I feel we warrant our own thread... :type:

 

I'll kick it off with a couple of developments, although not entirely recent, are the major projects in downtown and in the areas surrounding downtown!

 

The Beall Avenue Streetscape

 

http://www.woosteroh.com/beallave_streetscape.php

 

 

Project Goals

 

* Develop a strong linkage between Downtown Wooster, the College of Wooster and the Beall Ave. Commercial District.

* Develop a safer and more attractive environment for the area residents, customers in the Commercial District, and students, faculty and staff within the College area.

* Provide distinguishable gateways to the College of Wooster.

* Enhance the marketability of the Beall Ave. Commercial District to attract new businesses and increase business in the existing establishments.

 

What is Involved?

 

* New curbs, sidewalks and street paving.

* Separation of storm and sanitary sewers.

* New storm drainage system.

* Removal of overhead utility lines and wood poles.

* Addition of bicycle lanes.

* Safer pedestrian crossings.

* Decorative style lights and poles (similar to Liberty St.)

* Reduction of curb cuts and driveways, resulting in safer and improved traffic flow.

* Landscaped median with controlled crossings in the College area.

 

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/2414261

 

Downtown Wooster getting City Square Steakhouse soon

By BRYAN SCHAAF

Staff Writer

 

 

WOOSTER -- With a growing population in the heart of the city, downtown revitalizers Mike Rose and Bill Erdos hope their latest project will "stake" itself as a dining hotspot.  The duo, who work together as Liberty Market Properties, has plans to open an upscale steakhouse on the first floor of the old Germania Hall building, which is scheduled to undergo a massive restoration beginning in mid-September.

 

"I think we've been working on this for probably well over a year," said Erdos, whose group is nearly done with work on the new Broken Rocks Cafe in downtown Wooster. "We were looking at several different locations and we really hadn't felt like we found the right location until Germania Hall became available. In my opinion, it's the perfect building for a nice, high-end steakhouse."  In much the same fashion the pair is doing with other buildings in town, Erdos and Rose plan on doing massive renovations inside, including refinishing old hardwood floors, replacing all the old electrical wiring and refinishing and exposing the brick facade.

 

Erdos said the steakhouse would be owned by a group of local investors and would be managed by Mike Mariola, owner of the neighboring South Market Bistro. The restaurant will be named the City Square Steakhouse.  The city granted Liberty Market Properties a 100 percent, 12-year tax abatement as part of its Community Reinvestment Area program in June for all new work done on the facility, which is believed to have been built in the 1870s, and council members were quite pleased to hear that another building was getting a facelift.

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/2970471

 

Cornwell envisions a new 'Campus Center'

By LINDA HALL

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- Lowry Center and Armington Physical Education Center have served The College of Wooster well, but their era has passed.  It may not be the best time to launch another major upgrade to The College of Wooster's physical plant, but in the opinion of its new president, it is the right time.  The College recently wrapped up The Independent Minds: The Campaign for Wooster, which exceeded its $122 million goal by almost $26 million.

 

Even so, a Campus Center under consideration in the area of Lowry and Armington on Beall Avenue is so strategically important for "repositioning" The College as an admissions competitor, President Grant Cornwell said in a personal interview, "we can't wait."  The College's attention to academic facilities "spoke volumes" about its values, Cornwell said, distinguishing it from similar colleges' work on buildings, such as student centers, designed to attract students.

 

Pertinent to developments at the COW, I discovered this when looking at the "Akron - University Park construction." I hope that if anything, the design will maintain the current size of the basketball arena. It seats 3,400 and rocks when Wooster plays Wittenberg or is in the playoffs. And of course, as a minor league sports addict, I'd like to see this with the possibility of pro sports.

 

http://www.osborn-eng.com/sports_wooster_rec.html  :-D

Beall Avenue's 'Grand Dame' Lorson House putting best foot forward with renovation

 

By PAUL LOCHER

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- She is the "Grand Dame" of Beall Avenue -- as Ted Bogner has become fond of calling her -- and she is getting a facelift.  Actually it's more like a complete makeover, so she can put her best foot forward in celebration of Wooster's 200 years of history, of which she has witnessed the majority.  She is the Lorson House or the Fike House -- she answers to both names.

