Here is a short update on each building project:
The former Middletown Journal building
The building, located at Broad and First, formerly owned by Cox Media Group Ohio, is currently being transformed into the home for several businesses, including an antique shop, a hot yoga studio, a fitness gym and possibly a dance studio, according to owner Gary Montesi.
In addition to building an apartment for himself and his two children, Montesi said the first floor of the building will become the home of Middletown Antiques. Montesi said Kathy Bowermaster expects to open her store in the next few months after moving from her former location on Central Avenue.
“There’s a strong possibility that we’ll have the place 80 percent full within the next year,” he said.
Montesi believes once renovations are completed that he’ll have about $1 million invested in the project. He also said he has spent a lot of time getting the building cleaned up and said that restoring the 9-foot by 8-foot windows has been very time consuming.
Montesi received a facade grant to repair the building’s exterior windows.
“I love that building,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to rehab a building like this to put in loft apartments with high ceilings and windows. It’s going to be neat.”
The Goetz Tower
The Goetz Tower, located at the southeast corner of Central Avenue and South Main Street, was acquired by the group headed by Mike Robinette and David Gose. The group is working with historic building restoration experts Steve Coon, David Jursik and Joe Parsons.
Gose said the partnership had applied for state and federal historic renovation tax credits in September that will be awarded in late December.
Robinette said the building, which houses a Fifth Third Bank branch, will include 24 market-rate apartments as well as 2,000 square-feet of retail/commercial space when the project is completed. He said interior demolition and renovations could begin as early as March. As of Friday, he estimated the cost of the project to be about $2.5 million and about half of the cost will be offset by the historic tax renovation credits.
Rose Furniture Building
Robinette’s partnership group also includes the ownership of the former Rose Furniture building at 36 S. Main St.
The building, located at 36 S. Main St., was heavily damaged by rain in the fall of 2013. Robinette said half of the demolition work has been completed behind the facade which also included the removal of asbestos. However, he said the back portion of the building, which was originally going to be saved, will now be coming down after the asbestos is removed.
“We’ve got the testing done and we have received quotes from contractors to do the work,” Robinette said. “We hope to get that work completed by the end of the year.”
Robinette estimated the total costs for this project at about $500,000.
Cincinnati State
Several downtown buildings were acquired by the city, some of them were once owned by the late Perry Thatcher, then by the city, and were acquired by Higher Education Partners who in turn made it the home of the city’s branch of Cincinnati State College.
The buildings that include the former Cincinnati Gas & Electric Building, 1 N. Main St., the former First Financial Bank, 2 N. Main St., the former Butler County Job and Family Services building at 1021 Central Ave., and the former Middletown Senior Citizens Center at 140 Verity Parkway.
Jean Manning, the college’s vice president of marketing and communications, said the Middletown campus and its programs are growing as enrollment has.
Manning said the sixth floor of the campus’s main building at 1 N. Main St. was renovated and two floors have yet to be completed.
She said the building across the street at 2 N. Main St. that formerly housed the First Financial Bank office, recently received a new digital sign. However, there are no plans for future use of the building at this time, she said.
At the former Butler County JFS office on Central Avenue, Manning said a portion of the building will be used as a welding lab.
“We have an RFP (request for proposals) out for architectural design services that is due Dec. 1,” Manning said. “I really hope we can fast track this by Dec. 15 to get an architect on board.”
She said the college received a $35,000 Duke Energy grant for the new welding program.
Manning said that building is envisioned to be a “bridge” facility for students wanting to enroll as well as an outplacement center for graduates to transition into careers. In addition, it may be used for people to be tutored and/or be tested to obtain a GED certificate.
As for how the rest of the building will be used, Manning said starting in December, there will be several “listening session” for the community to give its feedback on future uses.
As for the former senior center, Manning said the college and Higher Education Partners are still talking about future uses. She said there have been some plans drawn up to use the building as a student center and for some administrative offices.
“Nothing has been decided,” she said.
The Manchester Inn and Sonshine Building
The 92-year-old Manchester Inn hotel on Manchester Avenue has been closed for more than three years.
Since acquiring the hotel, Illinois investor William Grau and his ownership group have made repairs to the building’s leaking roof and treated it for mold. In addition the various metal awnings that once adorned the building have been removed to prevent water damage to the structure.
The city was asking $325,000 for the Manchester, but accepted Grau’s $1 offer earlier this year. Grau also acquired the adjacent Sonshine Building for $1 as well. He plans to invest $10 million into the property.
The former hotel was also nominated to be included in the National Register of Historic Buildings, and he has applied for state Historic Preservation Tax Credits to help with the redevelopment.
He plans to renovate the Manchester back into a hotel along with a restaurant, banquet facilities and office space.
According to Denise Hamet, the city’s economic development director, Manchester Hotel, LLC is in negotiations with major brands for hotel and restaurant/catering franchises. In addition, the group is completing the design phase in preparation for tax credit application submission due March 31, 2015.
Hamet said Grau’s other group, Snider Building LLC, which was the previous name of the Sonshine Building, is in negotiations with several microbreweries to partner with, or obtain a franchise for, the microbrewery/brewpub. The group is also completing the design phase in preparation for tax credit application submission due March 31, 2015.
Once renovations are completed the building will have a 100-plus seat brewpub on the first floor; small brewing system with canning/bottling lines and storage on the first floor and lower level. In addition, there will be meeting/event rooms, offices and storage on the second floor.
Former Bank One Building
Local artist and businessman Chris Walden, who leads the Windamere LLC group, purchased the former Bank One Building at 2 N. Main St. for $140,000.
City officials said at the time of the purchase that Windamere LLC will be involved proposing to use the building as a gallery and to host small events, which will be consistent with the arts and education focus of the downtown district. Walden could not be reached for comment for this story.
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