The City of Dublin

Historic Dublin Guidelines

Dublin has, for many years, been one of the fastest-growing communities in Ohio. Unlike many other communities, however, Dublin has retained its original historic core, today known as Historic Dublin, in a remarkably intact state. Historic Dublin is a well-preserved historic district of homes and businesses which is a great asset to the community. In addition, individual historic properties elsewhere in the community contribute to Dublin’s sense of character and remind residents and visitors of its long history.

In Historic Dublin, you can still experience the environment of a small village and can see and visit the actual buildings that have been a part of Dublin for well over a century and a half. In Historic Dublin it is easy to get a sense of the communiÏty’s past and to understand what village life must have been like during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Historic Dublin is a large and very intact district, and for it to have survived so well is a real credit to the community.

Preserving historic districts and properties has significant economic and social benefits, a fact that has been discovered by more and more communities in recent years. Doing so, however, takes a lot of hard work. Dublin recognized the importance of community preservation in its 1997 Community Plan. It includes the Historic Dublin Area Plan, which recognizes the unique character of Historic Dublin and provides many recommendations about the preservation and enhancement of the historic district’s character. The Plan also recommends further efforts to identify and recognize other historic properties in the community.

Dublin’s efforts to preserve the Historic Dublin district were undertaken almost 30 years ago. For many years, the City of Dublin has promoted historically appropriate development and investment in Historic Dublin. The Architectural Review Board (ARB), since 1970, has assisted business and property owners in maintaining the historic character and visual quality of Historic Dublin and elsewhere.

The ARB encourages both appropriate new development as well as sensitive alterations of, or additions to, existing historic structures. It plays a major role in implementing the historic preservation recommendations in the Community Plan. The Board’s work is important in protecting the character of Dublin’s historic places.

The following guidelines were prepared to help guide rehabilitation and new construction involving the historic structures of Dublin. While the guidelines focus primarily on the Historic District, they are useful for, and apply to, any of the community’s historic buildings. The ARB will use the guidelines to evaluate rehabilitation work, both for buildings in the district and for other individually-designated properties also subject to ARB review. The design guidelines provide information about the best in current preservation techniques, products, and methods.