 

Standing on the southeast corner of Beall Avenue and High Street, the imposing brick edifice is the last of the great mansions that once stood along Beall Avenue. It is a throwback to the 19th century when the city's early movers and shakers built their homes along the thoroughfare that had started out as the dusty lane that ran from the downtown, uphill through the well-tended fields of Gen. Reasin Beall's farm, to his house on Bowman Street.

 

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/3279331

 

The-Daily-Record.com

Things looking 'Green'

Everything falling into place for opening of DiGiacomo Green

By BRYAN SCHAAF

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- A year ago, a local group announced plans to rejuvenate the site where the old DiGiacomo Building stood on East Liberty Street into a park-like green space.  By the end of the month, the parcel located at the corner of East Liberty Street and Pittsburgh Avenue will be completed.

 

On June 29 at 1:30 p.m., the DiGiacomo Green will officially be dedicated at a short ceremony, with a dinner following a Lamplighter's Hall.  "Everything came together so well," said Sandra Hull, executive director of Main Street Wooster and a member of the project committee. "This is really a celebration of our Italian community, and it's been a wonderful collaborative effort. You start something and you hope it falls together, and it all did."

 

Hull, along with Mindy Cavin, Daryl Decker, Bobbi Douglas, Fran Fuller, Ann Gasbarre, Judy Harland, Chuck Malta, Fritz Rabb, Jon Ulbright, Tony Yacapraro and DiGiacomo descendant Mary Lou Kerr, formed the committee that guided the effort, which will serve as a gateway to the downtown from the city's Italian district.  The DiGiacomo Building burned in a December 2001 fire, and the parcel has sat empty ever since.

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/3918901

any news on that large vacant industrial facility along 585?  I believe it may have been a Rubbermaid facility?

Are you referring to Rubbermaid?

any news on that large vacant industrial facility along 585? I believe it may have been a Rubbermaid facility?

 

It is Rubbermaid, and no, not really. Somebody owns it now and calls it the "Wooster Business Center" (IIRC) and the sign only lists that company and Rubbermaid as tenants. I believe they still use the back for shipping.

 

New look for city hall coming by end of year

July 15, 2008

By BRYAN SCHAAF

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- A little more than midway through the city's bicentennial festivities, City Council saw to it the home of Wooster's government wouldn't be left out of the celebration.  Council approved spending $110,000 from the Capital Improvements Fund for a non-structural renovation of the Municipal Building, located at 538 N. Market St., with hopes of recouping a portion of those costs through fundraising and private donations.

 

Mayor Bob Breneman presented council with renderings depicting a new concrete walkway, stairway, landscaping and exterior lighting in front of the 44-year-old facility, as well as a brick coloration that will darken the overall tone of the building.  "This is the center of the entity known as Wooster," Breneman said.  "It's our government home. Wouldn't it be nice to take City Hall and improve it to a condition we could all be proud of, and to do it as a bicentennial statement?"

 

The Municipal Building was built in 1964, replacing the former City Hall, which was located on Liberty Street on the site of the Embarq parking lot across from the Best Western Hotel.  Building Standards Manager Tim Monea and City Engineer Joel Montgomery came up with the new exterior design.  "We had a plan to do the exterior for a number of years," Monea said. "When we did the interior renovations about five years ago, we also looked at the exterior facade.  There were proposals to take every other column out, put drivet on the exterior and other elaborate plans, but we settled on the fact that we didn't want to change the building architecturally."

 

 

More at http://www.the-daily-record.com

And here's the big news coming out of Wooster. Definitely bittersweet. When I was a kid there were two independent downtown department stores; now there will soon be none.

 

 

Building to reopen with new lease on life

By BRYAN SCHAAF

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- The oldest independently owned downtown department store in the country, and one of most storied businesses in Wooster's 200-year history, will cease operations at the beginning of 2009.  Stanley Gault, owner of H. Freedlander Co., announced Tuesday the store would close after the holiday shopping season because there is not enough consumer demand to remain in business.

 

Freedlander's was started in 1884 when David Freedlander established a general merchandise store called the Buffalo One Price Clothing Store, which operated out of the building now known as Germania Hall on South Market Street.  Following David Freedlander's death in 1898, his son, Herman, managed the store for the next 76 years. Herman Freedlander's son, Harold, assumed ownership of the store following his father's death in 1974.

