Jamestown's Cityscape Designs

Jamestown Post-Journal, 5/9/2012.

Excerpt: The concept of a more walkable Jamestown is not new, though.

"Complete Streets is explicitly endorsed by the Neighborhood Plan, and it's sort of implied by the Urban Design Plan," said Peter Lombardi, Jamestown Renaissance Corporation neighborhood initiatives director.

Jamestown's Transportation and Streetscape Enhancement Plan seeks to improve the walkability in the city. It states that city's streets should provide connectivity between neighborhoods, facilitate the movement of pedestrians, goods and services, and offer an attractive setting to both local citizens and visitors alike.

The plan is the next step in implementing the vision for downtown revitalization set forth in the city's recently Completed Urban Design Plan.

Jeff Lehman, Public Works director, said that the city would like to have better flowing street, pedestrian and bike traffic, but it's a difficult feat. The problem we have is there is only so much room," he said. "We're stuck within existing right-of-ways, as there is only so much room on city streets."

75th Anniversary of Warren's Municipal Building

Warren Times-Observer, 4/21/2012.

Excerpt:  The building at the northeast corner of Hickory Street and Third Avenue was dedicated on May 3, 1937. 

At that time, it replaced a 70-year-old structure on the southeast corner of the same intersection. 

The property was acquired from the School District of Warren Borough on July 31, 1936, for the sum of $20,000, according to a copy of the deed. 

The town council and Burgess (Mayor) Raymond W. Steber approved the purchase. Historical documents provided by City Planner David Hildebrand show the general contractor for the construction was E.L. Van Sickle of Bradford and the architect was Lowrie & Green of Harrisburg. 

The total cost of the project was $119,274 with construction taking $92,307 of that. 

The Borough of Warren was awarded a Federal Public Works Administration Grant of $52,560, according to the minutes of a 1936 borough council meeting.

"This structure replaces a municipal building which was 70 years old, which had been remodeled several times, and had passed the point of economic usefulness," a historic document said. "The plan is H-shaped, 137 by 101 feet over all." 

Construction was completed in January 1937.

Downtown Jamestown for Sale

Jamestown Post-Journal, 4/22/2012.

Excerpt:   Out with the old, in with the new. 

Currently, downtown Jamestown offers a large selection of buildings which could be purchased for the installation of new businesses. Several notable buildings downtown, such as the Jamestown post office, currently display "for sale" signs in front of them. 

Other buildings for sale include the TEW Mansion on the corner of Fifth and Main streets, the office complex on the corner of Second Street and Foote Avenue and the law office building at 8 E. Fourth St. Though the number of prominent buildings for sale downtown would suggest that businesses are leaving the city, many realtors in charge of selling the vacant buildings believe there is a transition taking place downtown rather than an exodus.

Areas To Improve in Jamestown, New York

Jamestown Post-Journal, 4/16/2012.

Excerpt: Jamestown has a few claims to fame which the city wears proudly upon its sleeve. Every year, the city hosts Lucy Fest, which attracts tourists from all across the country into the city. Jamestown has the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, the Robert H. Jackson center and the Chautauqua Institution only a short drive away which also attracts tourists. However, Jamestown is a far cry from being a year-round tourist destination. Dolce discussed a few ways which he believes Jamestown could gain some noteriety by placing more emphasis on events it already hosts.

Buffalo: Michigan Street African-American Historic Corridor

Front portion of Rockford's Midway Theatre can be saved

Rockford Register Star, 4/3/2011.

Excerpt:   A theater where once up to 2,000 people would gather to watch “Jaws” in 1975 and “Caddyshack” in 1980 is likely headed for emergency demolition. 

City building inspectors are checking the shaky Midway Theatre twice daily after a partial roof collapse March 23 because of concerns over its structural integrity. Because it’s a designated historic landmark, every option for saving it is being considered. 

The bowstring lattice structure and roof over the theater portion of the building are so badly deteriorated that it appears unlikely that part can be saved and is probably going to require demolition, said Todd Cagnoni, Rockford deputy director of community and economic development.

Saw A Hole in the Head here in the summer of 1959. The theater is located about a mile from where my grandparents, Herman and Anna Nelson, lived at 1815 Charles Street.

