Centerville and Washington Township through their Create the Vision Comprehensive Plan are taking steps forward to create a community priority list for designating buildings, structures and districts on local, state and national registers. “We want to protect and celebrate the long history of this community,” said Tom Zobrist, Fiscal Officer for Washington Township.

Washington Township, founded in 1796, was one of the first four townships in Montgomery County, and even predates statehood of 1803. The City of Centerville, settled in 1796 and incorporated in 1968, is well known today as Ohio’s largest collection of early stone buildings.

“The protection of our historic legacy is important to the citizens of this community,” said Brooks Compton, Councilmember for the City of Centerville. “And, it is our desire, when practical, to assist in this protection.”

Preservation of historic sites and structures is one of the objectives of Create the Vision, the joint community plan to guide development in Centerville and Washington Township for the next 20 years. Tom Zobrist and Brooks Compton serve as Co-Chairs of the Create the Vision Implementation Task Force, a group of citizen volunteers appointed from Washington Township and the City of Centerville.

Create the Vision calls for the City of Centerville and Washington Township to work with members of the Landmarks Foundation and the Centerville-Washington Township Historical Society to draft a list of appropriate designation opportunities. In this community, there are already nine properties on the National Register of Historic Places, including Centerville’s Architectural Preservation District that was created in 1972, the first district of its kind in the county. Other properties on this National Historic Register include:

“Being on the National Register only prevents federally funded projects from impeding on a site or in certifying preservation projects for tax credits. By having locally designated sites of historic interest, reasonable means of protection can be extended to a variety of sites throughout the community,” said Compton.

Members of the Create the Vision Implementation Task Force will discuss strategies and criteria for beginning this work at their next meeting to be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 27th at the Washington Township Government Center. The public is welcome to attend.