February 8, 200718 yr From the 12/24/06 Blade: Toledo lofts, condos generally faring well Downtown on pace with market By GARY T. PAKULSKI BLADE BUSINESS WRITER When Ben Konop decided he wanted to live downtown, the 30-year-old single lawyer was able to bag a roomy two-bedroom condominium for under $150,000 last year. Mr. Konop, who was just elected as a Lucas County commissioner, paid $300 less than the original purchaser had three years previously when the warehouse at 100 South Huron Street was newly converted. He recognizes that, given the volatility of the downtown market, he may not recoup his purchase price when he sells. "I didn't buy it for investment purposes," Mr. Konop said. "I bought it for the quality of life. I realized I was something of an urban pioneer down here. But I think the condo has the potential to be a good investment." MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061224/BUSINESS05/612230338/-1/BUSINESS
February 16, 200718 yr From the 1/12/07 Blade: Toledo City Paper: Exile on Monroe Street (12/13/06) PHOTO: This property adjacent to Fifth Third Field was bought by Myron Stewart from Lucas County for $15,000 and is listed at $375,000. ( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER ) MAP LUCAS COUNTY Owner says building by ballpark is being sold Restaurant plans never materialized By ERICA BLAKE BLADE STAFF WRITER After six years of promises to turn a vacant building at Monroe and Huron streets next to Fifth Third Field into a restaurant, Toledo businessman and newspaper editor Myron Stewart put the building up for sale - for $360,000 more than he paid Lucas County for it. Mr. Stewart, who is a partner in local Church's Chicken franchises, said yesterday that the building at 519 Monroe St. and the vacant lot next door have already been sold. He said information about the sale price and the buyer would be available after the deal is finalized sometime next week. One former county commissioner said that the county was "hoodwinked" by Mr. Stewart, who is editor of the Toledo Journal, a weekly newspaper that is published by his wife, Sandra, and bills itself as northwest Ohio's "only African American newspaper." The three-story building, which is adjacent to the left-field entrance to Fifth Third Field, was sold to Mr. Stewart by the Lucas County commissioners in 2001 - along with an adjacent building at 523 Monroe St. - for $15,000. Full story at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS16/701120361/-1/NEWS
May 23, 200718 yr From the 2/27/07 Blade: Bartley Lofts developers buy 4 units to remove lien By TOM TROY BLADE STAFF WRITER Developers of Bartley Lofts, one of the most visible of downtown Toledo's loft condominium and apartment projects, have had to buy four units to pay off a construction contractor and get a lien removed. Joseph Swolsky and Bob Gersten, partners in Bartley Lofts Investors LLC, which converted the seven-story warehouse at 745 Washington St. into a residential building, each bought two units for a total of just under $1 million in January. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070227/NEWS16/702270355/-1/RSS10
July 11, 200717 yr It strangely looks like Springfield in those shots. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 11, 200717 yr I was under the impression that the Warehouse District was an alive, urban neighborhood. Its actually just warehouses! But there is certainly lots of potential there, indeed!
July 11, 200717 yr It strangely looks like Springfield in those shots. Yep. Toledo Springfield Oooops
July 11, 200717 yr Altogether, Toledo's CBD, Warehouse District, and Uptown make up Ohio's largest collection of late 1800's/early 1900's warehouses (makes sense since Toledo is the transportation hub of Ohio). I'm pretty sure Columbus (CBD and south), Cleveland (obvious), Cincinnati's Camp Washington-Queensgate, and Dayton's Webster Station can all "challenge" that. Maybe even Youngstown or Springfield (as they also have gigantic factories). Let's not throw superlatives around like a baseball at a Mud Hens game too much. Especially this one: (makes sense since Toledo is the transportation hub of Ohio) "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 13, 200717 yr It strangely looks like Springfield in those shots. I saw some Mansfield in them, as well. Lots of potential. Great shots!
July 14, 200717 yr Good point with Camp Washington, Coldayman ... How close is the Warehouse District to Toledo's downtown?
July 14, 200717 yr ^I think it is right downtown by the new stadium. I was there a couple weeks ago and noticed alot of warhouses around it so I am assuming that was it. The difference is, there are probably about 2 or 3 restaurants in them, but that was about it. It seems like their warehouse district is actually warehouses and not really alot of renovated living space like you would see in Cleveland etc. There was one building I noticed with new balconies on it that appeared to be renovated living space.