 

The store was purchased by a group of local investors in 1990, including James Basford, Joseph Benden, Buckeye Oil Producing Co., Mrs. R.K. Shoolroy, Donald Buehler, Eugene Buehler, Carolyn Dix, Ralph Jones, Leo J. Klise Jr., Mary Bell Klise, Donald Noble, Robert Polsky, Florence Shapiro, Samuel Shapiro, Albert Spector, Fred Heuchling, Joseph Retzler and Mary Alice Streeter, who ran the business until Gault's purchase in 1999.  The building was donated to the city in 1990.

 

 

 

New structure will have retail and living areas

By BRYAN SCHAAF

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- Ted Bogner called it a phoenix. Stanley Gault said it was "tremendously impressive."  Such was the general feeling about plans unveiled for a raze-and-rebuild project on the site where Freedlander's Department Store stands in downtown Wooster. 

 

Gault, owner of the H. Freedlander Co., announced on Tuesday the store would cease operations at the conclusion of the coming holiday season, and marveled at an artist's rendering from Medina-based Washington Properties to tear down the store and construct a 30,000-square-foot multi-use building in its place.

 

"The replacement proposal is just fantastic," Gault said. "Freedlander's is really a hodgepodge of buildings that have just been put together over the years. It can't be remodeled to put another structure in. (The rendering) offers retail spaces and condominiums above, while still maintaining the look of downtown Wooster."  Mike Rose, chief executive officer of Washington Properties, said the project, which will be known as Merchants Block, will consist of about 10,000 square feet of ground-level retail space and 10-12 market-rate lofts for purchase.

 

More at http://www.the-daily-record.com

that is shocking :( 

that is too bad, it was definitely a unique part of downtown Wooster.  However, the project planned to replace it could be a good thing as far as bringing more foot traffic to that area after normal business hours.

Wooster nevers seems to lack construction projects each year.

that is too bad, it was definitely a unique part of downtown Wooster. However, the project planned to replace it could be a good thing as far as bringing more foot traffic to that area after normal business hours.

 

Bittersweet indeed. A lot of people I know (who were around at the time) think Freedlander's killed itself when they blocked JC Penney from opening downtown.

 

Hopefully this construction will work well. They have a good record. I'm already working on my wish list of businesses!

what do you mean by Freedlander's "killing itself" by blocking JCPenney?  (I'm not familiar with the story)

what do you mean by Freedlander's "killing itself" by blocking JCPenney?  (I'm not familiar with the story)

 

According to the story, back in the 70s JC Penney wanted to build a store in downtown Wooster, and Freedlander's fought them tooth and nail. Twenty years later, Penney's ended up opening on the north end, with Elder Beerman and Kohl's. The idea is that Freedlander's didn't have to compete, and that's what led to their downfall. People like my parents who could afford to shop there on minimum wage in the 70s can't afford to shop there now even with a regular salary. Stuff like the bargain basement became a thing of the past. Opinion I guess, but it makes sense to me.

It also seems likely that the development of the north end in general diverted large numbers of shoppers and diners away from the downtown area.  Whenever I would go to the north end it always seemed fairly busy, while Liberty St. would often seem fairly quiet.

I have to wonder what historic treasures are hiding under the false facades; wholesale demolition may not be the best idea.

 

I have to wonder what historic treasures are hiding under the false facades; wholesale demolition may not be the best idea.

 

 

According to several posters on the DR article's comments page (not the best source, I know), the facades of the buildings were removed to put up the current exterior.

I never ever went to the North End when I lived in Wooster (other than to watch Steeler games at B-Dub's)

 

I always hated that all my young co-workers would spend all their time in the North End, but would never come into town for nice places like The Shack or P.J. McBurgerstein's (I always mess that name up) or Olde Jaol or the Greek place or Tulipan's Hungarian bakery or that really awesome coffeeshop by Tracy's Karate. 

From MyHometownOhio:

 

Two Losses, One Gain in Wooster

by Staff on Wed 06 Aug 2008 11:35 AM EDT

 

It was sad news recently in Wooster, with the news that one of Ohio’s last hometown department stores, Freedlander’s, will end operations at the end of 2008.

