Funding package almost assembled to launch Phase 3 of restoring The Old Tavern

Dec. 29—A nonprofit group that's revitalizing The Old Tavern in Madison Township is striving to achieve a financial goal that will make it possible to launch Phase 3 of restoring the historic building.

The Old Tavern Preservation Society needs to raise an additional $10,000 to have required matching funds in place to secure $125,000 in state capital funds for Phase 3, which will focus on restoring the north wall of the tavern.

"(The north wall) is an area of extensive structural damage and will likely require some interior and engineering work," said Erin Cicero, executive director of The Old Tavern Preservation Society.

The Old Tavern, also known to many people as the Unionville Tavern, is located at 7935 South Ridge Road in Madison Township.

Constructed in 1798, it "is possibly the oldest tavern in Ohio and one of the oldest buildings in Ohio's Western Reserve," the society stated on its website. Throughout its 222-year history, the building served purposes such as a place of lodging on the pioneer trail, a frontier post office, a station on the Underground Railroad, and a restaurant.

The Old Tavern Preservation Society was awarded $125,000 in funding for Phase 3 restoration as part of the Ohio biennial capital budget approved in December of 2020.

In order for the state to release those funds, The Old Tavern must have $42,000 as a local match to help pay for the project.

In a Dec. 29 telephone interview, Cicero said the society has generated $12,000 from fundraising events and obtained a $20,000 grant to apply to the local match. That leaves the society about $10,000 short of gaining the state's approval to begin using the $125,000 allocation.

The Old Tavern Preservation Society is involved in a multiyear, multiphase project to restore and revitalize The Old Tavern.

The group, established in 2011, initially set out to raise awareness about The Old Tavern, which had closed five years earlier and was deteriorating. In 2014, the group ended up buying The Old Tavern through private negotiation, a day before the building was set to be sold at a public auction.

In 2017, the society celebrated the completion of Phase 1 of the restoration, which involved installation of a new roof; interior stabilization; re-establishing the portico, or front porch; and refurbishing the portico's pillars.

Earlier this year, the society completed Phase 2, which restored the front portico and most of the exterior.

"The exterior has been almost completed while the organization awaits additional funding to initiate Phase 3," Cicero said.

For the society, raising money to pay for each phase of the restoration has been a continuous challenge. The group has succeeded at garnering financial contributions through a variety of approaches, including:

—Community fundraising events.

On July 16, the society sponsored its first golf outing — The Old Tavern Corn Fritter Classic — at Madison Country Club in Madison Township.

"The sell-out event was a huge success and the many participants enjoyed the opportunity to support the tavern, while playing at the historic golf venue," Cicero said.

Organizers dubbed the outing as the Corn Fritter Classic as a tribute to the fried cake being a popular item on The Old Tavern's restaurant menu.

In October, the society sponsored its annual "Ghosts and Spirits" event in the historic garden at The Old Tavern.

"We also hosted Coffee and Cars at The Old Tavern the first Saturday of the month, from May through September," Cicero said.

—Obtaining grants from foundations and other organizations.

"The efforts to procure additional grants and foundational support has been challenging over the last two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn," Cicero said.

However, she noted that the society continues to research and pursue grants offered by local, regional and national organizations.

"In the past, support from partners such as the Robert S. Morrison Foundation, of Ashtabula, the Jeffris Family Foundation, the Cleveland Foundation, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, have been critical in fueling The Old Tavern Restoration Program," she said.

—Individual donors

"While the Society will continue the pursuits of private and public opportunities, contributions from individuals are critical to achieving the goal of fully restoring The Old Tavern," Cicero said.

The society has enjoyed the support of some benefactors who donate funds on a yearly basis, she said. In addition, the society sponsors membership programs to help support operating expenses.

Looking further into the future, Phase 4 of restoring The Old Tavern will move the focus inside the building. Work will be done to further stabilize the interior structure and initiate the restoration and design of the main floor, including the front parlor, main dining room and veranda room.

"Efforts are underway to finish the interior design concepts and prepare for the next phase when adequate funding is secured," Cicero said.

After it's entirely restored, the tavern will be used as a banquet hall, as well as for heritage tourism, community engagement and historic programming, Cicero said. There will also be a kitchen to keep the restaurant element included.

Financial donations can be mailed to: Save The Tavern! P.O. Box 826, Madison, OH 44057. For information on making online donations, visit www.oldtavernohio.org/give