EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio – The renovation of the iconic J.C. Thompson Building in the city’s Diamond area is underway and is expected to be completed by next year, according to local architect Scott Shepherd of A&I Studio.
Shepherd offered an update to the Community Improvement Corporation during its meeting Tuesday.
The building was acquired by the CIC during the past administration and was recently sold for $1 to developer Craig Cozza, owner of The Vault on Fifth Street, with development in mind.
Partially funded by $600,000 in JobsOhio Vibrant Community grant funds, the renovation will also depend upon $1.35 million in capital investment from Cozza.
Other funding sources for the project include $200,000 in Transformational Mixed-Use Development Grant funds, $186,000 from the CIC, $414,105 in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits, $435,900 in Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits and $10,000 in Columbiana County Beautification Grant funds.
Shepherd said current work inside the building includes cleaning it out and replacing windows, no easy feat since the windows and flooring must be historically correct, matching the Victorian era of the building due to the historic tax credits received.
Kevin Kerr, owner of Veteran Energy Construction Services, is one of the subcontractors for the project and recently said his company had completed the cleaning of the interior, but the roof still needs to be replaced.
On less frigid days this month, passersby have been able to hear the sounds of woodworking coming from inside the multistoried building, and Kerr said Building Contractors United has been hired to build the wooden replacement windows and is using the same type of wood as the original ones, milling them on site.
Shepherd said he believes most of the second floor windows have now been replaced and that several stained-glass windows in the upper floor are intact and won’t to be replaced.
Some of the original wooden floors are salvageable and can remain in use, but others have holes or other damage and will have to be replaced, again with historically correct materials.
Mayor Bobby Smith questioned whether the builders working on the windows are paying city taxes since they are Amish, and Shepherd said they are not exempt.

Shepherd told CIC members that nearly every piece of material used to construct the building between 1892 and 1894 was sourced from inside the city and assured them a picturesque wooden acorn atop the notable turret will be replaced.
CIC member Darlene Kinsey asked if the Diamond fountain, which is located near the front of the Thompson building, will need to be relocated as a result of the construction. “No, the building is not being expanded,” Smith responded.
Shepherd said no heavy construction is expected on the building until after the weather breaks.
“Weather conditions are a significant factor in our scheduling,” said Drew Dawson, director of marketing for True North, which is partnering on the project. “Currently, our team and contractors are diligently preparing for the major renovations ahead.”
Dawson said ulimate plans for the renovated building include workforce housing aimed primarily at young professionals and visiting doctors at East Liverpool City Hospital, as well as first floor retail space.
The anchor tenant will be Buckeye Online School for Success, which is currently occupying the Fifth Street building recently purchased by True North for the relocation of its operations from Chester, W.Va.
Dawson said the Thompson Building will retain 30 jobs in the city, commit to adding at least 13 more jobs and pave the way for an additional 25 jobs, for a total of 68.
The project is slated to be completed in the second quarter of 2026, Dawson said.
Pictured at top: Renovations have begun on the historic J.C. Thompson Building in downtown East Liverpool.