 

Department stores were a fixture of small to mid-sized Ohio towns as recently as 30 years ago -- places like Marting’s in Portsmouth; Reed’s in Mansfield, the Carlisle-Allen Company in Painesville -- and Wooster actually had two as recently as 15 years ago.  As this story in the Cleveland Leader points out, the stores’s demise is a product of the changing economy.  Freedlander’s had increasingly become dependent on out-of-town clientele, and was therefore very vunerable in an era of rising fuel prices.

 

Unfortunately, however, this was not the only loss announced that day.  The buildings that house Freedlander’s are the target of demolition and new construction, the end result being a new, giant “Merchants Block.”  According to a press release issued by Freedlander’s and placed on the Main Street Wooster website (click here), the decision to demolish was based on one local contractor’s assessment that the several period buildings that housed the department store were “patched together” and therefore needed to be removed.  The Main Street Wooster site also features a rendering of the proposed project.

 

Its too bad that more thought could not be given to preservation in this instance.  Washington Properties, the developer, has a good track record in renovation projects, many of which are in Downtown Wooster.  A very similar project in Kalamazoo, Michigan some years ago resulted in a better win-win for character and history.  There developers also faced a series of buildings that had been combined over the years to create the venerable Gilmore’s Department Store, but included preservation in the way that they treated their rebuilding project.

 

Its not a proposed project without some gain; reinvestment in any small Ohio downtown is notable and all too rare.  Plans for the new building show a structure which does show sensitivity to the massing and scale of surrounding buildings.  For a city with a rather mixed history with historic preservation, however, its an opportunity to create a strong win that also shows a sensitivity to local history.

 

http://myhometownohio.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/8/6/3827023.html

Both the article you posted and the Cleveland Leader article cited are very interesting. It appears from this site, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mikalama/kalamazoohistory2d.htm, that the Gilmore Bros. store was indeed demolished, though. My biggest beef with the demolition is that people are just accepting the whole thing at face value: not just the demolition, but also the closing. Much of what I've read indicates that it couldn't be saved; I just wish Woosterites were putting up a fight.

 

Heck, I even wish Stanley Gault would have tried to sell the store to someone who would attempt to make it competitive. That's the biggest problem. There's hardly been any marketing, and much of the clothing is for a much older demographic. There's hardly what would be called a "young men's" section, and I imagine its the same for juniors.

There was demolition at Gilmore's, however there was at least an attempt to retain the original building's facade in the new structure.

 

And I am always very, very careful when contractors hired by developers are the ones who claim that buildings cannot be saved.

I never ever went to the North End when I lived in Wooster (other than to watch Steeler games at B-Dub's)

 

I always hated that all my young co-workers would spend all their time in the North End, but would never come into town for nice places like The Shack or P.J. McBurgerstein's (I always mess that name up) or Olde Jaol or the Greek place or Tulipan's Hungarian bakery or that really awesome coffeeshop by Tracy's Karate.

 

I always hated that too, I was always trying to convince people to go to the more local places.  I don't remember Tracy's Karate so I'm not sure which of the coffeeshops you are talking about (Seattle's? Muddy Waters?), but Tulipan's, Matso's and CW Burgerstein's, along with South Market Bistro, were always some of my favorite places to go

There was demolition at Gilmore's, however there was at least an attempt to retain the original building's facade in the new structure.

 

And I am always very, very careful when contractors hired by developers are the ones who claim that buildings cannot be saved.

 

Thanks for the info. I'd be more suspicious too, except that Washington Properties has a pretty good record with renovating what downtown has. In fact, I would often comment to friends (in reference to the Freedlander building) "Boy, I bet he's just waiting to get his hands on this one."

I never ever went to the North End when I lived in Wooster (other than to watch Steeler games at B-Dub's)

 

I always hated that all my young co-workers would spend all their time in the North End, but would never come into town for nice places like The Shack or P.J. McBurgerstein's (I always mess that name up) or Olde Jaol or the Greek place or Tulipan's Hungarian bakery or that really awesome coffeeshop by Tracy's Karate.

