Polsky Building Renovation

[Blue & Gold]

Figured this deserved it's own thread. Will bring a lot of artistic entertainment options to the heart of downtown.

 

[Spin]

I heard a rumor the bottom level was going to be leased out to retail.

[LZIp]

16 hours ago, Spin said:

I heard a rumor the bottom level was going to be leased out to retail.

Probably a good idea considering we have half the students we had a decade ago. 

[Blue & Gold]

On 10/2/2022 at 9:39 PM, Spin said:

I heard a rumor the bottom level was going to be leased out to retail.

That's disappointing. I thought the bottom level was going to front Main St. with some new performance and gallery space.

[Spin]

A local radio station mentioned first floor retail space, but this article does not mention it. 

 

I had doubts about the rumor, looking at the current decline of retail, and the demise of the nearby Quaker Square mall. Plus the Orangerie "Mall" downtown that I can't find any evidence that it still exists.

 

If I were a betting man, I would say the whole building is going to be part of this. 

 

I minored in Emergency Management and those classes were in Polsky. I also did research on the Erie Lackawanna Railroad whose archives were in the Polsky building at the time. That was in 2012'ish, before the enrollment tanked. It was sad seeing it seemingly empty the last couple years.

Edited October 8, 2022 by Spin

[ZZZips]

I'm glad the Knight Foundation is making the investment and not the tax payers.  I'm betting it will be renamed Knight Hall.

[Blue & Gold]

 

[Spin]

So we do have plans for it...

[Spin]

It looks a lot like the ABJ building. I prefer the old Polsky exterior, but either is iconic in Akron history.

[GP1]

On 6/20/2023 at 5:36 AM, Blue & Gold said:

 

It's Hasenstab, not Hasenstad.....   Does anyone fact check at the ABJ?

 

In any event, Hasenstab has a really good reputation in the architectural world. They should do a good job.

[ZippyRulz]

I'm sure there are many examples of colleges acquiring and repurposing surrounding buildings but we must be one of the leaders:

 

Polsky dept. store

Quaker Square grain silos / hotel / retail shops

Cadillac dealership

Church (for dance studio)

Central Hower H.S.

 

Etc...

 

[GP1]

The University has done a good job of acquiring buildings for renovation, demolishing existing buildings and building on the lot, and expansion with new buildings. It's been a thoughtful balance. 

 

My brother knows a guy in Columbus who was recently hired by tosu to head up a much needed renovation program. With all of their expansion they have allowed their core buildings around the center of the campus to fall into a state of disrepair. It's going to be an expensive fix. It appears as if Akron has better managed their facilities program with better thought out solutions.

[GP1]

I'm in Akron for a day/night for business today. Walked campus and went to the bookstore. Campus looks good. I like the new logo on the merchandise I bought at the bookstore. 

[Blue & Gold]

Didn't want to start a new thread for this but I guess Crouse Hall has undergone a renovation.

 

[72 Roo]

You raise a good point. The renovation of Crouse Hall is very supportive of the students having the best learning environment they can. It looks great.

 

Still I have a continued criticism of our buildings. That is they have no common architecture. From design to materials there are too many buildings that do not reflect a common vision. When Ted Curtis was our architect working under President Luis Proenza we started to get some commonality in new buildings with a modern brick, glass and metal theme. Buildings ad renovations after his time are different. Crouse is the perfect example. It would be nice to have a style that reflects our campus. This renovation was much needed.  

[Reslife4Life]

The renovation of Zook was also a good example on how to modernize the older style of buildings. While it isn't the new red brick that came with Proenza, the glass does make it stand out among the likes of Leigh, Kolbe, and Olin

[kreed5120]

On 10/9/2022 at 10:31 AM, ZZZips said:

I'm glad the Knight Foundation is making the investment and not the tax payers.  I'm betting it will be renamed Knight Hall.

I would have no objections to that. Now only if we could get a Knights Arena 😉

[Blue & Gold]

 

[Reslife4Life]

2 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

 

As someone that works on main street this would be fantastic. They really do hit the nail on the head with describing downtown. Right now you've got from Cedar to Canal Park as a "section". Then mostly empty parking lots, the Mayflower, and main street side of polsky as another "section". Then Lock 3 and the Civic along with the businesses on the other side of the road. 