July 18, 200717 yr Lansing men pay $575,000 for Erie St. Triangle Building Article published June 30, 2007 By GARY T. PAKULSKI and MARK REITER BLADE BUSINESS WRITERS Plans to convert downtown Toledo's Triangle Building into loft-style apartments have moved a step closer to reality. The seven-story building at 34 South Erie St. was sold for $575,000 last week to a Lansing developer with experience restoring historic structures. Records at the Lucas County recorder's office show the 107-year-old warehouse was transferred June 20 to Richard M. Karp and Kevin J. Prater. Mr. Prater has a 25 percent interest in the building, with Mr. Karp owning the remainder. It was previously owned by Triangle Building LLC, which purchased it in 2005 from Willis Day Inc. City Council has approved a preliminary measure that would allow Mr. Karp's Karp & Associates to convert the 107,000-square-foot building at South Erie between Lafayette and Washington into as many as 75 rental units. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20070630/BUSINESS05/706300393
July 18, 200717 yr I'm predictably with ColDayMan on this one. Port...probably (I don't know how Cleveland compares, trucking...maybe (a number of places could give this a run), rail...(Cincy's hub may have something to say about this). Oh, and I can just see the young people flocking here:
July 18, 200717 yr saddest thing is cleveland has torn down prob two or three toledo warehouse districts. bad bad bad. and damn it ink that hauck building shot made me jump up. more bad. sheesh!
July 21, 200717 yr The difference between Toledo's Warehouse District (larger than downtown) and other similar districts in Ohio is that Toledo's is still largely a functional warehousing area. or we can just ignore that fact that cleveland has more than one warehouse district.......
July 24, 200717 yr ^^The man is proud of his town, dude. We all do it on here regarding Cleveland, or whatever side or section of town we come from. I think any of us hailing from a rust-belt "seen better days" town does this. Nothing wrong there. Keep it up, C-dawg. :clap: I will be calling Toledo home in the near future.
July 24, 200717 yr ^^The man is proud of his town, dude. We all do it on here regarding Cleveland, or whatever side or section of town we come from. I think any of us hailing from a rust-belt "seen better days" town does this. Nothing wrong there. Keep it up, C-dawg. :clap: I will be calling Toledo home in the near future. Very true, but this is a logical site with logical info. We are all a little biased here, but we aren't expecting to come on here and read about fantasy material ...
July 24, 200717 yr Yes, but C-Dawg was backing up his statements. I've read somewhere Toledo is the busiest port (tonnage-wise) in Ohio. In terms of rail & truck traffic, I can't speak to that but he offered links to support his claims. Hardly fantasy material, methinks.
May 5, 200817 yr A little update on the Triangle Building, the project is still waiting to line up financing. It will have 75 market-rate, loft-style apartments.
May 7, 200817 yr Toledo Law students don't get along at all with the undergrads. The battles over parking are endless though not especially important.
May 15, 200817 yr too bad the health campus can't move. i guess it would be impossible. i would like a trail connecting the health and main campuses along the railroad tracks adjacent to the two.
May 28, 200817 yr Couple plan 'face-lift' for downtown structures A Sylvania couple has taken a "calculated risk" by buying and renovating one of the oldest buildings in downtown Toledo for retail and residential use, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said yesterday. Standing in the gutted, 134-year-old Hannon's Block building at 619 Monroe St., Mr. Finkbeiner complimented Scott and Alix Kozak, owners of Manchester Roofing Inc., for investing in the longtime-vacant structure and the adjacent building at 32 North Erie St. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20080523/NEWS17/805230348
October 30, 200816 yr Article published October 27, 2008 City of Toledo eager to unload Erie Street market Income fails to meet goals; developer hasn't decided plans By IGNAZIO MESSINA BLADE STAFF WRITER Publicly, Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner praises the city-owned Erie Street Market building in the Warehouse District as a jewel that will be incorporated into his master vision for the area stretching from East Toledo's Marina District to Swan Creek running through downtown. But internally, the mayor admitted to his staff in writing that the building and its concert venue "is languishing - with momentum lost and income not meeting expectations." A series of internal communications last month indicate a growing frustration over the market at 237 South Erie St. - which has cost the city about $150,000 to renovate the southern-most bay into a concert venue during a time the mayor needs to potentially slash $10 million from Toledo's 2008 general operation budget. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20081027/NEWS16/810270321
