NILES, Ohio – The planned renovation of the former Niles Masonic Temple building and a riverfront revitalization project both will contribute to downtown revitalization efforts, the city’s mayor said.
A final design should be completed by early summer on a riverfront project at the southern entryway to downtown, funded by $3.5 million from the state’s Appalachian Community Grant program, Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz said.
Meanwhile, Gatta Construction is engaged in exploratory work a couple blocks north at the former temple, 22 W. Church St., and an announcement on its main tenant should be coming soon, according to developer Dominic Gatta III.
“It’s all geared toward downtown upgrades, downtown beautification and downtown economic development,” Mientkiewicz said.
Gatta, whose past projects include redeveloping the Federal Building in downtown Youngstown, purchased the former temple in late 2023. Born and raised in Niles, he sees redeveloping the historic structure as a way to give back to the city and complement its plans, he said.
“We’ve lost a lot of historic fabric in the city already, like most cities have around us,” so preserving one of the remaining historic structures is “pretty cool,” Gatta said.
Construction work will peak in the next two to three months, Gatta said. Work on the building’s roof and a couple other areas is underway to preserve the building, which did not suffer much interior damage from the elements, though there was a lot because of vandalism and a small fire a few years ago.
Niles allocated about $250,000 of its $3.5 million Appalachian grant for engineering and design work at the Masonic building, while the rest is going to create an urban entertainment area on the site of the demolished Robins Theatre, at South Main Street and West State Street, and a boat launch.
The theater property will be designed as a space to host small community events, Mienkiewicz said. These would include farmers markets, art shows, craft shows and food truck events.
“It’s also going to be a space that is very eye-catching and has a lot of curb appeal,” the mayor continued. “When you come over the viaduct from the south side of Niles, that’s going to be the first thing you see, and it’s going to be something that makes you say, ‘Wow, the city of Niles really has their stuff together.’”
The canoe and kayak launch will consist of a launch site and a pavilion or picnic area that also will be used for educational purposes, a nature-themed play area, restrooms and lighted parking lot, he said. The project design, which is being done by MS Consultants Inc., Youngstown, is about 75% done, and he expects it to be complete by early summer.
“We’re looking to then go to bid mid- to late summer and break ground probably sometime this fall,” he said.
In addition to the Appalachian Community Grant funds, Gatta secured nearly $2.5 million in federal and state historic preservation tax credits toward the Masonic project, which he estimated at $4.8 million.
Planned improvements for the project, which he said he expects to be completed by the end of 2025, include new windows, electrical and mechanical systems and plumbing. The building also has two large auditoriums with “a lot of really cool historic fabric” that will be preserved.
“The intent here is for it to look like the day it opened,” he said.
About 4,000 square feet of the building will be used for a kitchen incubator that will lower the barrier of entry for kitchen-based businesses, Gatta said.
“We’re fostering innovation. We’re supporting the growth of small food businesses,” he said. “It’s a good location and a good reuse of this building.”
He is working with a local nonprofit organization, which he expects to be able to name soon, that is expected to occupy the majority of the 28,000-square-foot building.
The nonprofit is expected to add 50 jobs in addition to retaining its existing workforce, he said.
“You really can’t put a value on that kind of energy that job creation creates, especially in a smaller downtown like Niles,” Gatta said.
“The goal behind the program is to create something transformational, create something that’s regional, create something that makes an impact in our downtown area,” Mientkiewicz said.
Pictured at top: Developer Dominic Gatta III inside the former Niles Masonic Temple building.