see a lot of potential. We see this as definitely being a tourist generator.”
Mr. Focht and Marcie Funkhouser, a local real estate agent, purchased the Cornerstone Building, as the old post office is known, a few years ago with plans to renovate it for the offices of U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor (R., Tiffin). After Mr. Gillmor died unexpectedly in 2007, those plans were put on hold.
Mr. Focht said they now plan to donate the building to the museum once the approximately $575,000 in renovations are complete. The building needs new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems as well as new electrical work.
“It ties in with what we’re doing with the universities and the fact that we call ourselves the education community,” Mr. Focht said.
Theresa Sullivan, president of the Tiffin Historic Trust, said the project is an important part of Tiffin’s ongoing efforts to revitalize its downtown and capitalize on its historic architecture, including seeing Seneca County’s 1884 courthouse renovated and reused.
“You have the Ritz Theater anchoring one end [of Washington Street], the Civil War Museum anchoring the other end, and the courthouse in the middle,” she said. “I think that’s great for the downtown projects.”
Washington Street is the main thoroughfare through downtown Tiffin.
Contact Jennifer Feehan at:jfeehan@theblade.comor 419-724-6129.
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