 

I always hated that too, I was always trying to convince people to go to the more local places. I don't remember Tracy's Karate so I'm not sure which of the coffeeshops you are talking about (Seattle's? Muddy Waters?), but Tulipan's, Matso's and CW Burgerstein's, along with South Market Bistro, were always some of my favorite places to go

 

You'd think it would kill some of my friends to see a movie at the Big Picture. $4 admission, and sometimes they run buy one, get one free specials.

I hope this was a joke:

 

Downtown plan is lacking

 

Editor:

 

I would have preferred the new library building to have been built at the north end mall as that's where the people are. The old Lowe's building with all of that parking would have saved money and lowered levy requests.

 

Now I read (DR 7-31-08) of the plans to raze the Freedlander building and replace it with a strip mall with condominiums on its top floor.

 

Who do we think would invest their time and money to open these new stores and who will shop in them?

 

It's a disaster waiting to happen and you can bet all of our taxes will go up because of the tax incentives that will be given to this development.

 

Kingsbury Gardner

 

West Salem

 

 

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4215292

 

This one has me fired up enough that I might send in a response letter. :speech:

I never ever went to the North End when I lived in Wooster (other than to watch Steeler games at B-Dub's)

 

I always hated that all my young co-workers would spend all their time in the North End, but would never come into town for nice places like The Shack or P.J. McBurgerstein's (I always mess that name up) or Olde Jaol or the Greek place or Tulipan's Hungarian bakery or that really awesome coffeeshop by Tracy's Karate. 

 

I always hated that too, I was always trying to convince people to go to the more local places.  I don't remember Tracy's Karate so I'm not sure which of the coffeeshops you are talking about (Seattle's? Muddy Waters?), but Tulipan's, Matso's and CW Burgerstein's, along with South Market Bistro, were always some of my favorite places to go

 

Seattle's (not familiar with Muddy Waters)...

 

If you just graduated from College of Wooster... we were probably living only a couple blocks away... I used to live on College Ave. next to the Black Squirrel Inn back in 2005-6... I was working there for a little while after graduating from Penn State

 

 

I hope this was a joke:

 

Downtown plan is lacking

 

Editor:

 

I would have preferred the new library building to have been built at the north end mall as that's where the people are. The old Lowe's building with all of that parking would have saved money and lowered levy requests.

 

Now I read (DR 7-31-08) of the plans to raze the Freedlander building and replace it with a strip mall with condominiums on its top floor.

 

Who do we think would invest their time and money to open these new stores and who will shop in them?

 

It's a disaster waiting to happen and you can bet all of our taxes will go up because of the tax incentives that will be given to this development.

 

Kingsbury Gardner

 

West Salem

 

 

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4215292

 

This one has me fired up enough that I might send in a response letter. :speech:

 

what an idiotic letter!

(not familiar with Muddy Waters)...

 

It's in the basement of Liberty Commons.

I hope this was a joke:

 

Downtown plan is lacking

 

Editor:

 

I would have preferred the new library building to have been built at the north end mall as that's where the people are. The old Lowe's building with all of that parking would have saved money and lowered levy requests.

 

Now I read (DR 7-31-08) of the plans to raze the Freedlander building and replace it with a strip mall with condominiums on its top floor.

 

Who do we think would invest their time and money to open these new stores and who will shop in them?

 

It's a disaster waiting to happen and you can bet all of our taxes will go up because of the tax incentives that will be given to this development.

 

Kingsbury Gardner

 

West Salem

 

 

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4215292

 

This one has me fired up enough that I might send in a response letter. :speech:

 

what an idiotic letter!

 

Well, the writer just got owned - and I didn't even have to do it! :)

 

Big fan of downtown Wooster

 

Editor:

 

It is ironic the gentleman who wanted the new library at the north end doesn't even live in Wooster (DR 8/9/08). As a newcomer to Ohio from California (the epitome of malls and car-driven mentality), I was disappointed by my first entrance into town via "the north end."

 

Such offerings are everywhere you go these days -- the chain restaurants, chain stores, scattered out among huge (and confusing) parking lots where it is necessary, if not for self-defense, to drive the car from place to place to get more "stuff." Happily I can walk the downtown and all around the library, enjoying town square events, shopping, coffee on the patio, local restaurants, small bookstores, Buehler's, even churches and an historic courthouse -- a real sense of place.

