Swartz Farm Historic Preservation Plan Nearing Final Stages
A key component to the planning and design of East End Indiana Approach Section of the Ohio River Bridges Project is nearing completion. The Swartz Farm Rural Historic District Preservation Plan will be completed later this year. The writing of the Historic Preservation Plan (HPP), which is to serve as a guidance document for project engineers and incorporate Context-Sensitive Design into the new interstate corridor, is being developed by Kevin Senninger of Ratio Architects with assistance from the Indiana Historic Preservation Advisory Team (IHPAT) for the Bridges Project.
“The Swartz Farm HPP is on schedule to be in final draft form by the end of the year,” Senninger said. “Once it is reviewed and approved by the Bi-State Historic Consultation Team and the Bi-State Management Team, the plan will be passed on to the Section 6 design consultants as they move forward with design work on the Indiana approach to the new East End Bridge.”
Bridges Project engineers use HPPs to ensure properties and structures important to the history of affected communities are not adversely affected by the design and construction of bridges, approach streets and connecting roadways. The Swartz Farm Rural Historic District HPP is intended to be a comprehensive, long-range plan to guide the section design team during the Bridges Project, and potentially support other long-term planning initiatives for affected areas of Clark County. The plan includes mitigation measures that may be funded and implemented by the Bridges Project and others that may be implemented separate from the Project.
The proposed Swartz Farm Rural Historic District, the area designated for HPP treatment as outlined in the Ohio River Bridges Project’s Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), includes approximately 136 acres of land just east of the intersection of Indiana Route 62 and the Lee Hamilton Highway (IN 265) in Clark County. The property includes the Swartz Farm, Swartz Voight Marble Farm and a Central Passage House. The footprint of the reconfiguration of the 265/62 intersection and extension of the Lee Hamilton Highway to the new East End Bridge over the Ohio River covers the northern portion of the farm and bisects the Central Passage House.
The property dates back to an 1802 land purchase by John and Elizabeth Swartz. The structures on the farm are thought to date to the mid- to late-1800s.
Progress on the HPP document to date includes analysis of cultural landscape features, buildings and viewsheds within the district, reviewing vegetation as a way to screen unwanted views and serve as noise buffers for the roadway and an exploration of efforts to maintain or stabilize existing structures on the farm to maintain its historic integrity. Additional analysis reviewing historic aerial photos of the area to see how the farm has evolved over the last 60-70 years has also been added to the plan.
The HPP’s recommendations may also have an impact on the surrounding community beyond the parameters of the Bridges Project. One significant recommendation developed for the HPP is beyond the document’s scope outlined in the MOA. The document includes recommendations to explore the feasibility of converting the Swartz Farm property into a regional park with an emphasis on the importance of agriculture within the proposed district and larger Clark County area. The key point of the recommendation is to make the Swartz Farm a relevant and realistic part of the community rather than a relic of the past.
“The IHPAT has put a great deal of thought and analysis into ensuring the document will be thorough and useful, not only for the Bridges Project, but for city and county planning beyond the Project,” Senninger added. “The MOA stipulates the HPP may include recommendations for additional measures that could be implemented and funded outside the Bridges Project. We have taken advantage of that opportunity to provide local and regional governments and organizations with ideas they can use to enhance the community through the use of historic properties.”