Lorain Eagles building could see second life

LORAIN — The defunct Eagles Building could be getting a second chance. The Fraternal Order of Eagles building, 575 Broadway, has sat empty for years after hosting the group, bars and storefronts for more than half a century. But outgoing Councilman Dennis Flores, D-Ward 2, is hoping to bring a chapter of the civic group back. The Fraternal Order of Eagles is an international nonprofit founded in the late 1800s. The building on Broadway housed Lorain's chapter, Eagles Lodge Aerie 343, when it was built in 1918. That chapter closed in the mid-1980s, and the building continued to house store fronts and bars after the transition. "In 1917 they paid $400,000 to build just the first floor," Flores said. "They didn't add the other floors until after the 1923 tornado — didn't faze this building. It got the Palace though." Flores said he's been in contact with the national FOE to open a chapter again, and is hoping to get No. 343 back to match what is engraved on the imposing structure's facade. But before the men's club starts again or retail again brightens the interior, the building needs a lot of work. To help facilitate that, Flores, along with developer and building owner Gary Davis, brought representatives from the state's historic preservation groups on a tour and to discuss tax credit options. Nathan Bevil, community planning and preservation manager for Ohio History Connection, and Lisa Brownell, program manager for the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program for Ohio Development Services Agency, braved the cold and a more than two hour drive up from Columbus to see the site Thursday morning. Funding options The Eagles Building is one of three downtown buildings on the national register of historic places, along with the Broadway Building and Palace Theater. That designation opens it up to state and federal tax credits for rehabilitation. Bevil and Brownell work in conjunction on the historic credit programs — Bevil specializes in whether the building work is done correctly and Brownell handles the monetary portion. Federal tax credits can be for up to 20 percent of a property's rehabilitation costs, while state credits are up to 25 percent of those costs. For example, if a project, including asbestos or lead paint abatement, costs $6 million, the developer could qualify for a tax credit of up to $1.2 million on their federal and up to $1.5 million on their state taxes once the work is completed and approved. The credits can be stacked, along with other funding streams, Brownell explained. Guidelines for some of the work are stringent, especially the areas most seen by the public. For the Eagles Building, this would mean areas like the facade, Liberty Theater and front bar space. The bathrooms, while open to the public, wouldn't hold the same weight. Bevil said the developers for the Eagles Building will need to submit a detailed design plan, which includes what work needs to be done, how they plan to rehab it while keeping the historical integrity and for what the building sections will be used. Compared with the Ariel on Broadway Hotel, Brownell said the Eagles building had a lot more of its original interior. In the theater, the original eagles along the balcony and a large one on the stage are relatively intact, barring water damage. Marble and wood floors are also in good condition. The Broadway building had been remodeled so many times it looked like a 1980s hotel, she said. "Every building is treated on a case-by-case basis, because every building has its own unique conditions," she said. "But in the sense that (the Broadway Building) too stood empty and abandoned for several years and had a lot of severe damage, water damage that they were dealing with." "They're both the same in that you can't muck up the original layout because that tells the story of what that building was," she added Flores said he plans to send a letter to the city's Design Review Board, urging them to look into designating downtown as a historic district — something Bevil said he suggested to the city before. A historic district designation would open up more of the buildings in the area to tax credits. While not every building on Broadway would qualify — as it is still dependent on the property's age and/or the amount of renovations that have been done to it — it could kick start another wave of development, Brownell said. "There's always a lot of myth-busting that has to happen when communities are talking about a new district because people think 'Oh, they're going to tell me what color to paint my door,' " Brownell said. Bevil interjected, "If you do the tax credit, we might. But that's when you invite the review board (in), you're getting the tax credit, you're getting financial incentive and you're inviting it in. If you're not using federal money, do what you want to do." Flores said other than the Eagles Aerie, how the building will be used hasn't been finalized. Speculation included opening the theater to a local arts group. There is potential for a rooftop patio, overlooking the new Broadway Streetscape depending on how that would intersect with the tax credit process. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.