 

And there are people who do walk to it from their homes as well. What a concept?

 

Peggy Guttieri

 

Wooster

 

 

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4270802

The-Daily-Record.com

Loft walk showcases new apartments in downtown

October 10, 2008

By RACHEL JACKSON

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- Put your walking shoes on.  It's time to explore some "lofty ideas."  A variety of new downtown apartments will be showcased during Main Street Wooster's third annual loft walk on Wednesday.  Liberty Market Properties will have 11 lofts open in three locations, and Gold Star Lofts will have one or two lofts open for viewing. Some of the apartments are occupied; others are still partly under construction. 

 

All lofts retain some original features of the structures, be they brick walls or floor-to-ceiling murals.  "I think many people would be very surprised with the revitalization that has been occurring," said Bill Erdos, who with Mike Rose owns Liberty Market Properties.

 

The downtown redevelopment pair will showcase nine new lofts above City Square Steakhouse as well, as one loft above the former Thomas' Deli and one loft above Broken Rocks Cafe & Bakery.  The new lofts feature "huge windows" and exposed, original brick walls, as well as modern stainless steel kitchens, Erdos said. Track lighting is used throughout the apartments.  "They have a very modern decor, a very urban, trendy kind of feel to them," Erdos said.

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4442337

 

 

The-Daily-Record.com

Historic transformation From founder's mansion to treatment facility, Lorson House is taking shape

October 11, 2008

By PAUL LOCHER

Staff Writer

 

 

WOOSTER -- Amid the clattering of hammers, the chiseling of steel into masonry and the rumbling of earth-moving machinery, the renovation of the Lorson House on lower Beall Avenue is racing toward completion.  The Italianate edifice, which has looked out over generations of the city from its tree-shaded knoll on the southeast corner of High Street, is in the process of getting a new lease on life as a residential treatment facility for the STEPS program. When completed, it will house as many as 16 men recovering from alcoholism.

 

The public will have a unique opportunity to tour the house at the start of the Christmas season as it gets decked out as Wooster's Holiday House. In an event designed to help cap off the city's bicentennial celebration, the house will be transformed into a holiday wonderland Dec. 3-7 by a variety of furniture and decorating concerns.

 

But for now, work within the red brick walls that have ties to such prominent early Wooster families as the Bealls, Spinks and Quinbys continues. A recent afternoon found the interior bustling with tradesmen of every description as the project moves toward its pre-Thanksgiving completion date.  Bobbi Douglas, director of STEPS, said the work involved in bringing the 5,600-square-foot mansion from its near 19th-century condition up to the standards and codes has been daunting.

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4443114

The-Daily-Record.com

Apartments appeal to loft visitors

October 17, 2008

By LINDA HALL

Staff Writer

 

 

WOOSTER -- Loft tourists got a taste of the good life Wednesday evening -- the one that can be lived in an "urban" setting with shopping, dining and culture just below them on Liberty and South Market streets.  Main Street Wooster's third annual Loft Walk opened the doors to a lifestyle lived above the city. It is how Jerri Lynn Leckrone and Vera Yardley have chosen to live in downtown third-floor apartments.

 

Tom and Pamela Martin took the tour for the third time.  "(The apartments) are really interesting to see," Tom Martin said. "I enjoy seeing the architectural restoration of old buildings."  He was particularly interested in what he described as the "ballroom" in the former meeting rooms of a local chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows above the South Market Bistro and Moorefield Pottery.

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4446724

Wooster bicentennial marker dedication is Monday

 

By PAUL LOCHER

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- The final event in the city's year-long bicentennial celebration -- the formal public dedication of the Wooster Legacy Monument in Schellin Park -- will take place Monday at 12:30 p.m.  The monument, located along South Bever Street, just south of the railroad bridge, is designed to speak to Wooster's past, where the city is today, and what its hopes are for the future.  It's park-like setting is designed as a contemplative spot where residents can reflect on the history of the city, and the events and people who have shaped it, and consider its vision for the future.

