Preserving Obetz’s History

The Village has recently purchased the historic church on Groveport Road. The building was constructed in 1873 as the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and was purchased by the Obetz Christian Church in 1962. That makes it 146 years old!

As the brass plate at the front entrance states, this building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

Before another buyer came along, the Village wanted to ensure the preservation of this building and its legacy. Obetz saw buying the church as a great opportunity to successfully preserve a crucial part of Obetz’s history.

When Obetz purchased this property, the white building (Dawson Hall) and the gravel lot were also included. Obetz has effectively turned the gravel lot into a much needed truck turnaround. This will now serve as the last chance turnaround for trucks before they get to the underpass. This improvised turnaround has saved the Village hundreds of thousands of dollars, as a truck turnaround project in that area has been estimated to be over a million dollars.

As we look forward and think about what’s next for this historic building, Mayor Scott and the Obetz Council are encouraging residents to share their ideas with us. What would you like to see the future hold for one of the oldest buildings in Obetz?