An Ironton building has been named one of the most endangered historic sites by Preservation Ohio.

Veterans Memorial Hall is one of 13 sites that made the 2011 Most Endangered Historic Sites.

The most endangered list highlights historically significant properties in the state that face an uncertain future due to demolition, disinvestment or indifference, according to a press release from the agency.

The City of Ironton owns the 100-plus year old building. Last month the city’s contracted engineering firm recommended demolishing it to eliminate the risk of the building collapsing on city streets and causing an accident or fatality, according to a report from E.L. Robinson.

According to the structural evaluation of the building, rehabilitating it would cost approximately $7.7 million, compared to $250,000 to demolish it.

Thomas Palmer, executive director of Preservation Ohio, said the decision to put the building on the endangered list was made before E.L. Robinson recommended it be demolished. As with the other buildings on the list, an individual or organization nominated Veteran’s Memorial Hall and the building was ultimately chosen by Preservation Ohio’s board of trustees, Palmer said. The name of the person or organization is not typically released, he added.

Palmer said the number one thing putting the building on the list does is draw attention to it so that others may raise funds to salvage it. In other cases the organization has worked behind the scenes to secure funds for buildings’ reconstruction.

Preservation Ohio is calling on the City of Ironton to have an engineering firm that specializes in similar projects look at the building before a decision is made about whether or not to demolish the structure, Palmer said.

Especially in light of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, “no stone should be left unturned” to try to avoid its demolition, Palmer said.

Mayor Rich Blankenship said he has spent the past two months researching ways to restore the structure. The city council has recommended accepting bids to demolish it, he said. Blankenship said he is reluctant to spend money to take bids if the city cannot afford to demolish it. The city does not have the money to restore it, either, he said.

“But there may be a funding source that the city can tap into and utilize,” Blankenship said. “You just don’t go to the hardware store and start rebuilding it. It takes a lot.”

The possibility of restoring the structure raises other questions like who would maintain it, Blankenship said.

“I think we should tap into every resource that we can possibly look into before the demolition,” the mayor said. “Again with me doing the research it takes a while with everything else going on.”