WARREN — Several local organizations and the city of Warren are working to digitize demolition records for the public, which will be made possible with a $12,043 grant from the Ohio History Fund.

The Trumbull County Historical Society received confirmation last week it was awarded the grant to implement the project.

Society director Meghan Reed said the organization, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, Trumbull County Land Bank and Warren officials are launching Warren Razed, a project to digitize Warren’s urban renewal and Trumbull County Land Bank demolition records for the public.

She said the project will create an online interactive map where Warren’s razed buildings will be documented for current residents and for future generations.

“We have been trying to find funding to highlight Warren’s changing landscape from urban renewal in the 1960s to 1970s to the present for awhile. Warren lost approximately one-third of its downtown buildings during urban renewal, not to mention the whole neighborhood of the flats that was dismantled. We started working with the city to identify the urban renewal records and images that were taken and see what we could do to preserve those stories,” Reed said.

Reed said history fund dollars will organize and rehouse the urban renewal archive, digitize more than 700 photographs, blueprints and maps, and upload those items to the society’s collections management software.

“I think this is a tremendous idea, and I really appreciate the aggressive pursuit of these grant dollars to help preserve our history. It’s important that as we continue to move forward that we do not lose sight of the past that helped shape who we are as a city,” Mayor Doug Franklin said.

Reed said the project won’t stop there.

Shawn Carvin, county land bank director, said that in 2014, the land bank was awarded $14 million to take a much more strategic approach to demolish residential blighted, vacant property throughout Trumbull County to raise housing values and deal with eyesores that have long plagued area communities. Nearly 1,200 structures have been taken down since that time, he said.

“We knew going in that we would be taking down buildings that were very personal to people. These were homes where people were raised and in many instances were beautiful houses at one time, but after sitting vacant for so long the houses that we have addressed had deteriorated beyond repair,” Carvin said.

“This project will map the 1,200 blighted homes that were demolished since 2014, and we are excited to partner on this project to create an accessible database of the storied homes and buildings that no longer exist in our community.”

Warren Razed will develop an online, interactive map populated with images of buildings that no longer exist. Combining the urban renewal records with the land bank records and photographs in the society’s collection, the project will develop a one-stop location for viewing razed city structures.

“We are thrilled that our community is coming together to make this project happen, and that it was able to be funded. These records need to be saved and be available to the public,” Mike Keys, Warren’s Community Development director, said.

For information, call the society at 330-394-4653, email info@trumbullcountyhistory.org or visit the website at www.trumbullcountyhistory.com.

Reed said the History Fund is made possible by voluntary contributions of state income tax refunds, sales of Ohio History mastodon license plates and other donations through www.ohiohistory.org/historyfund.