Decades-old Middletown steel research facility to house E.l Ceramics

A ceramic refractory company has plans to consolidate several of its area plants and bring new life to the decades-old Armco/AK Steel Research building on Curtis Street in Middletown.

The art deco-style building will get an $18 million renovation to house E.I. Ceramics, a ceramic refractory company for the metal industry.

E.I. Ceramics will combine their operations in Sharonville and Fairfield to Middletown ― all under one roof. The building will be renovated to accommodate the manufacturing and operational needs of the company.

On Friday, company and city leaders, along with contractors, plan to celebrate with a ground breaking for the renovation work.

The former Armco/AK Steel Research Building opened in 1937. It was a critical piece in the operation and sustainability of the steel industry in Middletown that took off with the founding of the American Rolling Mill Company (Armco) in 1899 and building the steel mill now operated by Cleveland-Cliffs, according to city officials.

The vacant building and property was purchased by the city in 2021. The facility has been vacant since 2018 and has been the target of vandalism and copper theft. Planned activities include asbestos abatement, removal of universal waste, and interior demolition, preparing the site to be transformed into the E.I. Ceramics manufacturing site, producing flow control products for the steel industry.

E.I. Ceramics officials approached the city in 2023 concerning the purchase of the 9.5-acre property to consolidate into one location bringing about 70 jobs to the city, according to officials. The purchase price is $225,000, which is what the city paid for it in June 2021.

The company is investing millions to remediate and remodel the property to suit its operational needs, the city said. The company’s consolidated workforce estimated annual payroll, once fully operational, is more than $4 million, according to a staff report.

Last summer, council approved a job incentive creation grant between the city and E.l. Ceramics to start one year after the job creation period and last for four years. The amount returned to the company annually would be equal to 50 percent of the collected income taxes, according to Assistant City Manager Nathan Cahall.

The site also received $3.1 million from the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program to prepare the site for redevelopment, according to the governor’s office.

The Curtis Street facility built by Armco Inc. more than doubled in size when it was remodeled in 1961.