October 6, 200717 yr River Valley’s final service By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, October 5, 2007 The former River Valley hospital in Ironton will have a final service before it is razed to make way for new housing.
October 8, 200717 yr River Valley Hospital in Ironton, Ohio will soon be demolished, but not after a celebration that includes dinner. The hospital closed several years ago after financial troubles, and the facility remained vacant with most of the equipment intact. Years of decay and mold, however, have put it out-of-reach to all but security, and after reuse hopes all but diminished, the three story structure will soon be another piece of Ironton's history. River Valley had planned for several expansions in early 2000, and some of these plans had actually begun before the hospital was closed on January 31, 2001. If you peer through the windows today, you will see several wings that are under construction, with tools and equipment laying about. The gift shop holds copiers, chairs, and equipment, all ruined under a nice coat of black mold and grime. Elsewhere, water intrudes in the lower lying reaches of the facility, although the electricity is still on. You can view the full article of its future demolition here and view the full history with photographs here. Back entrance Front entrance Elsewhere, work has begun on the demolition of the Ironton High School. Window air conditioning units have been removed, the trees have been trimmed (hopefully not for total removal), and some connectors have already been razed. See some interior pics in the thread I posted at UrbanOhio here and see some new ones I posted here. I've also uploaded some new historical background regarding the school here, although I will make more trips to find additional sources soon.
October 15, 200717 yr Hundreds bid farewell to hospital By Kenneth Hart, The Independent, October 15, 2007 See also: Photo thread | @ Abandoned IRONTON — Several hundred gathered Sunday to bid a fond farewell to a beloved community institution. The event was billed as “A Service of Thanksgiving” for the now-closed medical center known as River Valley Health Systems, and before that, as Lawrence County General Hospital.
November 30, 200717 yr Cleanup of Ironton Iron set to begin By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, November 29, 2007 After four years, a groundbreaking is scheduled at the old Ironton Iron site on Friday to get a cleanup under way. Outgoing Mayor John Elam calls getting the site to the point where it can be remediated a labor of love. It is one that he started soon after taking office.
December 1, 200717 yr Ironton landmarks up for National Register By Benita Heath, Ironton Tribune, November 30, 2007 ^ The Brumberg Building, above, and the former Marlow Theatre building are two of nine structures the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board is reviewing to see if they meet the criteria to be listed on the National Register.
December 2, 200717 yr Historic buildings approved By Benita Heath, Ironton Tribune, December 1, 2007 Two historic commercial architectural landmarks in Ironton’s downtown district are a step closer to being placed on the National Register.
December 10, 200717 yr School construction to be complete in 2009 By Teresa Moore, Ironton Tribune, December 8, 2007 Only a few months ago, it looked like any other open field. But where grass once grew, the foundations of the new Ironton elementary and middle schools are starting to take shape. Demolition work is also continuing at the high school in preparing there for the construction of the new facility there.
December 14, 200717 yr City gets funding for downtown plan By Michael Caldwell, Ironton Tribune, December 13, 2007 The City of Ironton’s plans to revitalize its downtown will get a big lift today — in the form of a $400,000 grant — from the Ohio Department of Development.
December 15, 200717 yr Grant money to focus on downtown upgrades By Mark Shaffer, Ironton Tribune, December 14, 2007 On Thursday, Mayor Rich Blankenship made it official: Ironton is getting a $400,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development to improve the downtown area. “It is going to benefit downtown greatly,” Blankenship said. “Along with the America in Bloom project, it is going to make downtown look much better. I’m excited for this.”
December 16, 200717 yr Officials optimistic about future of downtown By Mark Shaffer, Ironton Tribune, December 15, 2007 It’s an ambitious undertaking, to revitalize a downtown that has a lot of memories for its citizens of what it used to be.
January 7, 200817 yr Ro-Na Theater could be reopened By David E. Malloy, Herald-Dispatch, January 6, 2008 IRONTON — The former Ro-Na Theater building in downtown Ironton could become a theater again and possibly a performing arts center if grant funding can be found. Plans are in the works to donate the building on South 3rd Street to the city of Ironton.
