From the 12/18/05 Journal/News:

 

Renovations give new life to historic building

 

HAMILTON — With all three floors gutted and more 30 dumpsters of debris removed, work to renovate the 140-year-old Mercantile buildings on High Street is progressing, said those overseeing the more than $3 million redevelopment.

 

“When we do projects like these, some people look at them from the outside and say ‘well, you haven’t done anything. Most of our work has been on the inside of the building, which a lot people never see at this point,” said Mike Rickenbacher, project manager for Historic Developers, LLC.

 

The Canton firm has plans to turn the historic buildings into an apartment building with retail space along the first floor.

 

Contact Lisa A. Bernard at (513) 820-2186, or e-mail her at [email protected].

 

Journal-News.com: Copyright ©2005 Cox Ohio Publishing, Dayton, Ohio, USA. All rights reserved.

 

http://www.journal-news.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/12/17/HJN1218MERCANTILE.html

 

 

The city purchased the buildings and had the terrible 1970's facades removed. As several redevelopment deals fell through, this fake storefront was built to cover the hideous old retail. Summit Street capured this one before the renovation started:

 

 

The Buildings in 1888 from the BC Historical Society:

 

 

So, to recap:

 

Before Renovation Began

 

1888

 

By 2007

 

Good!

That should look really nice!

Thumbs up to the exterior facade.

 

Thumbs down to the sketches of the interior. 

 

Glad to see these old buildings saved and restored.

High Street redevelopment clears hurdle in Hamilton

BY CAMERON FULLAM | [email protected]

March 14, 2007

 

HAMILTON — A redevelopment project to restore part of the 200 block of High Street has secured a critical financing component, allowing the project to move forward.

 

Major redevelopment of the interior of the Mercantile Block has been held up since 2005 as developers sought approval for historic tax credits through the Ohio Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service.

 

http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/14/hjn031407mercantile.html

Glad to see this project moving forward.

Restoration work has resumed on the building and permits have been sought for stabilization and the parapet. SHP Leading Design is planning to relocate their office to the McCrory building later this year.

^I've still been a little confused by the project.  I always thought that the atrium would be located in the center of the three buildings, while the interior of all three will be uninterrupted.  Seems like the opposite will be the case (which would make me relieved), based on what you reported, ink. 

 

Nonetheless, it's exciting that a strong tenant will locate there.  Just the first floor though, hmm?  I wonder how much they currently staff at their location on Williams Pike.

From the Journal-News:

 

Local design firm creates energy-efficent work space in Mercantile building

SHP Leading Design is first in city to earn 'gold' rating for LEED certification

 

By Dave Greber, Staff Writer

 

HAMILTON — A local design firm practiced what it preached when it came to creating a new, green work environment out of an old and dilapidated space.

 

SHP Leading Design, an architecture, interior design and engineering firm in existence for more than a century, moved late last month from Williams Avenue, where it spent the past 23 years, into the Mercantile building at 236 High St.

 

 

http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/local-design-firm-creates-energy-efficent-work-space-in-mercantile-building-747207.html

Looks like a really great facade!

SHP Design is all settled in and construction continues on the floors above in the Davis-McCrory Building. Once complete, they will begin to move into the buildings to the left/west.

 

 

 

Inside SHP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atrium to be reopened

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Exterior

Those are going to be sweet!

Very nice! I drive by this everyday and try to see if anything new has happened/ is happening.

Historic lofts start to fill up

By Hannah Poturalski, Staff Writer

 

HAMILTON — The city’s vision of a liveable downtown with unique architecture is coming alive with the Historic Mercantile Lofts.

 

Five of nine units in the project’s first phase have been filled and Cindy Dingeldein, community development liaison, said a one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and live-work spaces remain available.

 

“It makes us feel really enthusiastic,” Dingeldein said. “There are several people interested in phase two units which will have a wider variety of units.”

 

http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/historic-lofts-start-to-fill-up-1152765.html

I can't believe it took six years to move forward only on this project's first phase (9 units). SMH.

The project is now complete (with some punch list items underway) and tenants are beginning to move into the second phase units. The reopened atrium is incredible--again one of the best interior spaces in the city.

 

The project now also has a website:

http://www.hamiltonmercantilelofts.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aside from that tacky furniture, I'm diggin' it.  Like a mini-Shillito's.

From the 4/15/12 Hamilton Journal-News:

 

Loft apartments helping revitalize downtown Hamilton

Half of the residential units and all commercial space has been leased.

 

HAMILTON — The opening of loft apartments in downtown Hamilton is helping start a renaissance in the city, a developer and city officials said.

 

For several years, developer Steve Coon and his partners have been working on bringing a set of three 140-year-old buildings back to life as well as working to develop a new neighborhood in downtown Hamilton.

 

The result is the Historic Mercantile Lofts, which has been transformed into 29 residential units and five commercial spaces in the 200 block of High Street.

 

“It’s a way for people to live, work and play in downtown Hamilton,” Coon said. “We’re creating a downtown community. This is a downtown neighborhood.”

 

The final phase of the $8.6 million construction project has been completed and half of the residential units and all of the commercial space have already been leased out, he said. Back in its day, the building was a department store and a bank, Coon said.

 

http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/loft-apartments-helping-revitalize-downtown-hamilton-1360398.html

Just WOW!!!  I was inside these buildings around 1999 or so.  They were in deplorable condition with near open-roof areas and near collapsed floor conditions in some places.  It was snowing inside one of the buildings while I was there.  I remember being struck by the potential of the atrium, even with the openings floored over, and could just picture light streaming through all the different levels.  Kudos to those who saw this project through to completion.

Also, many kudos to those who performed stabilization efforts back in the early 2000's so that these structures could survive this long to be saved.  I'm pretty sure Dr. Sherry Corbett had a hand in those efforts, and am pretty sure she'd be pleased to see that the mercantile Buildings have been so fittingly returned to life.

That looks fantastic.  Coon Restoration has a few long running projects going on in Canton, glad to see that they stuck with this one, gives hope to their others as well.  That building next door looks like another hidden gem... why oh why would that get covered!!!

The building next door is actually on the list to be restored. ArtSpace Hamilton has purchased the building and has plans to renovate but I can't find a timeline anywhere. I've never understood why that ugly cladding was put on, and kept on for so long. Check out artspacehamilton.org for a rendering.