Posted August 11, 201212 yr I've cross posted this thread. I figured this was an appropriate place to post. I went out the other day and wasted some time downtown. There are some new things happening that I hadn't noticed before. The former downtown YMCA, soon to be torn down. DSC06750 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06752 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06753 by mkeller234, on Flickr The plywood in the Onesto is newish, at least there is a visible sign that something is going on. DSC06760 by mkeller234, on Flickr Another view, the YMCA is peeking over the top. DSC06765 by mkeller234, on Flickr There were some construction workers inside the Sten & Mann building. DSC06769 by mkeller234, on Flickr AH! These used to be covered with drop ceilings. DSC06774 by mkeller234, on Flickr My co-pilot: DSC06775 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06776 by mkeller234, on Flickr An artist set up shop in the Canton steam power plant. Steve Coon owns this building. DSC06779 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06787 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06788 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06790 by mkeller234, on Flickr This building is looking great these days. Someone did a nice job. DSC06795 by mkeller234, on Flickr The floor lights up underneath, it looks really cool. DSC06798 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06800 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06803 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06806 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06808 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06809 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06810 by mkeller234, on Flickr Another artist studio on Rex avenue DSC06812 by mkeller234, on Flickr Even better.... there was a full construction crew at the crummy house next door to mine today! DSC06815 by mkeller234, on Flickr DSC06814 by mkeller234, on Flickr
August 11, 201212 yr I can probably found out elsewhere the on the forum, but why is the YMCA being torn down?
August 11, 201212 yr They are replacing it with a much smaller, new facility. It'll be in the same place as the old one. I think a smaller, modern, more manageable facility is a good idea.... but I really wish they weren't tearing down the old one. I just hate to see it go, I like it. Eric Snow donated a lot of money to build the new one, I think 3 million dollars.
August 12, 201212 yr Canton has some great bones. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 13, 201212 yr Wouldn't it make more sense to sell building and build their new building somewhere else? Aside from the fact it seems like a building worth saving, it seems like an additional cost burden to destroy it.
August 13, 201212 yr Wouldn't it make more sense to sell building and build their new building somewhere else? Aside from the fact it seems like a building worth saving, it seems like an additional cost burden to destroy it. I feel the same way about it. At one point, Steve Coon wanted to purchase the property for another apartment project. I don't know for sure, but i'm thinking he is stretched thin enough with the Onesto project.... they are way, way way behind on that project. The chatter about the YMCA was that the building cost a fortune to maintain and needed a lot, including asbestos cleanup. Maybe that was just the argument for tearing it down, but I don't know. I've also heard that the layout was sort of strange, with tons of small single rooms. Either way, it would have been gutted by asbestos cleanup. I'm bummed to see it go.
August 13, 201212 yr Canton has some great bones. Yeah, some for sure. Keep in mind that most of my pictures are just areas of recent change, not really highlighting the other good stuff. There are already a lot of pictures of the rest of town here. There is an area, just east of downtown with a lot of large industrial buildings that are in sad shape, but look promising. A lot of the work is sort of rolling in that East direction, towards Walnut and Cherry Avenue. The steam power plant is on a far East corner of downtown. Pretty rough looking area. Rumor has it, there are some very deep wells in that building where some notorious Chicago criminals liked to throw bodies. In my opinion, the downtown arts movement has been one of the leading forces for positive change. Arts in Stark CEO Rob Hankins has a great understanding of the role that arts can play into the revitalization of a city and it's citizens. I've spoken with him once about it, he sounded determined.
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