 

Members of the Wooster Bicentennial Steering Committee say the monument occupies the perfect geographical spot, being located within a stone's throw of the intersection of the major Indian trails that crossed the Ohio country and which ultimately led the first settlers into the region; the site of a massacre that occurred in 1790 in which 16 marauding Indians were killed by 30 frontiersmen who had pursued them from Pennsylvania for attacking a settlement; the site of the Delaware tribe's Beaver Hat Town; and an apple orchard which had been planted by Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman.

 

The monument consists of an elevated circular granite slab engraved with the city's bicentennial logo, which is surrounded by six posts veneered with cut sandstone, of the type typically used in the foundations and walls of early barns and houses in the area.  Each one of the posts holds an engraved granite tablet that tells part of the story of the city's colorful past.  A seventh post, shorter than the others, holds a tablet with the names of key sponsors of the bicentennial celebration.

 

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4494325

City administrators marvel at state of Greyhound's former stop

 

By BRYAN SCHAAF

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- When Bill Erdos looks at his newest renovation project in downtown Wooster, even he has to stop and marvel at the drastic change the former Greyhound bus station on South Market Street has undergone.  Nearly condemned before he purchased it about two years ago, the building, which city officials estimate dates back to the 1870s, has been given a new lease on life, with a fresh facade and rebuilt interior awaiting some type of retail tenant on the first floor and offices and one loft apartment upstairs.

 

The 1,750-square-foot facility, known as the "Saal" building, was awarded a 12-year, 100 percent tax abatement from the city in 2007 on all new construction completed.  That work included digging out the original 4-foot dirt-floor basement to make it a usable space, gutting the first floor to expose the original brick work, sandblasting and repainting the exterior cast iron facade and refurbishing at least a portion of the original tin ceiling.

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4584940

 

Here's an update from April on the Freedlander's project.

 

 

Council acts on legislation to move forward with Freedlander's demolition

 

By BRYAN SCHAAF

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- Each day the Freedlander Department Store sits vacant is another day building owners Wooster Growth Corp. are liable, and therefore, should come down sooner rather than later.  After seeing no viable alternatives for a building reuse, the city's governing body approved the advertising of bids for the demolition of the famous downtown store, which closed at the end of February after 125 years in business. 

 

"When I opened up the packet and saw this, I thought, 'Wow, I'm in charge of demolishing an icon in downtown Wooster,'" said Councilman Jon Ulbright, D-at large, who introduced the legislation. "That's how people viewed Freedlander's, and for someone from Navarre to do this, ... I didn't approach this in a quick way."  Ulbright said he intended to keep the legislation on first reading to gather feedback from the community about whether the building should be demolished, but following a presentation from Mike Sigg, director of administration, outlining the pros and cons of demolition, the body decided to push the legislation forward.

 

In his presentation, Sigg briefed council on how the building came under the ownership of Wooster Growth Corp. in the late 1980s, which has earned $1 a year in rent from Freedlander's initial investment group that purchased the store from the Harold Freedlander family, and later Stanley Gault, who took over sole ownership in 1999.  Gault announced last summer the store would close following the 2009 holiday shopping season.

 

Full story at http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4563825

One interesting thing I always remembered....my parents told me that, for a time, when you bought something at Freedlanders your change came not from the cashier at the register, but  through a system of tubes that originated from upstairs.

Wow, that Saal Building is stunning.  Fantastic job.

Sale closed Freedlander title transferred to Merchants Block for development

 

December 3, 2010

By STEVE HUSZAI

 

 

WOOSTER -- After months of work and negotiations, the sale of the former Freedlander site closed Tuesday.

 

"It's all on Mike Rose now," said Law Director Richard Benson, as the title transferred from the Wooster Growth Corp. to Merchants Block, making way for the Merchants Block development.

 

The Merchants Block project is a residential/commercial development led by Rose of Washington Properties.

 

The purchase contract for the site was completed days after Wooster Growth finished a re-plat of the 125 W. Liberty St. address. The re-plat allowed for creation of a public parking lot and handed the shared western wall of the Nick Amster building, owned by Wayne County, completely over to the county.

 

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4941746

 

 

http://www.washingtonpropertiesinc.com/portfolio_home/portfolio_home_view.aspx?UID=44f2d99f-c8de-492d-bf72-8ddcd0f6f564

Here are a few new places opening or expanding in downtown Wooster...

