To the editor:

Salem Preservation members are in high gear as they prepare several major programs for the 51st National Preservation Month in May!

May 1st will kick off a trilogy of events that have been in the works for some time now. A “Celebration of Preservation” at the 103-year-old Salem Golf Club along SR 45 south of Salem will be a double celebration!

The “By Invitation Only” event will salute the “saving” and revitalization of this historic icon that is an integral part of the Salem community. This local landmark was about to go on the auction block with the possibility of it being converted in to condominiums or mixed residential lots.

Local businessman John Buta stepped forward and purchased the SGC property outright to save it from destruction. Not only will it celebrate the saving of this community asset, it will also showcase the great strides that the new ownership has made to remake “The Club” in to an up-to-date place for residents of the four-county area to bring their business associates, families and friends.

The Celebration of Preservation is two-fold. It will celebrate the Salem Golf Club but, it will also announce at a special awards ceremony, the winners of several categories of outstanding preservation, which include residential (an abode), commercial (place of business for profit), and institutional (nonprofit, school, church, park, cemetery, etc.). The award applications may be seen at Salem Preservation Society on Facebook. Nominations are now closed.

The Celebration of Preservation will begin at 5 p.m. May 1st with guided tours of the Club’s amenities, from its challenging 18-hole course, sparkling swimming pool, courts, gorgeous clubhouse with the soon-to-be sports bar, tee room, men’s lounge, bar, sitting lounge, dining room, grand ballroom plus upcoming exciting new attractions.

After touring, a social hour will be held in the lounge area with hors de’ oeuvres, refreshments and a cash bar immediately followed by the Salem Preservation Community Awards ceremony. For more information or if you or your group would like to receive more information about this special event call 330-337-6829, leave message

The second event of the Salem Preservation’s National Preservation Month Trilogy of events is the always well-received Historical Homes Tour of South Lincoln Avenue which will be held on Saturday, May 18th from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. South Lincoln Avenue is recognized by the State Historic Preservation Office as the longest “intact” Grand Avenue in the State of Ohio!

Well over seventy homes on this Grand Avenue are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. From the early republic era there are Federal Style Homes. From the mid-19th century there are homes in the style of Greek and Gothic Revival. In the late Victorian Style there is Italianate, Queen Anne and Stick. From the late 19th and early 20th century American movement there is Craftsman. The homes and carriage houses in the district were built over a 120-year period, from 1820-1940. The most active construction period was from 1860-1890, when over half of the core 71 houses were built.

As you tour, note the elegant character of the district: the long blocks, large lots with deep setbacks, the original sandstone walks, steps and retaining walls and the shared driveways. Driveways are shared to minimize their impact on the historic flavor of the neighborhood.

Advance tickets sales of $15 are available at A Touch of Gracious Living Floral & Gifts, 435 E. State Street, in beautiful downtown Salem. Phone: 234-575-0068. Admission tickets will also be available onsite the day of the tour.

All Salem area residents are welcome to attend the third and final event in Salem Preservation’s May Salute to National Preservation Month. It will take place Wednesday, May 22nd at 5:30 p.m.. I

It will be the “Grand Opening and Dedication” of the painstakingly reconstructed McCulloch Park along East State Street in the “Heart of Beautiful Downtown” Salem. The pocket park stands on the former site of McCulloch’s, one of Salem’s early twentieth century family-owned department stores. The ceremony will include good food, great music and a few words of thanks from those involved in the rebuilding of the City of Salem owned McCulloch Park.

Local Salemites and those from all four corners of the United States donated time and money to help Salem Preservation and its contractors create a park that will be a venue for all to enjoy for many years to come! This Salem Preservation event is open to the public and all those who have donated in any manner to this outstanding facility.

Happy National Preservation Month to All! Yours for a better Salem,

David K. Schwartz,

President, Salem Preservation