In Oberlin, a group of residents rallies around an architectural oddity, reimagining it as a vibrant cultural hub. Once used to power street lamps, the gasholder building now connects the town’s Black abolitionist history with present-day arts and cultural programming centering the Black experience — but the 40+ year path there hasn’t been easy.
In 1999, a group of educators and parents dreamt of building an arts school in Toledo, an audaciously hopeful idea amidst economic decline. A building with a storied manufacturing history proved to be the perfect space for this innovation. Twenty-five years later, the Toledo School for the Arts is thriving. In 2022, a new renovation allowing more students to attend also reimagined a century-old shopfront space, part of the school’s mission to be a positive force in the wider arts community.
A Cleveland-based nonprofit organization, seeking a new home, sets its sights on a former elementary school. Renovation of the Margaret A. Ireland Elementary School, which is located in the historically disinvested Hough neighborhood, requires the transformation of a utilitarian building into a welcoming multipurpose space. But education remains a throughline as MAGNET seeks to support and grow 21st-century manufacturing in Northwest Ohio.
Just north of Cincinnati, a newly developed apartment complex is tucked away on the banks of the Little Miami River. There’s even a brewery on the premises and an adjacent bike path. But this vibrant scene is set within the preserved remains of a former weapons factory, and the manufacturing process has left its mark on the site. Finding life amid a space that once dealt in death is no mean feat. How does one re-envision a space beyond its ghosts?
Two years ago, Toledo Pickle was just one of many nondescript buildings on the waterfront of Toledo. Today, the building, formerly used by the city of Toledo maintenance department, provides food and fun while helping grow the sport of pickleball in the city. A public-private partnership turned underutilized space into a new gem of the waterfront, opening up residents’ access to the river and speaking to the broader potential of postindustrial Toledo.
The Open Air School in Columbus was built in 1928 amidst a global pandemic with the aim of providing a safe and nourishing space for learning. The historic building is now imbued with new life as a gathering place for the local community, with classrooms giving way to a coffee shop and a fitness studio. In the wake of a new pandemic, the building continues to serve those seeking well-being and community amidst nature.
Read part one here, part two here and part three here.
Ohio reaffirmed its rightward trajectory in the 2024 election, with former president Donald Trump...
In the third installment of Midstory’s series “Battleground Breakdown,” we look at how Ohio’s newfound Republican lean and proximity to this year’s battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania affects the state’s politics and voter turnout.
