HARPERSFIELD TOWNSHIP — There was a time when people slowed down to see the tall white building on Route 307 in Harpersfield Township.
A little ways from the famed Harpersfield Township Covered Bridge, the historic building stood proud, its white paint fresh and its windows clean.
But time was not kind to the white building, which would serve as a church, a township hall, a polling place and meeting room since its construction in 1836.
The end of an era came and went this week as workers demolished the dilapidated building, finishing the work gravity began by pulling down the sagging roof and broken windows.
Harpersfield Township Trustee Jim Pristov said the decision to demolish the historic building was heart-wrenching.
“We tried to work with several organizations and individuals to save the old building, but there were never any solid plans behind the talk,” Pristov said. “We held a number of meetings and set a number of deadlines before the decision was finally made.”
Pristov said the building had a large hole in the roof and much water damage to the interior.
“Remediation or restoration of the building was always a possibility,” Pristov said. “But as time went on, we realized that asbestos had to be removed and the building needed hundreds of thousands of dollars before it could be inhabited. The building was condemned by the Ashtabula County Building Department and it got to the point where it was a hazard.”
The Harpersfield Township Heritage Society also tried to save the building — even putting in objections to the demolition up until the last minute, society president Charlie Kohli said.
Pristov said the effort to preserve the building even went on the ballot for funding years ago, but failed.
“As trustees of a small township, we don’t want to destroy anything,” Pristov said. “But the situation and the building was becoming unsafe and unsightly.”
Pristov said while the building is gone, its place in Harpersfield Township history is recorded forever.
“We also have some plans and are taking ideas on how to use the property,” Pristov said. “We may possibly put in a gazebo for residents to use and we will use some of the stones from the building’s foundation in the landscaping. That is just one idea.”
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Goodbye to history
Efforts couldn’t save old Harpersfield hall
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