January 14, 200817 yr Group wants Ironton to be showplace What can a single pot of flowers do? By Mark Shaffer, Ironton Tribune, January 12, 2008 Maybe not a lot, but multiply that single pot by hundreds of containers. Imagine an ocean of vibrant, colorful blooms from one side of Ironton to the other.
January 23, 200817 yr Ironton schools coming down By Benita Heath, Ironton Tribune, January 21, 2008 It was 1922 — a year of firsts. The seal of King Tut’s tomb was broken. The first edition of Reader’s Digest hit the news stands. Columbus’s own Mary Katherine Campbell became the first high school graduate to become Miss America. The Hollywood Bowl opened. And so did Ironton High School.
January 25, 200817 yr Hospital demolition contract awarded By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, January 24, 2008 The Ironton Port Authority has awarded a contract to begin demolition of the former River Valley Hospital. During a public meeting on Wednesday morning, the IPA awarded the contract to the Michigan-based firm J&L Management. The contract amount is $675,000 for asbestos abatement and demolition of the building.
February 3, 200817 yr J&M Steel is closer to expanding By Benita Heath, The Ironton Tribune, February 3, 2008 J&M Steel is one step closer to receiving funding that it can put towards expansion of its machine fabrication and steel warehousing business.
February 22, 200817 yr Public gets look at downtown plans By Benita Heath, The Ironton Tribune, February 20, 2008 Now that the concept for the downtown revitalization project is known, it’s time to fine tune it so it can become a viable and utilized Depot Square. That was the purpose of Tuesday’s meeting where the public had a chance to listen to the planners give their explanations for their proposals. Then the planners listened to the public on whether or not they liked what they heard.
February 27, 200817 yr Concrete removal under way By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, February 26, 2008 Anyone driving down South Third Street during the day may have heard a rhythmic thump. It’s not a band practicing, but rather the first step of the third phase of getting the old Intermet/Ironton Iron industrial site cleaned up for commercial development.
March 9, 200817 yr Courthouse getting face lift By Teresa Moore, The Ironton Tribune, March 8, 2008 ^Inner dome. Tami Meade recalled how, one day, as a little girl, she was riding in the car with her mother when she spied the Lawrence County Courthouse. Sitting majestically on its lawn, its dome like a crown above a sea of aged beige stones, Meade was instantly and permanently impressed. “I said, ‘Oh, that’s where I want to work someday,’” she mused.
April 13, 200817 yr Are you serious??? The property is located adjacent to a long-abandoned cement plant (Alpha Portland), and the creek itself is not of high scenic quality. On the next hill over, there are random scatterings of trailers and vacant lots. The economy is not as depressed as it once was for Ironton/Coal Grove, but it's not exactly a wealthy region -- especially in this specific locale. Gated community coming to Coal Grove By Mark Shaffer, Ironton Tribune, April 10, 2008 COAL GROVE — A California development company is building a gated community along the Ohio River in Coal Grove. And according to its research, the company said the development — called Limestone Community — is the first of its kind in Lawrence County and possibly the area.
May 19, 200817 yr I was born in Ironton, lived there until '89. I would love to see this city turn around.
May 22, 200817 yr Memorial Hall @ Abandoned City looks at new roof for Ro-Na By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, May 21, 2008 The Public Utility Committee of the Ironton City Council established four goals on Thursday. It wants to get a roof on the old Ro-Na theater before the fall rains, demolish Memorial Hall before the end of the year, get new billing software for the Water Department and get radio-read devices on all of the city water taps.
May 31, 200817 yr City hopes to market property By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, May 28, 2008 With a lot of clanking and dust, the work continues on the old Ironton Iron site on South Third Street. Bill Gibson, the job foreman and a contractor working for SRW Environmental Services, Inc, said the project was going forward slowly but steadily.
May 31, 200817 yr Funding to boost hospital project By Michael Caldwell, The Ironton Tribune, May 30, 2008 Plans to build a new hospital in Lawrence County took a big step forward this week, but the project is not quite as close to reality as initial reports may have indicated.
