Building razed to make room for future high school use
A building that housed a Studebaker dealership in 1928 has been demolished, with the area earmarked for later use by St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
The main reason for this is that the building has become difficult to maintain. Tom Carone, Principal of the school, said some of the graffiti is so high on the building, he does not know how it was done. Workers will continue to remove debris and loose bricks this week.
Carone said the decision to bring down the building will improve the approach to downtown, and help beautify Akron overall. He said there was “no reason to keep it up”, noting the building was not in use, had been boarded up, and had no power or other utilities remaining in service. Carone is not certain when the building was last occupied.
He added the land will temporarily be used as a green space, but in the future, will accommodate an expansion of the campus, even though it is several blocks from the school. At present, the school is considering installing some benches, and could use the area for outdoor studies, and physical education classes.
There was some disappointment among preservationists, who had hoped the building could be repurposed. Given this reaction, Mr. Carone could create brochures to distribute throughout the community, explaining the benefits to the city of the school's projected use of the property.
The main reason for this is that the building has become difficult to maintain. Tom Carone, Principal of the school, said some of the graffiti is so high on the building, he does not know how it was done. Workers will continue to remove debris and loose bricks this week.
Carone said the decision to bring down the building will improve the approach to downtown, and help beautify Akron overall. He said there was “no reason to keep it up”, noting the building was not in use, had been boarded up, and had no power or other utilities remaining in service. Carone is not certain when the building was last occupied.
He added the land will temporarily be used as a green space, but in the future, will accommodate an expansion of the campus, even though it is several blocks from the school. At present, the school is considering installing some benches, and could use the area for outdoor studies, and physical education classes.
There was some disappointment among preservationists, who had hoped the building could be repurposed. Given this reaction, Mr. Carone could create brochures to distribute throughout the community, explaining the benefits to the city of the school's projected use of the property.