FireFish acquiring Eagles Building

Arts hub possible, FireFish chief says

The FireFish Festival will have a new permanent home on Broadway as the Lorain Palace Theater transfers the Eagles Building to a nonprofit group affiliated with the arts festival.

On Feb. 20, Lorain City Council voted 9-1 to approve an agreement that will transfer the fourstory, 30,000-square-foot building at 575 Broadway. The city approval was needed for the deal that involves the Palace, FireFish, the city of Lorain and the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.

“The idea is that working in tandem with the Palace Theater, the Eagles would hopefully evolve into a hub of the revitalization of downtown Lorain as an arts district,” said FireFish Executive Director James Levin.

The audience applauded at the Council vote. The Palace currently owns the building, but it should transfer to the nonprofit FireFish Park Inc. within 21 days, said Palace board President Jeff Neal.

The FireFish Festival expects to announce more plans soon. On Feb. 20, Levin said FireFish is “taking a big step today” and suggested the first floor of the building has spaces that could work as a café and art gallery.

The second floor could serve as a unique musical venue such as a cabaret space. The third floor has a theater space that could host a theater company or youth theater program.

Levin mentioned about working with Lorain businesses and in conjunction with the many ethnic heritages in the International City.

“This can only work if we get multiple partners and many, many people engaged,” he said.

The Eagles Building will sell for $10,000, according to the deal approved by City Council.

The deal prompted questions from Councilman Dennis Flores, whose Ward 2 includes Broadway and the Eagles Building. However, Councilman-atLarge Joe Koziura, Councilwoman-at-Large Mary Springowski, Councilmanat-Large Mitch Fallis and Mayor Chase Ritenauer emphasized the importance of the deal.

FireFish and its supporters have done some wonderful things for Lorain and will in the future, Koziura said. They can turn it into a first-class structure that is an asset to Lorain, Koziura said.

Flores moved to consider the deal in a committee meeting. Koziura objected to any move to send the legislation “to have this die” and have the city responsible for another vacant building; Flores’ motion died for lack of support.

Along with the FireFish Festival of 2015 and 2016 in Lorain, Springowski also noted Levin’s track record of other projects. Levin is the founder of Cleveland Public Theatre, the Gordon Square Arts District and Ingenuity Festival, all of which grew in Cleveland.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to get a really strong anchor,” Springowski said. “This is the ideal project for this.”

The deal was highly scrutinized by the city Law Department, Safety-Service Director Dan Given and lawyers involved, said Law Director Pat Riley.

Levin cautioned that creating an arts venue that is unique in Ohio, will not happen overnight.

The Eagles Building needs significant repairs to its mechanical systems, roof and façade, Levin said. After the meeting, Neal said restoration estimates ran up to $2.7 million.

“It’s not going to be a sprint. We’re looking at a marathon to put this together,” he said. “It’s a daunting challenge but we’re up to the task.”

Levin also thanked Lorain City Council for acting in a progressive and enlightened way. “When the city government does move in this way, I think it deserves to be noticed,” he said.

“It’s a daunting challenge but we’re up to the task.”

— FireFish Executive Director James Levin.