November 13, 200816 yr Some construction photos of the above posted projects from skyscrapercity: TRIANGLE BUILDING LAMAR ADVERTISING PROJECT HANNON'S BLOCK ON MONROE/ERIE PIZZA PAPALIS TAVERN ON MONROE & HURON
January 29, 200916 yr Downtown Toledo - Warehouse District PizzaPapalis to open first Ohio location in Toledo Written by Aya Khalil | [email protected] Friday, January 23rd, 2009 PizzaPapalis Taverna is bringing a taste of Chicago to Downtown Toledo. The restaurant, a project three years in the making, will open Feb. 2 at 519 Monroe Street, contiguous to Fifth Third Field. The Toledo PizzaPapalis Taverna will be the first one outside Michigan MORE: http://www.toledofreepress.com/2009/01/23/pizzapapalis-to-open-first-ohio-location-in-toledo/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 21, 200916 yr Hens have warehouse district buzzing Article published April 16, 2009 By RYAN E. SMITH BLADE STAFF WRITER When the Mud Hens opened their downtown ballpark in 2002, hopes were high that the surrounding blocks of the Warehouse District would become a hub of activity, full of eateries that buzzed on game days and into the off-season. The new Hen House - which hosts the team's home opener today - was a hit with businesses already open, such as the Spaghetti Warehouse and the Bronze Boar. Seven years later, it's drawn even more entrepreneurs, seducing them with more than 580,000 fans who attended home games last season. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20090416/ART03/904160304
May 18, 200916 yr buildingcincinnati on August 11, 2005, 11:51:47 AM More on the Triangle from the 8/11/05 Toledo Blade: ‘Triangle building considered as site for new loft apartments New update on an old project... http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090518/NEWS16/905180335 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published May 18, 2009 75 apartments to go in 1900s downtown Toledo warehouse By JC REINDL BLADE STAFF WRITER A Michigan property developer says he is moving forward with plans to convert downtown Toledo's so-called "Triangle Building" into a $12 million, 75-unit, market-rate apartment complex before year's end.
July 15, 200915 yr Downtown Toledo warehouse damaged by blaze Article published July 14, 2009 Toledo firefighters fought a blaze, caused by a ruptured gas main, that heavily damaged a vacant commercial building at South Erie and Newton streets adjacent to the Warehouse District near downtown. The fire was reported about 5:30 a.m. Monday, and by about 8:15 a.m. it was largely extinguished. The building at 518 South Erie occupies an entire block at South Erie and Newton. Authorities said the burned parts of the building are to be torn down after power lines to the building are cut so demolition workers can gain access. The building is owned by St. Clair Street Station LLC, according to the Lucas County auditor’s Web site. No dollar estimate of the damage was available Monday, Chief Mike Wolever said MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20090714/NEWS16/907149981
March 22, 201015 yr Rebirth for a downtown Toledo building When completed in mid-April, the main floor of the 24,000-square-foot building at 8 North St. Clair Street will house the showroom and warehouse of NBS Inc., the local distributor for Steelcase office furniture. The upper floors of the three-story building will be home to Thomas Porter Architects. EXTERIOR PHOTO OF THE BUILDING PHOTO: Carpenter Matt Reynolds cuts a plank to repair damaged flooring in a 123-year-old building in downtown Toledo that formerly housed H. Poll Electric Co. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20100321/BUSINESS05/100329973/0/NEWS14
March 30, 201015 yr Lofty ambitions thwarted: Developers to step away from Toledo condo project Article published March 21, 2010 BY GARY T. PAKULSKI BLADE BUSINESS WRITER Hot-shot young investors who seemed to have solid financial backing. A historic warehouse in the heart of downtown Toledo. A plan to create New York-type loft apartments in a largely abandoned industrial area that seemed ready for residential development. It looked like a winning combination. What could go wrong? Just about everything. Five years after the Bartley Lofts, at Washington and Ontario streets, wowed Toledo with its rooftop swimming pool, gleaming balconies, and the possibilities for downtown reinvention, the lead developers are preparing to step away. With 75 percent of the 52 units now sold, Joseph Swolsky and Robert Gersten are about to transfer management of the seven-story complex to a homeowners association on April 1. In an interview on the eve of the hand-off, Mr. Swolsky, 58, talked about the experience. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20100321/BUSINESS05/100329979/0/SEARCH
June 26, 201014 yr The Berdan Building and Hannons Block in the Warehouse District received tax credits. The Berdan Building will have 123 apartments. The Hannons Block will have loft office space for small businesses. A local art organization wants to bring its offices and a small gallery to the ground floor. http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100626/NEWS16/6260354
