WORKING TOGETHER: GALLIPOLIS HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEW BOARD AND PROPERTY OWNERS
1. What is an historic preservation ordinance?
An ordinance is a legal document, usually part of a community’s planning and zoning
code which establishes procedures for protecting certain historic areas, places, sites, buildings,
structures, and objects by affording them a thorough study of alternatives to incompatible
alterations or demolitions before such acts are performed
2. Why is preservation ordinance necessary?
Many communities adopt historic preservation ordinances to protect their historic
structures and improve property values.
Some property owners want to protect their investment by ensuring nearby structures
are properly treated as well as their own. By protecting historic buildings, many communities
have also expressed tourism growth and other forms of economic development.
3. Is it legal for the City to tell me what to do with my property, other than to maintain safe and
healthy conditions?
The Supreme Court affirmed the basic constitutionality of historic preservation
ordinances in 1978, when it applied the concept a city can enact land-use controls which
preserve the aesthetic features of a city, including areas which have special historical
archaeological or architectural significance.
What this “landmark” decision means for Ohio communities is the local historic
preservation ordinance are firmly upheld as long as there are well-thought-out design
guidelines, good review procedures and well-documented records
4. Who will review proposed work on historic buildings?
Proposals will be reviewed by the Gallipolis Historic Preservation Review Board. The
board consists of five members appointed by the City Commission who have demonstrated
special interest, experience or knowledge in history, architecture or related disciplines.
Currently, all board members either live, own property or work in Gallipolis.
The board obtained its power to review and regulate design as part of the historic
preservation procedures established with the passage of City Ordinance No. 96-60.
5. What kinds of building projects will the Historic Preservation Board review?
The law empowers the Board to review proposals from property owners for exterior
alterations and additions, as well as demolitions of historic buildings in Gallipolis, this basically
means projects requiring a building permit.
6. What else does the Historic Preservation Review Board do?.
Serve as a consultant to the City, regarding any historic site or property.
One of its most important objectives is to educate property owners about historic
preservations as well as serving as a resource concerning any problems they might be
experiencing with their historic buildings.
7. What are design guidelines?
Design guidelines are the criteria by which proposals from property owners are
evaluated. The guidelines are suggestions on the best way to alter or add to historic buildings.
In addition the guidelines help homeowners find solutions to problems with their historic
buildings.
8. Should I restore or rehabilitate?
The most prevalent treatment for historic buildings and the one most often addressed
by design guidelines is rehabilitation NOT restoration. Rehabilitation is the process of making
possible a continued or compatible use for a property through repair, alterations or additions
while preserving those portions or features which convey the building’s historic cultural or
architectural values.
Until specific guidelines are tailored to Gallipolis architecture, the historic preservation
ordinance has adopted the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The
standards are a set of broad, general guidelines for rehabilitation of historic properties designed
to encourage work which is considerate of the historic character of the building. The standards
are widely accepted as good sound advice for any historic property and will be the basis for any
future guidelines adopted by the HPRB. In general, successful design guidelines favor retaining
original material whenever possible with replacement by similar materials the next best choice.
9. How do I know if my building is historic?
There are three evaluation standards to determine which Gallipolis buildings and
structures are historic.
 The property must be at least 50 years old
 The property should retain its basic integrity, and
 The property should meet of one of four established criteria
1.) The property has significance for its association with broad patterns of national,
state or local history.
2.) The property has association with persons significant in the past
3.) The property has architectural merit, and
4.) The property has the potential to yield information important to history.
10. Why designate an historic district rather than individual buildings?
From a planning standpoint it is better to consider whole neighborhoods or a defined
historic district has to include structures on by one. It would be useless to review one historic
hour on a street if neighboring historic structures were not subject to review.
11. Does the Historic Preservation Review Board has the final word?
No, all decisions made the review board by be appealed to the City Commission,
however the historic preservation ordinance emphasizes the negotiation process between the
review board the property owner in order that a compromise be reached. Only if a compromise
cannot be reached after a good faith effort, can the property owner appeal to the City
Commission.
12. Does the Historic Preservation Review Board want to save all old buildings from demolition?
The review board’s purpose is to provide a thorough study of alternative to
incompatible demolitions to historic buildings by engaging in meaningful dialogue with the
property owner. There can be foreseeable instances where buildings are too far deteriorated
to save and/or present an immediate public safety hazard. Also, the board will take into
consideration, upon request of the property owner that stabilizing the structure would be an
extreme financial hardship.
Is the building request to be demolished historic as established by the ordinance? This
will be determined by the historic review board. There may be instances where the building in
question has previously undergone extensive irreversible alterations as to nullify any historic
value.
13. How can I obtain a copy of the historic preservation ordinance?
Ordinances are available at the Gallipolis City Manager’s Office or Gallipolis Code
Enforcement Office at 848 Third Avenue.
14. Who can I contact if I have questions about the ordinance, design review, or about basic
historic preservation issues?
Janet Johnson-Chairperson
JoAnne Nibert
Becky Viall
Vera Snedaker
Nancy Childs
Brett Bostic-Code Enforcement Officer, Gallipolis City Building 441-6022