It is a classic case of addition by subtraction, although this concept may confound the nearby educators within the halls of academia.

OK, so maybe this principle doesn’t really work in arithmetic, but it certainly does when it comes to community beautification.

Ohio University Southern recently demolished three houses near the State Route 141 and Liberty Avenue entrance to the campus. And, although these houses weren’t particularly eyesores, the impact of the change for the university has been nothing short of dramatic.

Visitors are now provided an excellent panoramic view of the university’s buildings, structures that have always been impressive in their architectural design.

Removing these houses has really opened up the area has helped make the campus truly stand out.

In the past, it almost looked like the university’s buildings were dropped from an airplane, landing smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

As good as this entrance looks now, it will likely stand out even more after the project is completed and all the landscaping is finished.

Other communities, organizations and companies can certainly learn from this and should follow the example set by OUS.

Removing eyesores or other structures that may prevent our county from putting its best foot forward will only help the region become more visible and viable for the future.

There are a number of residential and even some commercial structures in every community across Lawrence County that could benefit from this attention.

The old cliche is that, “you cannot make an omelette without breaking some eggs.” Well, you may not be able to make a community shine without knocking down some walls, too.

Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com.