War Bond Headquarters still in need of permanent home

MEDINA — A search for a permanent home for Medina's historic War Bond Headquarters continues with county administrators discussing the matter Tuesday. Currently found on state Route 18 near Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital, the small white building sits emblazoned with red, white and blue banners across its rooftop. Last year, Medina County accepted the structure as a donation from Cleveland Clinic. The roughly 100-square-foot building was originally built in 1942 north of the Lathrop Cooley Memorial Fountain on the west side of Medina Public Square with talks late last year focused on moving it back into the downtown area. Discussion on Tuesday weighed a previously proposed plan of moving the building to Medina Community Garden, 302 E. Liberty St., but officials said that might conflict with other site aspirations. "The original idea was for the community garden then there was talk of moving it to the square," said Medina County Administrator Scott Miller. "There was some discussion of maybe putting it in the courthouse but that didn't get very far. (Main Street Medina Executive Director Matt Wiederhold) has talked to the city and the organization that has the community garden and nobody wants it. "They want to build a pavilion at the community garden. We have a war bond building that we need to figure out where to place. From what I've heard, the historical preservation group doesn't want it on the square." Miller said that all aspects of a potential building move have been worked out aside from its permanent home with Wiederhold ironing out labor and donation of a concrete pad. "Now that we're entering spring we'd like to get the cement pad poured and the building set up, but we can't do that until we know where it's going to go," said Miller. County Commissioners said Medina Community Garden was established with the understanding that land there could be needed for other purposes in the future. "When we originally bought (the community garden land) we stoned it as a parking space," said Commissioner Steve Hambley. "That was the reason for it then, county purposes. When (the garden) went it, it was made known a situation like this could come up down the line." The Medina County Fairgrounds also was floated as a potential home. "We'd have to talk to the fair board to determine if that would be an appropriate place," Hambley said. "I'm not opposed to exploring that. It might work because it might line up with some of the fair activities and all of the history in that building. It could really fit in at the fair." Construction was a community effort 80 years ago with chairman Alan Root and his building committee leading the project with material donations from Bennett Lumber Company. The Women's War Bond Committee sold bonds, war stamps and stamp corsages out of the building. On Saturday nights, there would be live entertainment on an adjacent platform, a venue that once attracted the legendary comedic duo Abbott and Costello. According to a plaque still on the building's side, it was placed into storage until being transferred to the property of Dr. Frederick Fri, a World War II Purple Heart recipient. The structure remained on that land when ownership passed to Medina Hospital in 1997. A 2000 facility refurbishment was carried out by the Medina Jaycees, paying homage to those who contributed to the war effort. Similar war bond structures once found in Lodi and Wadsworth during World War II no longer exist, according to officials. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.