FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2007
Contact:
Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission: Jessica Fagan – 614.995.7552; jfagan@culture.ohio.gov
Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission Approves $1 Million for Western Reserve Historical Society
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission approved $1 million at its quarterly meeting today for the Western Reserve Historical Society’s Hay-McKinney House.
The Hay-McKinney House is one of two Italian Renaissance-style buildings that form a part of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s East Boulevard complex in Cleveland. The Western Reserve Historical Society owns and operates eight sites in a five-county area of northeast Ohio. The Hay-McKinney house, part of the Wade Park-Magnolia area historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, was nominated in 1975 for individual designation based on its association with a respected architect and prominent families. Today the Hay-McKinney house is furnished as a series of period galleries exhibiting furniture, decorative and fine arts, and domestic artifacts from the Society’s collections.
The $1 million in state capital funds will assist the Western Reserve Historical Society with water infiltration issues at the Hay-McKinney House. The project scope includes installation of gutters, new foundation drains, re-pointing of mortar joints, re-grading of soil around foundations, interior and exterior mold remediation, interior and exterior painting, and caulking.
The Commission approval, coupled with the signing of legal agreements, allows the Western Reserve Historical Society to be reimbursed on a pro rata basis with funds appropriated in Am. Sub. H.B. 699 of the 126th General Assembly. Cuyahoga County General Assembly members who voted in favor of the bill include Senators Timothy Grendell, Lance Mason, Dale Miller, Shirley Smith and Robert Spada; Representatives Michael DeBose, Timothy DeGeeter, Matthew Dolan, Mike Foley, Thomas Patton, Michael Skindell and Kenneth Yuko; former Senators Eric Fingerhut and C.J. Prentiss; and former Representatives Annie Key, Sally Conway Kilbane, James Peter Trakas and Claudette Woodard.The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission is a state agency that helps enhance the quality of life for Ohioans by improving the state’s cultural facilities. Since 1988, the Commission has disbursed nearly $400 million of capital funds appropriated by the legislature and Governor for facility improvement projects at non-profit theaters, museums, historical sites and publicly owned professional sports venues.
The Commission partners with non-profit groups and local governments on nearly 250 projects in 65 of Ohio’s 88 counties. For more information on the Commission, visit www.culture.ohio.gov.
