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.

The Van Wert Forward project has acquired over 50 properties that will be upgraded over the coming years. Last week, Governor Mike DeWine announced Historic Tax Credits for three new projects that will be part of phase two. The total cost of those projects is around $15 million dollars, and the state gave them $1.5 million in tax credit. Which is more than the $1.2 million in tax credits they got for phase one. But if you drive down Main Street, you can see the downtown start to transform right before your eyes.

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.