preservationrestoration

Thumbs up to the exterior facade. Thumbs down to the sketches of the interior. Glad to see these old buildings saved and restored.

What a cool neighborhood. But I'm not sure exactly where it is (or I should say, how to get there). Is it safe?

Very interesting shots.

Well this project isn't exactly 100% completed, but its true, they have relocated and are open for business. There is still much work to do outside and on the upper two levels. They have some pics on their web site of the inside, main level. I'm posting them below. <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/indeximage.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/indeximage7.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/indeximage9.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/indeximage10.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/indeximage11.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

In browsing through the Middletown Public Library's online historical collection, I came across several construction pictures from the early 1970s of Middletown's City Centre Mart (renamed Mall at some point). I thought I would share them here. Most are in Black and White. Plans to make downtown Middletown more suburban actually began in the late 1950s with an experiment that shut off Central Ave to vehicle traffic and created the pedestrian Central Plaza. I'm not quite sure how long this lasted, but at some point in the 1960s, a local artist was asked to create some renderings of new storefronts for buildings along Central Ave. One of those renderings appears below: <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/12.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> By the late 1960s, a new direction was taken (probably because the Middletown received several millions in federal dollars) to enclosed the intersection of Central and Broad Streets and extend that enclosure 500 feet in each direction to created an indoor, climate controlled mall. The old intersection would serve as the focal point with a large fountain. Next is a rendering of the mall's inside that must have been developed during the planning stages: <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/6.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> The remaining pictures are mostly of the canopy's construction. Part of the project involved removing old, deteriotated buildings. You get a chance to see how the area looked before the mall and before some of the buildings were torn down. <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/0.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/2.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/5.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/7.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/8.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/9.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/11.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/13.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/16.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/15.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/getimage.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/14.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> Both the Filson's and Weber's buildings were casualties of the mall's construction: <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/4.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> And finally, a completed entrance. This was known as the West Entrance at Main Street and what was Central. Each entrance had some sort of public artwork or fountain. <img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/mdb751/Mall%20Construction/3.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> The mall's removal began in the early 2000s and the project was completed in Winter 2003. I have posted some pics in the forum on how the area looks today. I have some pics of the mall prior and during its removing, but they aren't electronic.

I worked in this building for two summers while in college. Impressive from the outside, but kinda bland on on the inside. Lebanon is a "cute" town, but I find the people there to be very snoobish. It is suffering from sprawl as well.

Looks as if you aren't the only one that feels that way....the exterior of Sorg Mansion may be used in a new movie...actually, several sites in Middletown and Hamilton could make it into this movie... Middletown: Vampire movie to shoot in area Film features Butler County landmarks HAMILTON — Get your garlic and crucifixes ready. The vampires will arrive in January. Producer and director Joe Tonatore of the Hollywood Film Consortium was in Middletown and Hamilton earlier this week scouting locations for an upcoming feature film to be shot in Butler County. “We will start pre-production on Jan. 3, begin principal photography on Jan. 30 and wrap on the 24th of February,” Tonatore said of “Immortally Yours.” “We hope to set up a production base in Hamilton because we have several other projects that would be perfect for there,” Tonatore said. “Everyone we have met in Hamilton has been very receptive.” In Hamilton, Tonatore and his partner, Frank Russo, visited Hamilton Scrap Processors on Vine Street, the operating rooms at the former Mercy Hospital site, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, the former Moose Lodge on Second Street and Greenwood Cemetery. In Middletown, they visited the Sorg Opera House and the Sorg Mansion. “The exterior of the Sorg Mansion is mind-boggling,” Russo said. “We will use it as the exterior of the vampire’s house.” Hollywood Film Consortium found Hamilton via local resident James Garrett, who worked with Tonatore on a promotional film for a video game they shot in Dayton earlier this year. Garrett serves as location manager for “Immortally Yours.” “I brought them to the area because of the great arts and culture here,” Garrett said. The budget for “Immortally Yours” is around $532,000, Garrett said. “It’s going to have a substantial economic impact,” Tonatore said. “We will be using local talent and a crew that I worked with before on that promo.” The principal casting is underway, but Tonatore is not yet releasing any names. “Immortally Yours” is scheduled for a May 2006 theatrical release, Tonatore said. The story and screenplay are by Katherine Hawkes and concerns a handsome, debonair vampire named Victor, the head of a covenant of young, sophisticated vampires. At an opera, he meets Estelle, a scientist who is researching an approach to immortality being sponsored by an “upper-world Illuminati organization,” according to a synopsis. The two fall in love, but the conflict between the Illuminati and the covenant of vampires leads to “an unholy war.” Hawkes is also an actress and has performed in “The Watermelon Heist” with John Amos (the father in the 1970s television sitcom “Good Times”) and the upcoming “Meet Me in Miami.” According to the Internet Movie Database, Tonatore has directed six feature films, including “Zebra Force” in 1976 and “Game Room” in 1999. He has also appeared as an actor in 22 motion pictures and has experience as a stunt man.

