These ‘doctors’ make house visits – Building Doctor Clinic coming to BG

Historic Boomtown tour stops at house on North Grove Street in 2022.

The city of Bowling Green and the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office will sponsor a Building Doctor Clinic for owners of old buildings in the area on Oct. 19-20.

The clinic features Building Doctors Justin Cook, Jessica Chunat, Miranda Fisher, Vanessa Gabriele and Abigail Rosenow of the State Historic Preservation Office.

It begins with a free seminar from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Bowling Green Municipal Building, 305 N. Main St. Open to all old-building owners in the area, the seminar will feature guidelines for renovation projects and ways to solve some of the most common problems of buildings dating from 1800 to 1960.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20, the Building Doctors will visit pre-1960 buildings within five miles of downtown Bowling Green, advising owners on specific technical or design problems by appointment. 

The Building Doctors examine all kinds of older buildings. Some of the things that typically call for an on-site examination include persistent peeling paint or flaking plaster, a wet basement, deteriorating masonry and plans for remodeling, additions or demolitions.

Cook reviews applications for federal and state historic preservation tax credits and previously reviewed projects that receive federal funding, licenses or permits for effects they may have on historic properties, as required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. He has a master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont, with additional studies in history and urban and regional planning and a bachelor’s degree in classics from the University of Pittsburgh. 

He will be joined by newer Building Doctors Chunat, Fisher, Gabriele and Rosenow.

Chunat reviews applications for federal and state historic preservation tax credits. She earned a master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Clemson University and a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies from Kent State University.

Fisher is the architecture transportation reviews manager and works closely with the office’s federal and state partners and local communities to protect historic properties during implementation of federal and state transportation initiatives. She received her undergraduate degree from Kent State University, where she majored in Art History and minored in Italian and Architectural Studies. Later, she received her graduate degree in Preservation Design from Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. 

Gabriele reviews applications for federal and state historic preservation tax credits. She has master’s degrees in Historic Preservation from the Boston Architectural College and in Theatre Stage Management from Rutgers University. Her undergraduate degree is from Kent State University.

Rosenow is an architecture project review manager for Section 106 projects and works with state and federal partners during reviews. She has a master’s degree in Historic Preservation, with a concentration in sustainability, and a bachelor’s degree in Public History from Ball State University. 

The seminar and on-site consultations are free with advance registration. To register, go to building-doctor.org or call 800-499-2470 or 614-298-2000. For more information, contact Heather Sayler, Planning Director, City of Bowling Green, at 419-354-6218 or hsayler@bgohio.org.

The Building Doctors program is made possible in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the State Historic Preservation Office. Each clinic is made possible by support from local cosponsors, as well.

The Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office is Ohio’s official historic preservation agency. It identifies historic places in Ohio, nominates properties to the National Register of Historic Places, reviews federally assisted projects for effects on historic, architectural and archaeological resources in Ohio, consults on conservation of older buildings and sites and offers educational programs and publications.