See a photo comparison of The Seneca County Courthouse, Then & Now

Letters To The Editor
The Advertiser-Tribune
Tiffin, Ohio

While I share many of your sentiments about the renovation of our Courthouse, your paper made one comment that I strongly disagree with.

"And, hopefully, any plan would involve removal of that post-modern, tasteless monolith that passes for a clock tower."

With your long record of promoting historic preservation, it is indeed shocking to read such a comment in your fine newspaper. To remove the clock tower would be a huge mistake, and it would further detract from the building's historic integrity.

The present structure was constructed in the 1880's. There are several features that were once present, but have long since been removed. The windows were once shaded by awnings, and the tower was once complimented by an attractive dome. Unfortunately, the dome was constructed of iron, and it rusted away in fairly quick order. Since the dome has been removed, the tower has admittedly looked a little out of place. That is to be expected, since the dome was an important focal point for the overall look. The Hancock County Courthouse similarly has a tower, but it is still topped by it's dome. Without that dome, it would look similarly incomplete and unnatural.

Tiffin has a long and outstanding record of supporting historic preservation and renovation projects. The fine examples of this are too numerous to mention here. If we can raise several million dollars to renovate our fine stadium, we can certainly expect that our citizens would support the restoration of one of the most important features of one of the most important historic structures in Seneca County! In light of this, I find your comments to be very short sighted. I'm inclined to think that many of our citizens would continue to be inclined to favor restoration over demolition.

Respectfully,
 

Stephen J. Hartzell
Tiffin, Ohio