31 Elm Street in Downtown Springfield Mass

Proposed redevelopment of Springfield Court Square office building draws strong tenant interest. (Springfield Republican, 3/10/2012)

Excerpt:    A key to the current project’s success will be applications for state historic preservation tax credits for the building constructed in 1892, Panteleakis said. 

Under OPAL’s proposal, the first floor would be developed for retail use, and the next four floors would be for office/institutional space. 

The top floor is slated for market rate housing, but that is being re-evaluated due to the strong interest for office space, Panteleakis said. The interest thus far has been mostly from tenants in professional services such as law firms, Panteleakis said. The retail interest has included conversations with representatives of a pub and restaurant, dry cleaners, a health club, flower shop and a bank, he said.

Saving A Local Landmark

Warren Times Observer, 3/3/2012.

Excerpt:  Built in 1838 by Dr. William Irvine as a wedding gift for his wife, the church originally cost $900 to build, or just over $18,000 in today's money, and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. It's 34-foot by 26-foot interior boasts a congregation of more than 80 members and regularly seats 60 or more worshipers for services. 

Total costs for the upcoming project will be approximately $120,000 and the church congregation is utilizing a number of funding methods to obtain the sum.

Closed Warren Motel disappears

Warren Times Observer, 2/29/2012.

Excerpt:  Warren Motel Owner Jeff Werner said the demolition of the motel concluded on Tuesday after it began a week ago. It had been closed since Dec. 24, he said. 

"There were too many fixed costs," Werner said. "The taxes were too high, and then there was sewage, insurance and television." 

Right now, Werner said there are no plans for the property.

Great Falls' 10th Avenue Bridge

Fundraisers, work moving forward on Great Falls' historic 10th Street Bridge. (Great Falls Tribune, 1/20/2012)

Excerpt:   Bridge supporters managed to save the concrete bridge, featuring eight large supporting arches, during the 1990s. Preservation Cascade has raised and spent more than $1 million on it so far. 

Bridge parts nearest the water received renovations and repairs first; the bridge deck may end up as the last to be completed. 

In recent years, Preservation Cascade has worked on several issues aside from decking. The bridge is lighted on weekend nights in blue, as well as on other nights when someone donates $100 in memory of a loved one or to commemorate something else. Montana Refining Co. paid to light up the bridge over the holiday in a gesture Day said the group greatly appreciated.

Junior Himes, 1927-2011

As a result of my “Letters from Mom” project, I can conclude that I’ve been subscribing by mail to the Times-Observer for about 13 years. Now that I’ve transcribed her letters through most of 1998, I’ve discovered that she no longer encloses newspaper clippings, at least not from the Warren paper. (Yeah, I’ve kept most of these items, too. Perhaps I should have been an archivist in an historical society library rather than a director of a public library.)

She still occasionally draws attention to a particular news story, especially if it involved another budget cut at the Warren library, the closing of a once-popular business establishment, or the death of a member of St. Paul’s. (Not that there was never any upbeat news to come out of Warren!)

Junior Himes is someone I remember from about the time we first moved to Warren. I don’t think he, his wife Lois, and daughter Diane missed a Sunday service. For some reason, I picture them sitting in the same spot, week after week, toward the back of the right-hand side of the sanctuary in the old church. I can’t picture them in the new church, probably because I spent comparatively little time attending services there.

Junior would have been just 30 when we moved to Warren, but my memory of him has always been someone who looks much older than his actual years. While reading his obituary, I tried to recall the sound of his voice, but quickly realized that we probably never exchanged more than 10 words. Total. He certainly couldn’t have been a shy, retiring guy if he played the role of Santa Claus for 20 years. In the photo accompanying the obituary, there’s definitely a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and a subtly sly smile on his face. Unlike much more outgoing church members like Mel Karlson, Bill Brader, and Howard Ford, I never got to know the man.

But at least one question has finally been answered. Yes, his first name really is “Junior”.

$2.5M For City

Warren Times-Observer, 11/7/2011.

Excerpt: In particular, a portion of the loan will pay for a paving project on Liberty Street between Second and Third avenues.

The work at Pennsylvania and Liberty is primarily the reinstallation of a traffic signal and paving.

The southernmost part of Liberty Street will be widened, Clark Street will also be widened. The extent of the work on Langdon Drive will depend on how much of the funding remains after all the other portions of the project are complete.

