Troy building named to most endangered state historic sites list

The Flash Restaurant, housed in the building, was a staple of downtown Troy for many decades. It and neighboring businesses are shown in this photograph circa 1964. This building was grafted onto the front of the old Miami County courthouse in 1902.

The Flash Restaurant, housed in the building, was a staple of downtown Troy for many decades. It and neighboring businesses are shown in this photograph circa 1964. This building was grafted onto the front of the old Miami County courthouse in 1902.
Local News
By
Updated May 12, 2023
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The controversial building at 112-118 W. Main St., Troy, was named to a state list of most endangered historic sites.

The listing of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites was released this week by Preservation Ohio, a nonprofit corporation providing advocacy and education about the state’s historic buildings, downtowns, neighborhoods, landscapes and communities. The list, it says, includes “significant pieces of Ohio history” that face uncertain futures.

Buildings for the list are nominated by organizations/people across the state. The building also was on the list in 2022.

Known as the Tavern and the IOOF building, the structure is the center of a community debate and legal battle over its future. The building is on West Main Street, just west of the Troy Public Square, near the historic 1880s Courthouse.

Owner 116 West Main LLC claims the buildings, damaged in a January 2020 tornado and further damaged by high winds this spring, is unsafe and needs to be demolished.

Others, including the Troy Historic Preservation Alliance and neighboring property owners argue the buildings can be saved.

A hearing on the building’s future is scheduled for May 24 in Miami County Common Pleas Court.

The building includes an old Miami County Courthouse building dating to the 1840s and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows building constructed in 1902 at the front of the courthouse.

“We are grateful to Preservation Ohio for recognizing the plight of this building, one of the most historic in Troy and Miami County,” said Ben Sutherly, president of the Troy Historic Preservation Alliance.

“Troy has one of the region’s most beautiful downtowns, the result of a culture of stewardship that spans two centuries. This building can be a key contributor to our thriving downtown in the right hands, and we are committed to preserving it for future generations,” he said.

The THPA says the building is of historical significance for several reasons including being the sixth oldest courthouse in Ohio. In addition:

- The courthouse area served as the registration site in the 1840s under Ohio’s Black laws. With that law, Blacks had to post a $500 bond in court and prove they were freeborn or had emancipation records. The group of formerly enslaved people registering at the courthouse were known as the Randolph freed people, believed to have been part of the largest emancipation in U.S. history prior to the Emancipation Proclamation.

- The IOOF building is an example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture and is a critical part of the historic streetscape along heavily traveled West Main Street.

The full list of buildings on the state list can be found at http://www.preserveohio.com

Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com

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