It is an impressive structure. Unfortunately, it is in sad shape at the moment. Harry Finkleman, a local realtor and developer, owns the property. I was told that there was an issue with one of the stain glass windows and he called in Beau Verre Studios to fix it, they were asking all sorts of questions about the type of glass, etc...and his comment was "I don't care, just fix the damn hole." A sad comment from someone who prided himself on "saving" Middletown's treasures.

Which blonde are you?

Ugh...reminds me of the disastrous People Mover in Detroit

My guess is the dept store is Von Maur. I wouldn't say its more upscale than Macys.

^ Well part of Turtlecreek is out that way towards Middletown....but Turtlecreek Township is quite large. If this development is out by Oregonia, its a good 30-40 mintues from I-75 and closer to I-71.

Board buys 19.7 acres, could be site of new MHS Land could be future site for Middletown H.S. By Carrie Whitaker, Middletown Journal A plot of land near Lefferson Park eventually could sit within the footprint for a new Middletown High School, district officials said, after the Middletown Board of Education voted Tuesday to approve purchase of the land. Contact Carrie Whitaker at (513) 705-2845, or e-mail her at [email protected]. www.middletownjournal.com

I know, there is so much variety to pick from. I actually forgot to take a picture of another favorite of mine. I'll do that next time. A lot of these homes are larger than they appear as they are more deep than wide.

I got this article from today's Middletown Journal. It's a feature column by Middletown historian Roger Miller on the subject of the Sorg Mansion shown above. Enjoy! Miller: Sorg Mansion key historical monument in Middletown The July 28, 1896, issue of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on Paul J. Sorg’s home with the statement: “The main hall of Mrs. Paul J. Sorg’s palatial home, at Middletown, Ohio, is in every respect an ideal hall.” In many ways it was a palace. The Sorg Mansion came to be the focal point of the very fashionable South Main Street. When Paul J. Sorg and S. Jennie Gruver were married they went into housekeeping at 1112 Girard Ave. Sorg was on his way to becoming a multi-millionaire tobacco king and industrial leader of Middletown. It was not long before he was able to build their large home. The Sorg House, as it was then known, was built during 1887-88 in the Romanesque Style. There have been questions raised as to what kind of stone was used in the building and where it came from. One time professor of geology at Miami University and past president of the Middletown Historical Society, Kenneth Shafor made a professional analysis of the stone and reported that “it is built of the finest red sandstone you’ll find anywhere in the world.” It is variegated sandstone, with an “earth-yellow” tinge found only in a few places. In an interview in 1969, Marie M. Augspurger explained where the sandstone came from. She stated, “Every stone in the Sorg Mansion was carved in a quarry in Italy.” According to blueprints, each stone was numbered and identified before being shipped. Once they arrived in Middletown, they were delivered to the site and assembled by local masons following those blueprints. Her father, Rudolph Augspurger, worked for James Edward Baker, who ran a sand and gravel company and operated a construction business employing the area’s best stone masons. Augspurger worked on the construction of the building. There is no record of a general contractor for the job, but Ed Baker served as a subcontractor. Sorg always hired the best and did things right. Samuel Hannaford and Sons of Cincinnati, then the area’s most prestigious architectural firm, designed the original part of the Sorg Mansion. An addition and remodeling was done in 1902 by the Dayton architectural firm of Pretzinger and Musselman. At a cost of approximately $200,000, the 1902 addition included the north wing, turrets and present front porch. The north wing was built of matching stone to house the spacious ballroom. A carriage house and a stone wall topped by a wrought iron fence were added. After the remodeling and additions were finished the mansion had 27 rooms. While work was going on, the Sorgs lived in a large brick house that was at the corner of today’s Main and Second streets. This was moved to the rear of the lot and remodeled into a 12-room structure for Sorg’s servants. Since Paul J. Sorg passed away in 1902, he was not able to enjoy his remodeled mansion, but his wife had already made it the center of Middletown’s elite social set. Her elaborate parties dominated the social scene. She hired bands and caterers from Dayton and Cincinnati, entertaining the rich and the famous. At times Mrs. Sorg had the servants roll out a red carpet from the front entrance to the walk as guests walked from their carriages. Robert Dickey Oglesby was born at 313 S. Main St. in 1905. One time he recorded some childhood memories of the Sorg Mansion. He recalled attending several birthday parties, some given in honor of a visiting granddaughter, Jane Drouillard of Nashville, Tenn. Once inside the house, the young guests walked on freshly polished parquet floors, saw chandeliers glittering with crystal pendants, paneled walls, carved woodwork, paintings and pictures, statuary and recessed seats under windows with stained glass on the top. The wide entrance hall had a fireplace on the right, midway between openings to two of the north rooms. The hall extended back to a broad stairway leading to the upper floors. The furnishings were massive in order to fit the large rooms. The yard was beautifully landscaped, and was filled with lovely trees. A glasshouse or greenhouse for displaying plants, known as a conservatory, was part of the house. It is gone, but Oglesby described the room in these words: “It was a good sized circular chamber, or room, perhaps 25 or 30 feet in diameter, attached to and entered from the southwest corner of the house.” Its base supported a glass dome with many individual panes of glass that could be opened and closed as needed. Mrs. Sorg took great pleasure in showing her many flowers, ferns, small shrubs and plants. The Sorg Mansion recalls a period of Middletown history of wealth and elaborate entertaining. It stands as a symbol of the past for the present generation. It is the city’s best-known landmark. Roger L. Miller is a Middletown resident.