Library repairs underway

Warren Times-Observer, 11/10/2011.

Excerpt: Repairs to the original facade of Warren Public Library are underway, thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Warren County.

"It looks like we can do the repairs, it's not going to be as extensive as we feared," Warren Public Library Executive Director Patty Sherbondy said on Wednesday.

The grant from the Community Foundation will allow Fiske and Sons of Erie to waterproof the area surrounding the wooden braces, which will prevent moisture from seeping through, freezing and cracking the structure further.

Northwest Savings Plans

Warren Times-Observer, 11/10/2011.

Excerpt: Northwest announced earlier this month that it had purchased the Diamond Block, also known as the Dicembre Building, along Pennsylvania Avenue, and the former Knights of Columbus Building along Second Avenue and planned to tear those buildings down and put up a new building to accommodate the company's growing office space needs.

The Diamond Block building would torn down and initially used as a staging area for construction of the new building along Second Avenue. Later, that space would become an outdoor dining area for employees and a separate public green space.

The ideas for a park were generally well-received. Some in the audience suggested making it child-friendly and including aspects of the region's Iroquois heritage.

Historical concerns

Chase Putnam asked that the Second Avenue building be remembered as the Woodward Building, with a theater and a ballroom, not as the Knights of Columbus building.

That building dates from 1910 and was built by an "ambitious businessman," he said. The Diamond Block dates to the 1870s or 1880s.

He also said that the Diamond Block is "one of the best-preserved business blocks in town. That's a beautiful building."

"We're seeing two more wonderful institutions come down," he said. However, "It hurts me more to see the front of the building standing with nothing behind it."

Ex-Quality bldg. purchased

Warren Times-Observer, 11/11/2011.

Excerpt: The former Quality Market at 1075 Market St. Ext., including five acres of land, was on the block at a sheriff's sale held at the Warren County Sheriff's Office on Thursday morning.

Beacon Light purchased the property at a winning bid of $600,000.

"This property is desirable, both because of its size and its location," Beacon Light President and CEO Richard Seager said. "The dimension of the building will really allow our clinical staff the space to effectively meet the needs of the recovery program consumers, while we believe the centralized location will make the center as accessible as possible."

According to Seager, studies indicate that at least one in four Americans age 18 and older suffer from a "diagnosable mental or substance disorder."

Obituary: Kenneth Knight, 1924-2011

Warren High School Class of 1942

"Our chicle champ" -- just how you want to be remembered!

Obituary: John Schorman, 1934-2011

Warren High School, Class of 1952

Obituary: : Jay Church, 1943-2011

Warren High School, Class of 1960

Warren Times-Observer, 10/25/2011.

Excerpt: For the first time in its 115-year history, First Presbyterian Church of Warren has a cross atop its steeple.

With the help of a 135-foot crane, the 24-karat gold-leafed copper cross was hoisted to the top of the church at the corner of Market Street and Third Avenue on Tuesday morning as members of the congregation watched. The work was done by Erie restoration company Fiske and Sons Inc., which has placed crosses on more than 100 church steeples.

Clarence Bauer, properties manager for the church, was happy to see crews finish work on the church, which he says first opened in 1895. But since its opening more than a century ago, one symbol has been missing from the top of the roof.

"We just thought it was time to put a cross up there," Bauer said.

Wellman Project Proceeds With New Storefront Spaces

Jamestown Post-Journal, 10/20/2011.

Excerpt: The corner of Cherry and East Third streets now offers a room with a view, as the first pair of vacant commercial spaces at the Wellman Building are being primed for future tenants.

Joe Jacobi, property manager from Ontario Specialty Contracting Inc., said that while the upper-floor apartments are proceeding, the ground floor is also getting a makeover - using original drawings and photographs to restore it to its 1898 likeness.

He said the storefront-friendly space is being left in its "vanilla box" mode, with bare drywall and simple lights left suspended. The building offers a combined 9,000 square feet, divided into four units with two facing East Third Street and the other two facing Cherry Street.

"It's going to be ready for somebody to move in, but the finishes aren't done," Jacobi said, "so that we can finish it to whatever that tenant's needs are."

With respect to new downtown tenants, he added, "We are talking to people all the time, but we haven't solidified anything."