Help Save the Bantam Building and Its History by Voting in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's This Place Matters Community Challenge

Our organization is in the running to win $25,000 to help preserve the Bantam Building. Voting is easy! Just visit the National Trust's website and click on the Butler, PA map pin. You can only vote once, so PLEASE TELL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS to vote also!

Preserving the Bantam Building is an Important Component of America's Industrial Past

     The Bantam building was built circa 1899-1900 by the Davis Lead Company, was later owned by the National Lead and Oil Company and then the Standard Steel Car Company, who sold the building to the American Bantam Car Company circa 1929. The building's historical significance came in 1940 when freelance design engineer Karl Probst and the American Bantam Car Company designed the winning U.S. Army prototype for a new Second World War military vehicle. The American Bantam Car Factory was the birthplace of the first jeep, and was commissioned to produce nearly 3,000 jeeps to help with the war efforts.
     The Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau and City of Butler are presently working with AK Steel (current building and property owner) to protect this 40,000-square-foot vacant building from further deterioration.
      To save this piece of history is of vital importance for the City of Butler and for the Butler community as it reminds us of the wonderful ability to create something that defines the people who lived here. Several community groups including the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, the Butler County Historical Society, Butler Downtown, and the City of Butler would like to see this building preserved as a reminder of the great importance the jeep played in helping end the Second World War and becoming a brand that is still being used today. In 2010-11 the Butler County Tourism Bureau, along with several other community organizations, will be remembering and celebrating this invention with the first Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival on August 12-14, 2011.  This event will bring jeep enthusiasts and the community together to teach them about this wonderful history and mark the 70th year of the invention of the jeep.

The Bantam Building has Already Received Regional Attention Thanks to Many Organizations

The Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh named the Bantam Building to its Top 10 List of Best Preservation Opportunities in the Pittsburgh Area on May 25, 2010. The list, compiled from nominations received from various individuals and organizations, is designed to encourage investment in historic sites throughout the nine-county southwestern Pennsylvania region. The list has been used by property owners to draw positive attention to their properties, raise investment funds, secure grants, and generate political goodwill for their historic sites.

The criteria used to select the Top Ten List include the following:
1. 50-year Threshold (is it 50 years old or older);
2. Historic & Architectural Significance;
3. Threats to the Site;
4. Community Input; and
5. Feasibility of the Solution.

The economic impact of YPA's Top Ten List has been impressive. Since the publication of our list in 2003, more than $80 million has been invested in historic preservation projects throughout southwestern Pennsylvania; more than 1,200 restoration jobs and 401 permanent jobs were created; more than 230 housing units were created; $750,000 in wage taxes were generated; and for every $1.00 of public investment, $1.30 of private investment was created.

These results were reported in YPA's new report, "The Economic Impact of Historic Preservation," released in May. The bottom line: preservation creates jobs! You can find the report online.