Downtown Elyria prepares for new look after demolitions

ELYRIA — The old Century Block buildings soared over downtown Elyria for 120 years, through the era of electric streetcars, the rise of the motorized car, the ebb and flow of businesses that defined the heart of the city. Now Mayor Frank Whitfield believes it's time for a new era for Elyria. On Tuesday, the two Century Block buildings and the old Mussey Block building started to come down. The owner, local businessman Kevin Flanigan, chose to tear the buildings down rather than opt for the more expensive rehabilitation option. Downtown Elyria was once a bustling area, filled with shops and customers. But over the years, it's gone into a downward spiral. Buildings have become worn down, both on the exteriors and interiors. Many businesses have tried to take root but closed. City officials have contended with falling bricks and bowed out buildings. When Whitfield took office, downtown Elyria was one of his main priorities. Within a few months of taking office, Whitfield hosted a town hall for downtown business owners after the bricks fell and started to bow out. After that, the city stepped up code enforcement downtown. Whitfield said that helped. There was movement — owners started either fixing the buildings up or selling them. That's also resulted in the demolition of several structures, including the Century and Mussey Block buildings. Elyria's oldest facade, next to The Foundry Kitchen & Bar, already was torn down by Flanigan. For people like former Lorain County Historical Director Bill Bird, that's history coming down that can never come back. Beautiful stonework that marked Elyria's downtown can't be duplicated — once it's torn down, it's gone, Bird said. The Mussey building, sandwiched between the two Century buildings, was built in 1873 — making it 148 years old. As the title implies, the Century buildings were built at the beginning of a new century in 1900. Twenty-seven years after Mussey Block was built, a group of Elyria businessmen — William Graves Sharp, David J. Nye, J.C. Hill and H.H Clough — formed the Century Building Committee, said Jeff Sigsworth, a board member of the Lorain County Historical Society. In 1900, they bought and tore down the existing buildings on each side of the Mussey Block building and built two new duplicate five-story buildings, including basements. They used Roman-pressed brick. There was one on each side of the Mussey Block, with both named the Century Block. The Mussey Block also was remodeled at the time, with marble corridors and up-to-date conveniences such as an elevator. The upper floors of all three buildings were connected for easy access. The buildings were home to many different businesses over the years — jewelers, doctors, lawyers, Revco, Woolworths and The Fay Co. In 2006, the corner Century Building was renovated and turned into an art space. The buildings now are listed as one parcel on the Lorain County auditor's site. Diversified Investment Co., which is run by Flanigan, bought the block of buildings in 2015 for $200,000. Assistant Safety Service Director Dawn Calvert said she wishes the buildings could be saved, but she is excited that the demolition could clear the way for a new development. Whatever may go in the buildings' place is still in the planning stages, she said. "But I think we're going to see a year or two from now, barring any major economic issues nationally, downtown Elyria is going to be a very different place. One that's more welcoming, more vibrant and creating a better opportunity for experiences for people not only in Elyria, but outside Elyria." New construction would still have to face Elyria's downtown design review guidelines. Those govern items such as building materials and facades. Many buildings downtown have become too expensive to rehabilitate when compared to the cost of starting over. Whitfield said that has come from decades of neglect, or in some cases, a couple of years. But the old buildings also are expensive to maintain, he said. Calvert said she has to be realistic on restoring the old buildings. It's hard to encourage redevelopment when it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, she said. Even if restored, Calvert said the buildings aren't as efficient and are going to continue to have big costs. Is the extra cost worth it to maintain history? Bird says yes. In 2001, downtown Elyria was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Even before that, in 1979, the Century Block buildings were listed. Bird said that signals to the residents that the buildings are worthy of preservation and of being restored and reused. "It's more than just the dollars and cents," Bird said. "These buildings give our town a sense of place. Pretty soon our sense of place is just going to be a whole bunch of empty lots. And that's a shame because that's not really how we should think about our downtown, but that's kind of where we're headed." Because most of downtown Elyria's buildings are privately owned, there's only so much the city can do. Whitfield said people often look to the city, but they should look at owners of the buildings instead. But the city can offer different financial resources to encourage downtown revitalization. It has a $10,000 matching grant to improve downtown facades. Last year, City Council approved a $50,000 matching grant for demolitions of downtown buildings. Bird said the dollar amounts should be flipped to encourage more restoration in downtown, rather than demolition. As city officials look to a new role for downtown Elyria, Whitfield said he's also focused on bringing in more young professionals. He's often cited Lakewood as what he hopes downtown Elyria could look like — with stores, restaurants, bars, apartments and coffee shops. Calvert said downtown Elyria isn't meeting the needs of what young people are looking for in a city. "I think it's so important that we honor and value the history of this city because it's so interesting and a part of so many people's hearts and souls here," she said. "But we also have to open the door to make room for the future. We have to think about an inclusive community that creates space for all age ranges, all different walks of life, to feel like this is their place." Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.