Chaps: Citizens for Historic and Preservation Services of Butler County

05/28/2026

An incredible Art Deco landmark:

05/25/2026

Home Tours in one of Hamilton's Oldest Neighborhoods

04/16/2026

04/09/2026

Demolition of the Manchester Hotel and Ford Snyder buildings in Middletown is anticipated within the year

04/03/2026

Last May, CHAPS held a tour to highlight the historic Miami University buildings around the intersection of Spring and Oak Streets. Unfortunately, demolition is planned soon for three of the featured buildings: Joyner House, Wells Hall, and Hanna House.

03/22/2026

Entryways at Miami University in Oxford

Which ones do you recognize?

02/28/2026

Great renderings of the historic Central YMCA in Hamilton:

01/22/2026

We continue our daily announcement of locations on the 2026 List of Ohio's Most Endangered Historic Sites. Information about this list, first issued in 1993, can be found at this link: https://preserveohio.com/ohios-most-endangered-historic-sites/

The Manchester Hotel in Middletown was built in 1922 and is a large, five-story brick building. It has been closed for more than a decade and has sat vacant for much of that time. The hotel was constructed by ARMCO Steel to house visitors to its massive steel mill, which is now operated by Cleveland-Cliffs.

Because the hotel was built in the early 1920s and faced little competition, it became the social center of Middletown for many decades. The building was designed by Frank Packard, the noted Columbus architect who designed an estimated 3,400 buildings from the late 1880s through the 1920s, including numerous schools and several courthouses, such as the Putnam County Courthouse.

In December, Middletown City Council was presented with plans outlining the possible demolition of the hotel and its replacement.

09/09/2025

Demolition planned on Miami’s campus:

Joyner House, Wells Hall and Williams Hall are on the chopping block.

08/01/2025

The City of Middletown has released a survey to gage support for saving the historic Manchester Inn and neighboring Sonshine buildings: