(Publisher’s Note: This article was published more than two years ago and over the past week the 150-year-old building finally has been demolished. Saving the structure was “on the table” at one point, but the expense of such a venture was too great and the razing moved forward. The county-owned property measures nearly six acres and will be the site of a new facility for the county’s Health Department.)
The structure has stood along Ohio Route 331 for nearly 150 years, and the future of the former Belmont County Home now depends on whether one of two inquiring entities decides to move forward with its renovation.
Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton explained this week that the structure has served several purposes since it was constructed in 1872, including operating as the county’s residential facility for senior citizens of the county. These days, though, several windows have been broken, and the piece of the property has become the final resting ground for county vehicles now out of service.
“In addition to serving as the county home, it has also served as general office space for the Ohio State University Extension Office and for county records storage,” Dutton said. “Built in 1872, the building itself is over 13,000 square feet above ground and a 5,000 square foot basement.
“It sits on almost six acres of property that also includes other structures,” he said. “Those structures include 911, Emergency Management, the Health Department, and the maintenance facilities for the Belmont County Sanitary Sewer District.”
Despite its history, it lacks a purpose, and if Dutton and the other two Belmont County commissioners do not find its next occupant, the structure will be demolished.
“We are looking at a few buildings the county owns, and demolition is possible with each of them. The former County Home could join that group, but I say could because there have been a two separate inquiries about it,” Dutton revealed. “We are making sure that we are doing our due diligence to be sure that demolition is the best option.”
The Demo List
The former County Home was recommended for demolition before Dutton was elected to the Belmont County Commission in 2016, but pulling the trigger on that option has been delayed because of the pandemic and several other priorities.
One of those initiatives involved the establishment of a consolidated court building inside the former Health Plan Headquarters along U.S. 40, and another includes the exterior renovation of the historic Belmont County Courthouse.
“Plus, the exterior renovation of the former jail that is adjacent to the courthouse has taken place, and there was the completion of a new Senior Services office, too,” Dutton said. “We completed the relocation of the Belmont County Sanitary Sewer District office, and the purchase and renovation of two buildings that house the Prosecutor’s Office, all three County Divisional Courts including probation, the Board of Elections, and the Title Office.
“It is true that since the old County Home was vacated, there have been plans to demolish the structure,” he said. “I can only speak to my recent tenure on the board. It is a function of available funds and project priority.”
The Possibilities
Although Dutton did not wish to reveal the identities of the groups that have inquired about the 149-year-old building, the county commissioner did report both are interested in renovating the massive, three-story building.
Most of the rooms along the structure’s three floors are the size of a small bedroom and have been used as offices once the senior home closed in the 1940s. Some renovations have taken place through the years, according to county records, but the potential is present should one of the entities move forward.
“If one of the groups decides to move forward on the building, it will be about preservation, and that would be best-case scenario,” Dutton said. “With the pandemic over the past year, we have operated very conservatively, and that is why we are hoping one of the groups does decide to move forward so it is not demolished.
“I believe most people in the county know this building and want it to be preserved, so that’s what I hope can happen in the future,” he added. “The former County Home is one of four buildings that need to be addressed. Three are scheduled to be demolished once a records facility is constructed and funds are available, so we will see what takes place with the former home.”