August 31, 201014 yr City asked to back $9M loan for Berdan Building Site may get market-rate apartments Article published August 26, 2010 By IGNAZIO MESSINA BLADE STAFF WRITER A Cleveland real estate development firm wants to redevelop the long-vacant, 108-year-old Berdan Building in Toledo's Warehouse District into market-rate apartments with help from the city by backing a $9 million federal loan. Landmark RE Management LLC Wednesday presented its plan to a Toledo City Council committee to renovate the derelict building at 601 Washington St. near Fifth Third Field. John Carney, a co-founder and managing partner of the firm that specializes in renovating historic buildings, said he started looking at the building 18 months ago. PHOTO OF BERDAN BUILDING Full article: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100826/NEWS16/8250383
November 15, 201014 yr Rebirth for a downtown Toledo building When completed in mid-April, the main floor of the 24,000-square-foot building at 8 North St. Clair Street will house the showroom and warehouse of NBS Inc., the local distributor for Steelcase office furniture. The upper floors of the three-story building will be home to Thomas Porter Architects. EXTERIOR PHOTO OF THE BUILDING PHOTO: Carpenter Matt Reynolds cuts a plank to repair damaged flooring in a 123-year-old building in downtown Toledo that formerly housed H. Poll Electric Co. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20100321/BUSINESS05/100329973/0/NEWS14 More about the renovation this building and the architecture firm that owns it from the Toledo Free Press: Porter reopens architectural firm Written by Duane Ramsey | [email protected] Architect Thomas Porter recently reopened his firm, Thomas Porter Architects, on North St. Clair Street in Downtown Toledo. Porter previously operated a business of the same name from 1981 to 1992. He was a principal at Duket Porter Associates in Toledo from 1992 until re-establishing his firm. Porter’s firm is renovating the historic buildings known as Lutz Block, built in 1876, for its home and additional commercial space. The three-story brick structures previously housed the former H. Poll Electric Company and numerous other businesses. The associates of Thomas Porter Architects purchased the four-unit complex and plan to create a mixed-use environment. The property also includes 28 parking spaces, which are a valuable commodity Downtown, Porter said. MORE: http://www.toledofreepress.com/2009/09/18/porter-reopens-architectural-firm/
December 14, 201014 yr New backing sought for Berdan Building Toledo asked to support $10.5M HUD loan Article published December 10, 2010 By IGNAZIO MESSINA BLADE STAFF WRITER The Cleveland firm interested in redeveloping the long-vacant, 108-year-old Berdan Building in Toledo's Warehouse District made a case Thursday for the city of Toledo to back a federal loan -- up from the $9 million loan it said was needed four months ago. The $10.5 million Section 108 loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development would be the largest piece of a nearly $22 million project to convert the former warehouse into 123 one and two-bedroom apartments. In a worst-case scenario, should the project fail and the firm default, the city of Toledo would be responsible for repaying the loan money. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20101210/NEWS16/12090380/0/SRTIGERFORCE
December 19, 201014 yr Some Clevelanders have stepped into the market for Berdan. I think these guys know what they're doing and I like John Carney's attitude. "Toledo and Cleveland are definitely the same vintage, same ancestry, so same kind of potential," he said. "There are some nicer things here as there are some nicer things in Toledo, just like any city." Article published December 19, 2010 Berdan developers plan for vibrant revamp 123 apartments slated for space By IGNAZIO MESSINA BLADE STAFF WRITER CLEVELAND -- Developer John Carney walked through Cleveland's warehouse district last week, moving quickly in the cold to get from one of his buildings to another, as he raised a finger toward a surface parking lot along the way. "Tear down is not our mentality," Mr. Carney said. "That's why we have these parking lots here, because people tore things down. Our mentality is to preserve these historic structures and make an adaptive reuse, and the primary reuse is housing." CONTINUED ON BLADE SITE (with project details, photos, etc.) http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20101219/NEWS16/12180386
January 26, 201114 yr A Cleveland developer wants to turn the Berdan Building into 123 upscale, loft-style apartments. http://toledoblade.com/article/20110126/NEWS16/101250363
January 26, 201114 yr I really hope this one goes through. This is my second favorite building in the Warehouse District after the Triangle Building.
