Wednesday, May 14, 2008

ribbon cutting & walking tour, downtown wednesday

two events downtown tomorrow, Wednesday, May 14th.

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The first is a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Realty Building renovation at 11:30am. The event is open to everyone, and a reception will take place at 20 Federal Place (the strouss' or phar-mor building) afterwards.

The Frangos Groups will "officially" start construction to transform the building on our Central Square into 25 apartments. The building was purchased in 2000 for $540,000.


The building was built in 1924 for the Realty Guarantee and Trust Company by Youngstown architects Morris Schiebel and Edgar Stanley. It's unique for a downtown building in that it has windows on all four sides of the structure.

It's interesting, looking back at my archives, this post was written two years ago. Good thing those Ohio tax credits kicked in.

Best of luck to those working on the project.

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The second is a free walking tour at 7:00pm of historical buildings in downtown to be led by Mark Peyko, publisher and editor of the Metro Monthly.

The tour will begin at The Man on the Monument, in the Central Square.

In celebration of National Preservation Month, the tour will cover the history and development of the central business district. In addition, the tour will focus on threatened historic landmarks in the area.

More details on the tour here.

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The story of the Realty Tower is one of recognizing the true value of our city's historical structures, which can never replaced once demolished.

That's it, no more, destroyed forever.

Final.

The most recent historical building slated for demolition may be the Liberty/Paramount Theater on Federal Street.

Will this building turn into another surface parking lot downtown, or is there the possibility for saving some components of its character for future generations to enjoy and cherish?

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