Constructed on a hill overlooking Hamilton, the Butler County Infirmary opened in 1884 in Fairfield Township. The home expanded over the years, but was deemed unsafe and antiquated by the 1960's. Butler County Commissioners choose to build a new home for the county's elderly in 1976.
      After sitting vacant for several years and being used as a haunted house, the commissioners choose to tear down the structure. Preservationists--including the founding members of CHAPS--formed the 'Save the Old County Home' committee that objected to the demolition. The group won a grant to perform a feasibility study to evaluate the building's preservation potential and filed an injunction blocking the county from taking down the home. Suspiciously, however, fire broke out in the building shortly after and the county used the fire to have the injunction lifted.
      The Butler County Landmark finally fell in 1983, but it has not been forgotten. Those frustrated over the building's loss formed CHAPS and have assisted in saving countless other treasures.

One of the most recent historic losses in Butler County, Middletown's stately YMCA was built in 1923 for $400,000. The building was a main component of the Middletown Civic Association's $1,000,000 Civic Improvement Fund that included a grand memorial building which never materialized. Upon completion, the new YMCA was deemed to have every need for the "symmetrical development of the physical man." In 1985, Middletown choose to abandon the structure, completing a new facility next store.
      After years of minimal use and neglect, the YMCA was leveled in 2005 to make way for a new surface parking lot.

Miami University completed this Romanesque Revival gymnasium in 1897; it was originally called Herron Gymnasium. In 1923, after a donation for the construction of Odgen Hall required the new building be constructed west of Herron, the building was moved 522 feet to the east. In 1953, the building was renamed Van Voorhis, and, shortly after, recommended for demolition in campus planning. The gymnasium was used for art instruction until the new art building opened in 1985.
      In 1986, Miami announced plans to demolish the historic gym, alarming both preservationists and sports fans as the building was important in Miami's "Cradle of Coaches" legacy. CHAPS lead an extensive study of the structure by Jones and Speer Architects who deemed the facility viable and worthy of restoration. But in the end, despite the study and its listing on the National Register, Miami Trustees voted to level the 89 year old gem for parking.

Central Public

'New' Hamilton High

A victim of the city's growth, both of Hamilton's historic High Schools have been lost.
      Central Public High was constructed in 1891 by the Bender Brothers. The ornate four-story structure was located downtown at the corner of Second and Ludlow Streets. The building featured a strong central tower and stonework around the entrances. By 1915, however, the building had been added onto several times and yet still couldn't adequately serve Hamilton's growing high school population.
      The 'New' Hamilton High School was ready for occupancy in September 1915. The four-story structure was designed in the English Renaissance Style by Frank L. Packard of Columbus and local architect Fredrick Mueller. The building interior included a large auditorium that sat 1,500 on its main floor and balcony. A result of the baby boom, the Board of Education deemed the construction of two new high schools--Garfield and Taft--to be constructed in 1959; the old high school building was reused as a junior high and renamed Harding. By the 1980's the building had fallen into extreme disrepair and it was abandoned and demolished.
      As Hamilton enters its school renovation and replacement program, the district has wisely chosen to renovate Wilson Middle School, the largest, most impressive school edifice still utilized by the district.

Completed in 1883, First Presbyterian Church cost nearly $50,000 and was designed by architect Samuel Hannaford. The building was positioned on the edge of the downtown business district, immediately south of the Sorg Opera House. One of the church's most interesting features was the extremely ornate, high tower at its corner.
      After the congregation left the building in 1950 for a new colonial structure outside of downtown, the stone church was razed in 1951. A parking lot now exists on the old church site.

The first building on Miami University's campus opened in 1818. The building was called Franklin Hall before receiving its more common name, Main, or--as it was referred to later--Old Main. A new east wing was completed in 1824 and replaced in 1898. The west wing was replaced in 1869. The grand building, which was completely remodeled and enlarged in 1898, featured two matching towers at the intersection of the wings that flanked the center portion of the building. Throughout its history, Old Main held dorm rooms, a gym, chapel, and the library. In 1931, the building was renamed Harrison Hall as expansion restructured the campus.
      After years of neglect, the state building office condemned Harrison Hall and Miami choose to demolish and recreate the building, rather than restore one of the oldest collegiate buildings in Ohio. Despite alumni outcry, Harrison Hall was torn down in 1958 and a similar structure rose on its site in time for Miami's 150th Anniversary in 1959.

Middletown constructed two new junior high schools in 1930: McKinley and Roosevelt. The grand buildings each shared a similar floor plan, but featured different exterior architecture styles: Roosevelt in Colonial and McKinley in English. McKinley was erected next to Verity Parkway, a new state route that was constructed over the former Miami-Erie Canal. The school was converted to a middle school in 1969 and to an elementary in 1981.
      Middletown City Schools has embarked on a rebuilding program that includes demolition of numerous historic schools. McKinley was one of the first victims, falling in 2004 to make way for a new, suburban-styled elementary on the site.

Completed in 1856, Fisher Hall was originally home to Oxford Female College. The building was an odd mix of Gothic, Federal, Greek Revival and other architecture styles. By 1926, the college had disbanded and Miami University acquired the structure for a dormitory. During WWII, it was temporarily used as a naval training school. In 1957, the theater department took over the building until it was totally abandoned in 1968.
      Fearing demolition, the National Trust for Historic Preservation released a report on Fisher Hall's preservation potential in 1973, urging the university to choose reuse over demolition. The National Register building was finally torn down in 1978.

A classic example of 1960's logic for urban renewal, the 'Center Punch' project in downtown Hamilton resulted in the loss of seventeen structures in the block bounded by High, Market, Front, and Second Streets. The idea was to bring a modern department store to downtown. Hamilton received $1 million in federal funds in 1965 to acquire and demolish the properties, some up to 140 years old. The most tragic loss were the two buildings at High and Second Streets which were each four-stories in height. Today, an Elder Beerman Department Store and the Butler County Administrative Center are located on the site.

One of the most impressive homes in Butler County, the Verity home was completed in the 1880's. Banker C.F. Gunkle originally erected the home which was located on South Main Street; the area is now a historic district listed on the National Register. In 1902, Gunkle's estate sold the home to George M. Verity, founder of ARMCO Steel.
      Shortly after Verity passed away in 1942, the house was demolished. The site is vacant and contains a marker in memory of the grand old home.