 

If you were to walk from Diamond Deli all the way down to Subway in the APS building, you encounter like 5 different sections of downtown. If new polsky can blend those sections together that would be huge

[GP1]

2 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

 

The success of downtown Akron cannot hinge on the University because it isn't the job of a university to stimulate economic growth, it's to educate people and they need to stick to that mission. It's not the University's job to make downtown Akron a vibrant place. It's the job of the City of Akron to do that in form of drawing more businesses into the City. I know a guy who recently retired from one of the banks downtown. He only had to go to the office two days a week and there was only one other person on his floor of the Huntington (I think) building. Hoping college students buy a couple more cups of coffee or someone goes downtown for yet another art gallery isn't the stimulation Akron needs. It's something, but not nearly enough. 

 

Akron needs a youth movement living in downtown and I don't mean more students. I travel throughout the country for work. There are plenty of cities the size of Akron that are thriving and have young people living and working downtown. Grand Rapids is a smaller city than Akron in a much smaller region and their downtown at night is a blast. Winston Salem is another city like Akron doing well.  There are lots of examples. 

[egregiousbob]

On 7/8/2023 at 11:09 AM, GP1 said:

The University has done a good job of acquiring buildings for renovation, demolishing existing buildings and building on the lot, and expansion with new buildings. It's been a thoughtful balance. 

 

My brother knows a guy in Columbus who was recently hired by tosu to head up a much needed renovation program. With all of their expansion they have allowed their core buildings around the center of the campus to fall into a state of disrepair. It's going to be an expensive fix. It appears as if Akron has better managed their facilities program with better thought out solutions.

 

I disagree. Over the years the U has gobbled up empty buildings seemingly without a long-term plan for them. Old Central-Hower High School for one. But the ultimate example is Quaker Square.  The fact that University architect Ted Curtis was part owner of that complex should have triggered many alarms at the city and state levels.

 

[GP1]

3 hours ago, egregiousbob said:

 

I disagree. Over the years the U has gobbled up empty buildings seemingly without a long-term plan for them. Old Central-Hower High School for one. But the ultimate example is Quaker Square.  The fact that University architect Ted Curtis was part owner of that complex should have triggered many alarms at the city and state levels.

 

You make good points. I think the demolition and reconstruction on campus, such as the student center, was well done. There are always going to be some boneheaded mistakes. 

[WeRise225]

I'm glad they are going through with this plan, incorporating UA to downtown can be a great selling point for the school in the future. 

Edited Thursday at 04:54 PM by WeRise225

[WeRise225]

On 12/18/2024 at 10:19 AM, GP1 said:

The success of downtown Akron cannot hinge on the University because it isn't the job of a university to stimulate economic growth, it's to educate people and they need to stick to that mission. It's not the University's job to make downtown Akron a vibrant place. It's the job of the City of Akron to do that in form of drawing more businesses into the City. I know a guy who recently retired from one of the banks downtown. He only had to go to the office two days a week and there was only one other person on his floor of the Huntington (I think) building. Hoping college students buy a couple more cups of coffee or someone goes downtown for yet another art gallery isn't the stimulation Akron needs. It's something, but not nearly enough. 

 

Akron needs a youth movement living in downtown and I don't mean more students. I travel throughout the country for work. There are plenty of cities the size of Akron that are thriving and have young people living and working downtown. Grand Rapids is a smaller city than Akron in a much smaller region and their downtown at night is a blast. Winston Salem is another city like Akron doing well.  There are lots of examples. 

You are correct, but there is a lot of development coming to downtown shortly if you have been following the news. Cascade plaza is bringing in many apartments and the old ABJ building will be redeveloped as well, also more apartments coming to the CitiCenter building on High Street. It is a collective effort, but it seems like downtown is on the rise. 

[Reslife4Life]

23 hours ago, WeRise225 said:

You are correct, but there is a lot of development coming to downtown shortly if you have been following the news. Cascade plaza is bringing in many apartments and the old ABJ building will be redeveloped as well, also more apartments coming to the CitiCenter building on High Street. It is a collective effort, but it seems like downtown is on the rise. 

If all of those cascade plaza buildings get turned into apartments that will be a really cool complex right there. Hopefully someone can bring in a desperately needed grocery store to downtown