 

The South Market Street project is being developed by Bill Erdos of the Coyote Group. This project will take the former Interfaith building and St. Paul's to turn into a 10-room hotel and a 24-hour fitness center, valued at an estimated $1.86 million.

 

Source: http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4893016

 

A new downtown kitchen store: http://www.todayskitchenstore.com/

 

Wooster City Council has cleared the way for a major expansion of a significant downtown business.

 

During its Nov. 15 meeting, council unanimously approved the vacation of an alley between two properties owned by Sprenger Wayne Ltd., Co. The action will enable Horn Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which is part of the Sprenger organization, to undertake a major expansion of its downtown facility.

 

Source: http://gmstage.sx.atl.publicus.com/article/20101126/NEWS/711269988/-1/wwn24

 

One of Wooster’s historical buildings has come a long way from its roots as a gas station and tire shop. When the former Albright Radiator building on the corner of South Market and Henry Street went up for auction, V.M. Roman thought it would make a great restaurant. “I liked the look of the building,” he said. “I had seen something like it way back and decided maybe I should try that.” The resulting restaurant, named The Henry Station, opened its doors Aug. 24 of this year.

Source: http://gmstage.sx.atl.publicus.com/article/20101113/FEATURES/711139904/-1/wwn20

 

Wooster’s Muddy Waters Café and Grille has a new look, a new location, and a new menu to go along with the same great coffee they’ve always had. The former coffee shop is now a full-fledged restaurant, serving three meals a day, seven days a week.

Source: http://gmstage.sx.atl.publicus.com/article/20101120/NEWS/711209921/-1/wwn24

 

 

The St. Paul Hotel project on S. Market street is very close to opening. Also, the groundbreaking for the Merchant's Block project on the site of the former Freedlander's Department Store on Liberty St. happened last week.

The Merchant's Block development is really taking shape as you can see from the before and after pictures.

 

Downtown Wooster is doing incredibly well for the cards it has been dealt the past decade. There's hardly an empty storefront downtown, and quite an assortment of high end dining options. A recent Saturday night excursion found long waits at all downtown restaurants. The number of boutiques and coffee shops has also jumped in recent years as well as the number of loft apartments. So many Ohio towns would kill to have the success Wooster has had recently in its downtown transformation.

 

 

yeah, my girlfriend lives in one of the lofts on the square.  I've watched that new development happening form the beginning and it looks great.  They're going to open up dat froyo in one of the storefronts.

Wow.

I just did some work i Wooster and was very impressed with the downtown. Very functional, clean, alive, and diverse. It can serve as a model. I was impressed to say the least.

That's utterly fantastic. When my parents were able to get out and about, they would often to go to Wooster for the Ohio Light Opera, which is part of the College of Wooster.

 

This is great to see from a small Ohio town.

My wife and I love the Ohio Light Opera.  And we can't say enough good things about the Market Street Inn bed and breakfast and South Market Bistro restaurant.

That's utterly fantastic. When my parents were able to get out and about, they would often to go to Wooster for the Ohio Light Opera, which is part of the College of Wooster.

 

This is great to see from a small Ohio town.

 

Don't know if I'd call Wooster a small town.  It's population is over 26,000.  How about medium sized?

Don't know if I'd call Wooster a small town.  It's population is over 26,000.  How about medium sized?

 

How about not. Do we really want to derail this thread with a debate about the size of a town?

Many towns with larger populations than Wooster cannot sustain downtowns, either.

Here are pictures of some completed loft conversions that took place a few years ago on the square in Downtown Wooster. Exposed brick galore! I don't think many would expect to see these kinds of apartments there.

 

 

 

 

Ohio State University committee approves building $33.5M lab, 'bug zoo'

 

Ohio State University wants to build an entomology lab complete with a "bug zoo" on its Wooster campus.

 

At a meeting Thursday morning, the Board of Trustees' Master Planning and Facilities committee approved construction at Ohio State's Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster.

 

The building will house public space, terrariums, a cafe, a pollinator garden, insects, multipurpose rooms and labs.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/08/30/ohio-state-university-committee-approves-building.html