Although the Hamilton Center may not appear attractive today, behind the brown facade of the 1970s lies a true beauty. Two buildings are actually hidden behind the cladding.
The largest was built in 1900 by local businessman Henry Frechtling. He named the building after his hometown in Germany, Mehrum. The Mehrum Building survived a fire that destroyed everything but the front facade of the building in 1906, as well as the flood of 1913.
Part of the building was originally occupied by Strauss Clothing Co. and, later, H.R. Green. The four-story Second Empire building features a mansard roof interrupted by a series of dormers that form peaks across the building’s terra cotta facade.
The second building, referred to as the Lindley block, was constructed between 1906 and 1913 in red brick under the design of Hamilton architect Frederick Mueller.
Restored, the Mehrum Building would rival even the Butler County Courthouse in ornate architectural detail. Residents may remember the successful restoration of the Robinson-Schwenn Building across the street. Now home to Miami University Hamilton, Cappuccino Depot, the Butler County Law Library and several other uses, the former Dixon Opera House was also completely hidden behind metal cladding. Now removed, the beautiful brick structure is a major asset to the downtown and its historic sense of place.
Preservation Ohio has recognized the Hamilton Center for the last three years as one of Ohio’s most endangered sites. Listed as the Mehrum-Lindley Block, the buildings made the organization’s list of the most important buildings to preserve in the state because of their prominence in downtown Hamilton. The text of the 2009 listing states: “These buildings sit at the epicenter of concern in Hamilton over maintaining the character of downtown. And as community after community has demonstrated, maintaining character is absolutely essential for effective downtown revitalization to occur.” Images of the Hamilton Center and a link to the Preservation Ohio listing are available at our Web site, www.butlerchaps.org.
Holding long-term aspirations that the current or future property owners will choose to remove the added facade and restore the ornate structures, CHAPS strongly hopes that short-term traffic or safety concerns will not permit the building’s demolition.
With only the aluminum facade unstable, we encourage the city and property owners to work toward the facade’s removal or stabilization, rather than creating another vacant parcel on High Street. The urban and historic characteristics of Hamilton are at stake and these buildings are at the heart of that threat. Let us not destroy the beauty that lies beneath.
J
erry Leshner
is
p
r
esident
of
C
itizens for Historic and Preservation Services
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