August 12, 200915 yr Ro-Na roof plans start to take shape By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, June 23, 2009 IRONTON — Following decades of neglect and a few months of indecision, downtown Ironton’s Ro-Na Theatre is on track for its much-anticipated makeover.
August 12, 200915 yr Depot Square gets $500k jump start By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, June 4, 2009 IRONTON — Downtown’s Depot Square has received a half-million dollar shot in the arm towards the reconstruction of a historic landmark.
August 12, 200915 yr Abandonments receive new life in Ironton Ironton, Ohio, a former industrial community along the banks of the Ohio River, was once teeming with coke plants, iron mills, furnace manufacturers and cement plants, supported by a hardy downtown district and well manicured residential neighborhoods. The Ironton-Russell Bridge tethered the community to Kentucky, and the U.S. Route 52 expressway allowed the city to gain cross-traffic exposure. Carlyle Labold Tile and Brick, before: After: But the industrial giants that anchored the prosperous city of 16,500 died off, one after another, during the 1970s and 1980s that had a devastating effect on the community. Today, Ironton's hopes are looking a bit more promising. Memorial Hall, the long-abandoned Ro-Na Theater, in the heart of downtown, are both seeing life and now the neglected St. Lawrence O’Toole Catholic School is being restored into an assisted living facility. Elsewhere, Ironton's historic high school is being rebuilt to serve another generation, and an industrial park developed on an old Semet-Solvay plant is gathering tenants. Memorial Hall, before: After: While the heyday of industry in Ironton may long be over, it does not mean that the city has given up and called it quits. You may be looking at one of the brightest periods in the city's history. You can read the full blog entry at Abandonments receive new life in Ironton at Abandoned. You can keep up with the latest updates as well on our Facebook profile and you can find me tweeting about various abandonments on Twitter. Ironton's High School, before: After:
August 13, 200915 yr Great stuff; I like Ironton and wish it well. The new high school looks sympathetic to the remaining entrance, but the new porch is a bit awkward and lacking detail.
September 2, 200915 yr Progress vs. Preservation Archeologists excavating at The Point By Benita Heath, The Tribune, August 22, 2009 SOUTH POINT — An old man sits along the banks of the Ohio River, near the spot everyone calls Virginia Point. His skin tanned tawny leather by the sun, he dangles a fishing pole into the muddy water, waiting patiently for a hungry fish to beckon. There’s nothing about the scene that would make a passerby look twice on a sunny day, except for maybe one thing. That fishing pole isn’t a sleek Bass Pro, not even a makeshift metal rod. It’s just a couple of branches woven together. An odd sight nowadays. But, wait, look again. Look at the lean-tos dotting the grass behind him. The clothes. The deer hide dangling over a fire pit. This isn’t 2009. It’s circa 3,000 B.C. or 5,000 years ago. See the article for the remainder.
October 4, 200915 yr Full vote to partially fund the restoration of the roof on the historic Ro-Na Theater comes in a few days: http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=481 (last paragraph)
October 8, 200915 yr OUS fall enrollment tops 2,000 By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, October 7, 2009 IRONTON — A combination of a stagnant economy and aggressive marketing and recruitment has seen Ohio University Southern pass the 2,000 student enrollment mark for the 2009 fall quarter. 2009: 2,073 students 2008: 1,831
October 31, 200915 yr City council approves roof construction for Ro-Na By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, October 29, 2009 IRONTON — Ironton City Council on Tuesday approved appropriating up to $98,682 for the installation of the new roof for the historic Ro-Na Theater. Proctorville-based FairFax, Inc. construction company was the low-bidder for the project.
November 16, 200915 yr Ro-Na fundraiser showcases wide range of possible entertainment By Jim Sullivan, The Tribune, November 14, 2009 IRONTON — It was like closing your eyes and taking a step back in time — at least for three hours. For the first time since the city of Ironton acquired downtown’s historic Ro-Na Theater in 2008, supporters got to see first hand the types of entertainment acts and variety performances that could fill its seats to capacity when it finally becomes restored and operational.
December 13, 200915 yr Lofts project gets boost City gets state historic preservation tax credit By Teresa Moore, The Tribune, December 11, 2009 The project to renovate the rear portion of the former Guy’s Floor Covering building into a transit terminal and loft apartments took a step forward Thursday. Ohio Director of Development Lisa Patt-McDaniel announced the Ironton Lofts project had gotten a state historic preservation tax credit of up to $1.9 million.
December 17, 200915 yr City seeking $2 million from state for Ro-Na Governor support directly sought By Benita Heath, The Tribune, December 16, 2009 It won’t be your typical holiday card. But city and county leaders hope it will bring a special Christmas gift back to Ironton. The Ironton city administration wants to hand-deliver a letter to Gov. Ted. Strickland and area representatives asking that $2 million be allocated in Ohio’s budget legislation for the restoration of the historic Ro-Na Theatre project.
