YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Youngstown’s skyline changed this year after the demolition of the Realty Building but there’s a project in the works to improve another historic building.
Central Tower was built before air conditioning was even invented and the new plan to rehabilitate it could put fresh air into downtown.
The building towers over Youngstown, rising over 200 feet into the sky. It’s been the tallest building in the city since it was completed in 1929.
“I don’t want to sound like an arrogant New Yorker but this is the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building of Youngstown,” said Patrick Ciccone, a consultant on the project to renovate it.
Central Tower has an Egyptian look, noticeable at the entrance. The lobby has lavish decorations on the ceiling, the elevator doors are ornamental, and the stairs are highlighted by ornate handrails and banisters.
The renovation plans call for fixing office space on the lower floors and converting some of the upper floors into apartments.
Ciccone believes it already has a pretty good floor plan. He says there is room for about five apartments.
There’s a conversation going on nationally about what to do with old office buildings.
Ciccone believes Central Tower is different than bigger, more recently built skyscrapers, which are difficult to renovate. He believes it can become a gem for people who want to live in an urban environment, and that it will support business and entertainment.
“Huge from a point of civic pride and showing this can be done, especially after what’s happened with the Realty Building,” Ciccone said.
Central Tower and the Realty Building had the same architect, Morris Scheibel.
Central Tower was renovated once before in the ’80s.
The new project is getting $2 million in tax credits from the state, which believes in preserving historic buildings, giving communities identity and investing in the future. The next step is waiting to see if the plan qualifies for federal tax credits as a historical building.
“This is a beautiful Art Deco masterpiece of a building, that having it animated with new life would just be thrilling to be part of. So we really want to make this happen,” Ciccone said.
There’s no schedule for when the project will begin or end. The state tax credit is just a first step to putting the funding together for the project.
The renovation of the Niles Masonic Temple will also benefit from state tax credits.
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