This house isn't half as bad looking as the houses being built by Maronda in Monroe Xing and Wyandot Woods.

I thought the tall one was a guy before I saw his breasts LOL>

Well love of a city doesn't necessarily dictate where you live. A decent job, connections and friends do just as much as love for a city. Trust me, I've considered moving back to SW Ohio several times, and yes, I would pick Middletown as a place to live over Mason, Lebanon, Monroe, West Chester, Liberty Township, you name it. (I would give Springboro or Oakwood some thought though LOL).

I guess I have a differing opinion. But I actually like them.

Why is that do I sound that snooty (not to offend anyone that's from there LOL). Nope, I'm here in the Motown area. At least for right now. Thing again, I've been telling myself that for the last 8 years. LOL.

Nope. Came to visit my dad among other things. I have made the trip back for Middfest in the past when the county has interested me. This year, it didn't. Just so happened that my dad was on vacation during this time. Where did you think I was?

Living and working in the metro Motor City, I cannot say that the public transportation system is all that great (they want you to buy and drive cars). My commute normally should be about 20-25 minutes (18 miles) each way. Construction and the realigning of I-94 for the past two years has made my commute much worse. I would love the option to take a train to work. Not much of a bus guy, but I definately would take the train. There has been talk of adding some sort of high-speed public transportation from Detroit up to Pontiac along Woodward. Unfortunately, I don't live or work near any of those communities. Ann Arbor's bus system is pretty good, but it has to be due to the univeristy. Again, I would have to drive my car to catch the bus, so I mind as well drive my car. I'm in my car a lot. LOL

Cool, thriving downtown area with restored buildings. Lots of locally-owned businesses as well. What are the demos of medina? Is it an upper-class area? That new courthouse is just plain and boring though.

I remember when FFM opened. I was probably in junior high and even at that young age, I had enough sense to question why they were building such a huge mall down the road for Tri County. Plus the concept of high end/low end in the same mall didn't make much sense. We walked into one of the fancy shmancy department stores and I picked up a sweater that I thought was $49.95. It was actually $499.95....missed that third 9. I wonder why they went out of business. Went there again while Gator owned the property and I can remember thinking how sad of a shape it was in. Went to Cincinnati Mills to have dinner at that Asian place (not very good), but didn't go inside the mall. I think they need more department stores for a mall that size to be successful. What's there now? Biggs and Kohls?

No problem....just wish there was more going on LOL I figured you were kidding, but sadly, there is some truth to what you said. My grandmother always referred to ARMCO as ARMYCO....for some odd reason, she added a Y