Paramount Theater Building

[Lynds]

I'm not sure Iwasthere. From what I understand Frangos bought the building in 2006 from Ohio One Corp, who bought the building in 1985, the building had been vacant since 1978. The pictures that I posted are from 2004 and 2006, right after Frangos purchased the property. I am not 100% sure of how it all went down I've read articles that state the Frangos Group / Grand Venues had plans to restore a majority of the building, after the initial purchase architects were hired to come in an  the estimate the cost of the project...its seems that the plans stopped there, my guess is that the original 2 million estimate was wildly incorrect and from there the Frangos group ate the 80k they spent on buying the building.

[Rushblvd]

missed the boat----ok ..That's right iwasthere I got ya back. I say we storm the place in order to save some history. This Frangos character does not care, so we must not fall into his small mentality of thinking. We will take back what is ours--the citzens of Y-town will prevail. --Let us round up and prepare the fight..
PS Can we repel off the roof?

[Rushblvd]

 

[iwasthere]

lynds why does not the city leaders put lou frango's feet to the fire to keep this place from deteriorating any more further from no point to return for rehab? i saw the photos that made my bp go up ten points that put me into a sugar shock. thank god for george mckelvey was near-by to help me to bring my bp down to normal and rushgal gave me a spoonful of sugar to bring me out of sugar shock. frds like that who needs national healthcare.

[Jaime Hughes]

Does anyone have photos of the beautiful sides of the arm rests that I saw on the balcony? :-)

[Lynds]

a few pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/7644672@N04/tags/theater/ from 2006 I think

[iwasthere]

if lou frango wants it torn down let him tear it done himself and not the city. how many downtown bldgs does this fraud owns while he allows them to crumb down all around the downtown area.

[AllanY2525]

Even a parking deck would cool, if the outsides and the facade of the
building were preserved - maybe a historic site plaque on the front
face of the building to tell folks the history of the place.

It would certainly save Federal Street from having another missing
tooth...

[northside lurker]

I've also been inside the Paramount Theater, around the same time Jaime was.  I agree that, even then, there wasn't anything salvageable inside. (except maybe some of the original seats in the balcony)  But, I also felt that the building was probably structurally sound. (I would only be concerned where the structure meets the walls - there was no evidence of a problem, but that area should be looked at more closely.)  The wood floor of the balcony was bad in some spots, but the wood floor is built over a concrete floor.  While up there, I never felt in danger of falling through, or that the whole balcony was shaky.  The dangling metal supports were just for the plaster, and were never structural.  Any mold or mildew wouldn't be an issue, because everything needs taken back to the structure and shell anyway.

[Jaime Hughes]

This building is so amazing inside, but it's beyond repairs or needs a very wealthy benefactor to restore this beautiful building. Went in with the owner of the building and a few others in 2007. Theres a bus size hole in the ceiling, black mole, mildew the works all over the walls, the metal supports are dangling on the first floor and the mezzazine (sp) can't support any weight of a person without bowing in or attempting to collapse. The building has been exposed to the harsh Youngstown elements and I fear is beyond repair. I was dealing quite a bit with the building when Paul Warshauer was in the city with false hopes of restoring the building. He skipped town a few months after he realized no one in Youngstown would willingly give their money to him without signs of progress. A rumor was that Frangos wanted to make it into a parking deck but attempt to keep the shell of the building. When I called him about it he said he wasn't sure what he was going to do with the building and left it at that.

[AllanY2525]

Steve - good job, as usual

[AllanY2525]

If the building is still structurally sound, it's a shame that an
investor can't be found to do something with the place.

[joly1584]

Rumor is someone(current owner or city?) wants to do an emergency tear down of the building.

Lou Frangos is the current owner.

[jay]

I saw this YFD crew at the Paramount Theater today at around 1:00 p.m.  At one point, the ladder was extended all the way to the roof.
What was going on there Greg?