The century-old centerpiece of downtown Van Wert has been restored. In Van Wert, city officials and community members gathered around the corner of Main and Washington Street to witness the official completion of the National Bank clock restoration project. The famous clock was manufactured at some point in 1917 out of Minnesota with unique details like stained glass dials. They hope to keep the familiar antique ticking for 100 more years to preserve a piece of history. Historic Main Street Van Wert has been working on finding funding for this $60,000 project to fix up the centerpiece of the downtown. Ohio Health donated $6,000 to help them cross the finish line, but the restoration of this historic piece is just the start of building for the future.

If you were to walk down the streets of downtown Van Wert, you may notice that there are a few historic buildings that are in need of some help. That’s why the Van Wert Forward project was founded, to redevelop older buildings in the city - and now that project is receiving a little help of its own.

Downtown Van Wert has received a special recognition after a six year process. The organization Main Street Van Wert was told the downtown area was approved as a historic district. This status came after a long application process, which included registering the historic buildings individually.