December 20, 200915 yr Progress continues at new Ironton High School By Lori Kersey, Ironton Tribune, December 17, 2009 Progress on the new Ironton High School is coming along. Construction crews are on target to meet their goal of having the school ready to open by the fall of 2010. Construction began in early July after most of the building was torn down. The new school is being built around the entryway of the old school, which was saved from demolition.
January 4, 201015 yr MAKING PLANS FOR 2010 County, city officials look forward to what future holds By Lori Kersey, The Tribune, January 2, 2010 Development. New businesses. An improved downtown Ironton. These are just some of the items that made the list of things Lawrence County and Ironton officials are looking forward to in 2010.
January 9, 201015 yr Progress in Ironton, Ohio The Ro-Na Theater opened in 1949 in downtown Ironton, Ohio, and featured intricate murals of local history along with first-run movies before closing and becoming an auto parts store. It was abandoned in the 1980s and is now being restored. Work began on removing the roof in mid-July 2009 in preparation for its replacement. A fundraising group kicked off a drive to raise $200,000 in donations to complete this phase of its restoration, and donations poured in from not only local contractors and out-of-town businesses, but from the city, who contributed a large amount. The roof is now in the process of being removed as part of phase one of the restoration. Click through to read more about the Ro-Na Theater and its history. Ironton's High School, which opened in ...., was demolished in late 2007 for a replacement. The front and side entrance was saved and reused during the project, which is concluding. You can find more interior photographs and history by clicking through. October 7, 2007 August 9, 2008 November 2, 2008 July 30, 2009 October 19, 2009 December 29, 2009 Enjoy this slice of Ironton's history!
January 9, 201015 yr Holy sh!t, does that high school look good. I love how they kept the original styling and merged it with modern materials and designs. I wish more places would do that kind of rebuilding.
January 9, 201015 yr After the years of controversy regarding the demolition/preservation of Ironton High School, I'd say the final product turned out mighty fine. Most people here at UO advocate for keeping an entire building for renovation, myself included. But Ironton's partial preservation / new construction approach certainly looks great. Thanks for the update.
January 9, 201015 yr Mixed feelings on the Ironton High School "solution." The new construction does blend in nicely -- but getting rid of such outstanding architecture is unfortunate. If Warren Harding's end product was a "2" on a 1 to 10 scale (which is being generous), we have moved up to a high 3/low 4 here. On the other hand, the renovated Bucyrus High School (now Bucyrus Elementary), just opened, is about as close to a "10" as you can get.
January 9, 201015 yr Wow! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 9, 201015 yr آNo kidding. It's great to see such good news in a town well-known for its economic decline.
January 10, 201015 yr I still have yet to post news on the new Ironton Lofts project, the waterworks development (water splash area) and the proposed linear Farmer's Market next the historic depot (now a GOOOD restaurant). Anyone want to do an Ironton UO meet? :D What irks me a bit is that while the old building was symmetrical and rather stubby, the new building isn't. It has an extra bay of windows to the southeast. Ruins my compositions.
April 27, 201015 yr Fundraisers, community supporting sprayground Memorial holiday opening sought By Lori Kersey, The Tribune, April 26, 2010 As Memorial Day draws near, the Friends of Ironton sprayground project is well on its way to being completed. The water playground is scheduled to have a grand opening just after the Memorial Day parade ends. “It’s coming along,” Rick McKnight, vice president of the Friends, said. “We’ve got it graded.” Plumbers were scheduled to work on the site over the weekend. Several community organizations and individuals have helped support the project.
May 11, 201015 yr In with the new IHS to present musical at new auditorium By Lori Kersey, The Tribune, May 10, 2010 Ironton High School students are gearing up for their annual musical that will become part of history this year. This year’s show, “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” is slated for May 14, 15, and 16. “It’s a comedy and it has lot of musical numbers,” Director Kathryn Price said. “I think (people) are going to be amazed at how well the students do, both the cast and the crew.” The musical is about the adventures of a window washer who follows the business advice he finds in a book.
December 27, 20204 yr It's finally good to revisit Ironton, a rough downtown with a strong residential district. Repairs to rehabilitate the Brumberg Building at S. Third and Vernon Streets began in August 2020. The project will include two-bedroom apartments in this structure and the neighboring Berg Building on S. 2nd Street. The c. 1906 Marlowe Theatre at S. Third and Park Streets appears to be undergoing rehabilitation as well. The former deep brown brick facade covering the first floor storefront at the corner is now removed, covered in weatherproofing fo the time being. I can't find any information about the project. Edited December 27, 20204 yr by seicer
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