The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
NET COMES OFF FACADE
Crews begin work on bricks
Heading into the holiday season, observers of downtown Lorain have a reason to cheer: The netting has come off the facade of the Broadway Building. At least partly.
On Nov. 24, visitors to downtown Lorain’s Waterfront Winterfest saw the fencing and work platform elevator set up by Coon Restoration & Sealants at the building, 301 Broadway.
A crew on Nov. 29, began taking off the protective mesh that was installed on the building to prevent bricks and mortar from falling off and landing on the sidewalk below.
For some downtown observers, the netting came to symbolize stagnation of effort to bring new life to a once vibrant main street of Lorain.
“Seeing the netting removed from Broadway may not seem like a significant step forward,
“Our projects have served as a spark igniting a resurgence in downtown living.”
— Coon Restoration website
but for those of us who remember the last 13 plus years of a vacant, dilapidated building, it is a giant leap,” said Mayor Chase Ritenauer. “This is the beginning of a new Broadway Building and a new Broadway.
“I look forward to more of the milestones through the rest of 2018, into 2019, and beyond.”
The work is part of an $8 million restoration that will create a 55room hotel with a restaurant and event space.
Coon Restoration has had equipment at the building for weeks; contractors have performed some work inside and on the parking garage structure immediately south.
In meetings this fall, Cleveland businesswoman Radhika Reddy, leader of the Ariel on Broadway LLC company that will work on the Broadway Building, has said restoration was dependent on finalizing the paperwork for project financing.
As for the exterior, Coon Restoration brings
“I look forward to more of the milestones through the rest of 2018, into 2019, and beyond.”
— Mayor Chase Ritenauer
expertise gained from projects up to the Terminal Tower and Progressive Field in Cleveland, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial at Put-In-Bay, according to the company website.
“Our projects have served as a spark igniting a resurgence in downtown living,” the Coon Restoration website said. “We take pride in these restoration projects. Restoration doesn’t just bring buildings back to life; it helps bring life back into the communities we live.
“We take pride in restoring and preserving historic buildings, it isn’t just our business, it’s our passion — our life’s work.”