2011 was a busy year for Historic Columbus and all of our activities were highlighted at our 2011 Annual Meeting held on Thursday, October 20th.  The highlight of the evening (besides HCF ending up in the black) was the Sarah Turner Butler Heritage Award (Historic Columbus' highest honor) given to the Historic District Preservation Society for thier work restoring the 429 Second Avenue house located in the Columbus Historic District.  To learn more about the project or HDPS click here...  
The Sarah Turner Butler Award is the Historic Columbus Foundation’s highest honor, awarded annually since 1984 to an individual or organization for outstanding contributions to historic preservation in our city and region through demonstrated leadership and commitment to the mission of Historic Columbus.

This year’s recipient joins the distinguished company of previous Sarah Turner Butler Award recipients—many of whom are here with us tonight and whose names are printed in your program.

Our 2011 Sarah Turner Butler Award recipient has made outstanding contributions within our community to protect and preserve some of our most treasured places in Columbus.   

In many ways Columbus turned its back on the District during the 60’s and 70’s, but beginning in 1969 Historic Columbus began staging events in the downtown neighborhood to bring people to the District once again.  Many people don’t realize one of the initial reasons for the opening of the house museums and the Salisbury Fair in 1971 was not to raise money, but to bring people, perhaps potential preservation pioneers, into the Columbus Historic District.

In November 1975, efforts in the District had created an impassioned group of residents and 30 District residents met at the Folly to discuss the possibility of a District society.  Some leaders within Historic Columbus were initially concerned of a possible rival preservation organization, but Sally Gates, who led the effort acted as a liaison between the groups and calmed any fears.

It was soon after that lawyer and District resident Joan Swift assembled the incorporation papers for the Historic District Preservation Society.  The society formed in an effort to create cohesion among residents and to share in the woes and pleasures of owning historic homes.  Since that time HDPS has been a thriving partner in preservation to Historic Columbus and its home, the Columbus Historic District.

Having been around for so long there are countless examples of how HDPS and HCF have worked together to improve the historic landscape in Columbus from the legendary Salisbury Fair to the Parade of Homes in 1998, but there is one recent project that shows the passion and dedication HDPS has for its neighborhood that went above and beyond anyone’s expectations

429 Second Avenue is the address of a modest early-1900’s home located in what Historic Columbus calls the lower second avenue area of the District, a somewhat forgotten block until now.  The house was in disrepair, overgrown, and had significant fire damage, a total loss in most investor’s eyes ripe for demolition. 

Historic Columbus purchased the home with the notion of stabilizing the property and hoping for a sympathetic buyer to fix it up.  Luckily, the Historic District Preservation Society expressed an interest in the project and a partnership was quickly formed.  Historic Columbus would fund the effort and HDPS would provide the volunteer labor.  Working almost every Saturday for over 3 years the structure was cleaned, scraped, painted, rebuilt, and restored into what is now a beautiful home.  Thousands of volunteer hours, over $35,000.00 of unexpected fundraising for the project by HDPS, and over 100 people volunteering at least one Saturday morning to work was contributed through HDPS into this home.

Work was completed and the home was sold this past August to an excited new resident of the District.

This project is truly an example of how committed HDPS is to improving the quality of preservation and quality of life for its residents in the District. 

It is with great honor we present the 2011 Sarah Turner Butler award to community advocate and preservation partner the Historic District Preservation Society.

 


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