The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
United Way space starts taking shape
Remodeling crews working in 642 Broadway
The future home of United Way of Lorain County is a hive of activity as workers remodel the space inside 642 Broadway.
The building will become the new headquarters for the service agency, which currently leases its office space at 1875 North Ridge Road East in Lorain.
United Way of Lorain County will celebrate its 100-year anniversary in 2017. In the centennial year, the goal is to create a “Center for Community
Transformation” at 642 Broadway, and workers from Ross Builders Co. Inc. of North Ridgeville are transforming the 8,064-squarefoot space inside.
“It sure looks different than it did a week ago,” said Board Member Kirk Nevins, who retired from Franklin Electric in Fort Wayne, Ind., and returned to Lorain County. “I was here a
week ago. None of this drywall was up.”
On May 24, United Way Executive Director Bill Harper led a construction tour for Nevins and board members Ed Baker of Apex Wealth Management and Greg Ring, superintendent of the Lorain County Educational Service Center. They were joined by staff members Ryan Aroney, the marketing and development director; and Bailey Kushner, marketing and development associate.
The front entrance will be
built in to create an “airlock” style double entrance to insulate the building against cold winds in the winter.
Upon entering, to the right will be a large room to serve as a training and meeting area.
It will get a projector and interactive computer connection for board members who are not present, but can sit in on meetings by cell phone.
To the left is a “collaboration studio” that will serve as another committee and training room.
Those spaces are in the building front along Broadway and will keep the large windows there now, with shades added to create the light levels needed for projectors in the rooms.
Going further into the building, many of the metal wall studs already are in place to create partitions for staff offices and conference rooms. Workers wore protective masks as they installed sheets of pink insulation between the metal studs.
Two conference rooms are exactly twice the size of individual offices so they could be divided into offices if needed.
The renovations will cost about $400,000. United Way has launched a centennial project campaign to raise money for the new headquarters and for efforts that spark improvements to the quality of life in Lorain County.
“What’s interesting: When you see when none of the walls were in here, you thought, geez, is this going to be big enough?” Nevins said. “Then they start making all the offices and there’s plenty of room.”
“It looks massive, doesn’t it?” Harper said. “Perfect,” Nevins said. In one room there will be a table for staff members to eat together.
“Part of our culture is that we like to eat lunch together whenever we can, it’s a great opportunity,” Harper said.
United Way will bring three desks from its current offices to use in space for the Lorain County Volunteer Connection, Harper said.
The building has a “warehouse” storage area in the back, where a large door will open for loading supplies for the Lorain County Volunteer Connection. That United Way partnership agency matches volunteers with non-profit group projects around the county.
The building had some damage with cracks in the wall of the back door area, possibly caused by a truck hitting the structure, but that has been repaired, Harper said.
Out front, the face of the building could change to complement the lighted façade and marquee of the Lorain Palace Theater, which sits across and just down the street at 617 Broadway, Harper said.
The space at 642 Broadway is relatively new because it was built in 2002 to replace the Tivoli Theater, which closed in 1977.
Wagner Electric Sign Co. is working on proposals to recreate the theater marquee of 642 Broadway.
Depending on plans, United Way may replace the existing marquee and likely will remove the awnings from the front of the building.
“You’ve been downtown and you see when that Palace is lit up at night, it just gives you some excitement,” Harper said. “If we can add to that, I think it would be great.”