YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio One Building is not just part of downtown’s past. Its new owners also expect the building to be part of the city’s future growth.
The Ohio One Group LLC, led by investors Eric Holm, Ryan Kelly, Michael and Michelle Wells and Sherry DeMar, celebrated the next chapter of the building Friday.
“It’s already a diamond. It just needs a little dusting,” said Dani Holm, a member of the next generation of the ownership group, which as a nod toward the future, was well represented during Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
After purchasing the building in late July, the Ohio One Group has been giving the six-story building a decorative facelift over the past few weeks, retouching it without changing the structure. The front and side entrance have received an art deco-inspired façade refresh, including the reinstallation of lights on the front of the building that were found in storage.
The structure’s architectural features include granite, marble, stone and ornate wood trim. The 54,000-square-foot building was built to last when it was constructed in 1930 and served first as the headquarters for Ohio Edison at the corner of East Boardman and Champion streets.
Kelly said despite the difficult times during the Great Depression, a group of local leaders had the courage not only to continue building but to build something different.
“This building is innovative, everywhere through it,” Kelly said. “The first syndicated cooking show in North America was filmed here. The first can light was actually tested upstairs, the way that the bulbs dim. There’s so many special things, but again, it took courage.”
Current tenants include The Business Journal, Students Motivated by the Arts, Community Legal Aid, KO Consulting and the Ohio Chapter of the National Safety Council. The building currently has office space available for lease, for both solo entrepreneurs and growing businesses requiring a maximum space of up to 6,000 square feet. Additionally, a multiuse auditorium is available for events and corporate gatherings of up to 125 people.
“We want to stand here and continue that legacy and shepherd and steward this anchor building here in downtown Youngstown,” Eric Holm said. “This building is more than a workplace. It’s a gathering spot with stunning offices and event spaces that’s going to be a showcase piece for the city for professional connections and business growth here in downtown. So it represents the past, present and future of our community, and it’s a place where history meets economic opportunity.”
The Ohio One Building was previously owned for 52 years by Ohio One Corp., a commercial real estate firm led by Richard E. Mills, which at one point owned several buildings in the central business district. The Ohio One Building was the last remaining downtown property in the Ohio One Corp. portfolio.
Holm said it is important to continue honoring the Mills family and the potential they saw in this building when they transformed it and others into a vibrant commercial hub in the heart of downtown.
Although Kelly had stepped into the political ring as an opponent of both Mayor Jamael Tito Brown and Councilman Julius Oliver, 1st Ward, they were on hand Friday to welcome the downtown investment.
“It is pretty ironic that we’re standing here today in this fall weather and you can hear in the background the construction,” Brown said. “But in my eyes, that’s progress when we talk about downtown and how we’ve taken the revitalization of downtown … one street after another.”
Brown added that the city’s investment is leading to future investment from building owners.
Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority, which also owns several buildings in the area, including some formerly owned by Ohio One Corp., also welcomed the new ownership group and predicted there will be a lot more celebrations and ribbon-cutting events to come downtown.
Pictured at top: In front, from left, are Luchia Kelly, Galano Kelly and Walker Dawson. Standing behind them, from left, are Ryan Kelly, Eric Holm, Zach Holm, Dani Holm, Sherry DeMar, Maci Wells, Mark Wells, Cayson Marlow, Michelle Wells and Michael Wells.