March 29, 201114 yr Published: 3/29/2011 - Updated: 10 hours ago Triangle Building work begins Distinctive downtown site to be transformed into lofts BY LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE BLADE BUSINESS WRITER One of Toledo's most distinctive downtown buildings has begun a long-delayed transformation into a multiunit high-rise residence guarding the southern gateway to the city's central business district. Workers with the Wolverine Building Group of Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday were excavating areas of the foundation on the northwestern side of the aptly named Triangle Building, 34 South Erie St. The work will allow for the addition of a raised basement floor and installation of new central air-conditioning units to serve what ultimately are to be 75 market-rate apartments on the seven floors above. The 81,000-square-foot building was constructed at South Erie and Lafayette streets in 1906 as the warehouse for Standart-Simmons Hardware Co. The building, which has been vacant for decades, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 in part because of its architecture, which resembles a right triangle with the tips of the acute angles lopped off. CONTINUED ON BLADE SITE http://www.toledoblade.com/Real-Estate/2011/03/29/Triangle-Building-work-begins-2.html
March 29, 201114 yr Residential vacancy rates downtown are really low, so this is going to fuel more growth in core neighborhoods (Toledo's CBD and Uptown neighborhoods were the fastest-growing in the city according to the 2010 census). Vacancy rates among the more than 1,200 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments or lofts in the city's central business district dropped dramatically late last year to 3.9 percent. They had been above 10 percent earlier in 2010 and as high as 13 percent at the end of 2008, according to data compiled by Toledo commercial realty firm CB Richard Ellis/Reichle Klein. "That trend would certainly suggest that demand for these downtown apartments is pretty strong, at least relative to the supply," said Harlan Reichle, the real estate firm's senior managing director. "It always begs the question of, ‘How deep is the market?' You look at that downtown vacancy, and that's as low as any market in the area." http://www.toledoblade.com/Real-Estate/2011/03/29/Triangle-Building-work-begins-2.html
October 26, 201113 yr Berdan Building renovator can't assure loan payback BY CLAUDIA BOYD-BARRETT BLADE STAFF WRITER Published: 9/16/2011 A Cleveland-based company looking to obtain millions of dollars in federal funds to renovate Toledo’s dilapidated Berdan Building in downtown said Thursday they cannot guarantee the money would be repaid, but are confident the project will be a success. At a city council committee hearing to discuss Landmark RE Management’s proposed funding strategy to turn the building into apartment lofts, the firm’s managing partner John Carney said his company will not offer any assurances of repayment if its application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $10.2 million in loan money is approved. The loan would be backed by the City of Toledo, which would have to pay the money back itself if the developers defaulted. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2011/09/16/Council-weighs-risk-of-supporting-Berdan-development.html
October 26, 201113 yr Excerpt from a recent Blade article relating to the Berdan Building renovation proposal: Developers make case to council for downtown projects BY CLAUDIA BOYD-BARRETT BLADE STAFF WRITER Published: 10/13/2011 Executives for Lansing-based Eyde Co. -- which owns the Fiberglas Tower on St. Clair Street -- and Landmark RE Management from Cleveland -- which seeks to renovate the Berdan Building at Washington and Huron streets -- addressed council and public concerns about their endeavors, which hinge on millions of dollars in government loans. Neither project has yet been approved by City Council. Both companies seek $10 million loans from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, amounts that have to be backed by the city of Toledo. Each would also receive a $2 million government grant, and developers hope to secure state and federal historic tax credits to help pay for their projects. Executives from Landmark RE Management sought to assure city officials their project is viable. The company wants to buy the run-down Berdan Building and turn it into upscale apartment lofts, at an estimated cost of $21.9 million. Almost all that money would come from government sources. At the meeting yesterday, several councilmen peppered the executives with questions about the project. Councilman George Sarantou asked Mr. Carney if he is sure there will be enough demand to fill 123 planned apartments, which would be rented at between $692 and $936 a month. "The answer, councilman, is yes, or we wouldn't be sitting here," Mr. Carney answered. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2011/10/13/Developers-make-case-to-council-for-downtown-projects.html
February 6, 201213 yr Couple of updates on The Standart Lofts (aka The Triangle Building) at the corner of Lafayette and Erie in downtown Toledo. The first is a report from WTOL-TV in late November 2011 before the building opened. The second is from the Toledo Blade after the building opened in January 2012. Below are the links: WTOL: Former downtown warehouse to be transformed into apartments THE BLADE: Lofts a fit in historic downtown building
Create an account or sign in to comment