June 7, 200817 yr More information: Memorial Hall history at Abandoned City looks to save Ro-Na By Mark Shaffer, Ironton Tribune, June 6, 2008 The city of Ironton will be pursuing grants to save the Ro-Na Theater and to demolish Memorial Hall and perhaps turn the former city building into a park.
June 11, 200817 yr Ironton plans to renovate old theater By David E. Malloy, Herald-Dispatch, June 10, 2008 IRONTON — When it opened in 1949, the Ro-Na Theater in downtown Ironton was billed as Ohio’s finest theater.
June 11, 200817 yr River Valley demolition on schedule By Teresa Moore, Ironton Tribune, June 7, 2008 The demolition of the old River Valley Hospital should begin within the next couple of months, officials working on the project said this week.
June 11, 200817 yr ^Posted three articles today. Efforts under way to fix tank stadium By Mark Shaffer, Ironton Tribune, June 10, 2008 The kickoff for fixing up Tank Stadium is now under way. On Friday, the Liebert Corp. donated $10,000 to Tank Memorial Stadium Fund, Inc., a non-profit local organization with a goal of raising enough funds to update the 1926 stadium.
June 26, 200816 yr Memorial Hall ideas discussed By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, Tuesday, June 24, 2008 The fate of Memorial Hall is still up in the air. At a forum on Monday, city officials and members of the public met to discuss the future of Memorial Hall.
June 27, 200816 yr City eyes engineer for Ro-Na By Mark Shaffer, Ironton Tribune, June 26, 2008 An ordinance on tonight’s Ironton City Council agenda is for the city to decide if it wants to hire an engineer to review the city’s Ro-Na Theater property.
June 28, 200816 yr Council to begin review, cleanup of Ro-Na By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, June 27, 2008 The Ironton City Council is getting the ball rolling on renovating the old Ro-Na Theater. On Thursday, council voted unanimously to hire an engineer to conduct a structural report on the condition of the old building. The cost is $10,500 and the report is to be done by E.L. Robinson Engineering Inc.. The report would include a visual inspection of the inside and outside of the building and make recommendations for repairs.
August 4, 200816 yr Check out the photographs for the beautiful murals!! Sale to benefit Ro-Na Theater restoration City leaders hope to convert area into center for the arts By Kenneth Hart, The Independent, July 31, 2008 IRONTON — A community organization in Ironton will host a white elephant sale on Saturday to raise money for the revival of a historic old movie theater.
August 11, 200816 yr Architect talks about possible building uses Ironton’s Memorial Hall has been the subject of community meetings as the city decides what does to the property. By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, July 29, 2008 In the second community meeting about what to do with the old Memorial Hall covered the same ground as before, just with a few more details.
August 11, 200816 yr Community rallies for Ro-Na Ironton City Council member Frank Murphy displays some of the donated items for a White Elephant sale that will benefit the renovation of the Ro-Na theater. The sale will be Saturday starting at 9 a.m. By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, July 31, 2008 In the market for a dining room set? Need some dishes? How about a piano? Those are just some of the goods that are pouring in for the White Elephant sale to help renovate the old Ro-Na theater building.
September 8, 200816 yr Click for a fantastic image of the interior!! Tri-State Trades pitch in on Ro-Na By Rick Greene, The Ironton Tribune, September 7, 2008 The city got a shot in the arm Friday with its efforts to restore the former Ro-Na Theater when the Tri-State Building and Construction Trades Council offered some free help.
September 9, 200816 yr Courthouse celebration next Saturday By Teresa Moore, The Ironton Tribune, September 7, 2008 She looks good for 100, that grand old lady who, on her knoll, appears almost to preside over the city of Ironton. On Saturday, her friends will throw her a party and show off just how well she has aged.
September 9, 200816 yr Mayor doesn’t want to rush Memorial Hall decision By Rick Greene, The Ironton Tribune, August 29, 2008 Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship said he does not want the city to rush into any decisions on Memorial Hall based on information about tax credits he obtained from the Ohio Department of Development. -- And earlier... Memorial Hall debate intensifies By Rick Greene, The Ironton Tribune, August 15, 2008 At the end of Thursday’s Ironton City Council meeting when it appeared things were winding down, something was about to get heated up.
September 22, 200816 yr New medical facility step toward hospital St. Mary’s, partners announce site on SR 141 Ironton Tribune, September 17, 2008 IRONTON — New medical facility step toward hospital St. Mary’s, partners announce site Lawrence County’s dreams of having a hospital to call its own took a big step toward becoming a reality Wednesday.
October 17, 200816 yr Progress being made at Ironton schools By Teresa Moore, The Tribune, October 14, 2008 Robert Workman of Wheelersburg stopped his truck at the edge of the new Ironton High School construction site and snapped a quick photograph. “I went here from 1938 to 1942,” he explained, glancing at what is left of the old high school and the new facility being built around it.
November 25, 200816 yr Vets to take shot at Memorial Hall By Rick Greene, The Tribune, November 25, 2008 Ironton City Council hopes Monday night was the first step in what might be a solution for its dilemma with Memorial Hall. And that solution might come one dollar at a time.
December 14, 200816 yr Memorial Hall to be stabilized for safety By Rick Greene, The Tribune, December 12, 2008 Memorial Hall is falling down. Literally.
December 25, 200816 yr Asbestos removed from Memorial Hall interior By Rick Greene, The Tribune, December 20, 2008 Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship said work is continuing on the stabilization of Memorial Hall and asbestos has been removed from the building’s interior.
April 15, 200916 yr City permitted to fund Ro-Na roof By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, April 10, 2009 IRONTON — The city was given the green light to pay for the reconstruction of the dilapidated Ro-Na Theatre roof after receiving a legal opinion that monies from a specific city fund could be used for construction.
June 2, 200916 yr Delays, lack of funds hamper SprayGround By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, May 29, 2009 IRONTON — Design delays along with lulls in utility clearances and fundraising efforts have the proposed water SprayGround in downtown Ironton feeling a little parched.
August 12, 200915 yr Festival to raise funds for Memorial Hall By Benita Heath, The Tribune, August 1, 2009 It is all a part of bringing one of the grande dames of downtown Ironton back to her former glory. That’s the mission of the first fund-raiser set to help bring in money to go toward restoring Memorial Hall.
August 12, 200915 yr Ro-Na fundraising campaign kicks off Steering Committee hopes to raise nearly $200,000 in donations to complete phase one By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, July 31, 2009 IRONTON — The long, yet much anticipated road to restore downtown’s Ro-Na Theatre back to her past glories took a significant step in recent days.
August 12, 200915 yr Ground broken on assisted living facility Close to Home III to create 30 new jobs By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, July 25, 2009 IRONTON — If historic, yet abandoned buildings could show facial expressions, a smile as large as Center Street would have come from the St. Lawrence O’Toole Community Center on Friday. The long-vacant building, which sat unused for more than 20 years, got a new lease on life when ground was broken on its rehabilitation as the new address for Close to Home III, Ironton’s soon-to-be only assisted-living facility.
August 12, 200915 yr Assisted living facility to break ground Ohio Department of Development awarded the City of Ironton a $500,000 grant to assist in rehabilitating St. Lawrence O’Toole Community Center By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, July 23, 2009 IRONTON — The group planning to rehabilitate the long-vacant St. Lawrence O’Toole Community Center into an assisted-living facility will hold its ceremonial groundbreaking Friday. The event, scheduled for 3 p.m., comes nearly five years after developers first announced their intentions for the century-old building.
August 12, 200915 yr City leaders look ahead at projects Mayor sets priorities to reboot Ironton’s economy By Amanda White, The Tribune, July 18, 2009 (Editor's note: This is the first of a four-part series looking at the priorities set by Ironton leaders.) Ironton is a river town that met its glory days when the pig iron industry was booming. Now, over a century after the collapse of the industry and, consequently, Ironton’s flourishing economic climate, Mayor Rich Blankenship is hoping to resurrect the glory days and make the city thrive again.
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