Photo by Mark Watt
Taking Shape at Painesville Square Lake Erie College converts former bank building into student housing By Dan Holland | Photos by Larry Overbey & Mark Watt
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s a key factor in the revitalization of downtown Painesville, which has seen an influx of commercial, retail and residential tenants in recent times, The Tower will open this summer to Lake Erie College students, providing 172 beds in 41 units within the former Lake County National Bank Building.
Built in two sections in 1957 and 1967, the 78,000-square-foot East and West towers, located at 30 South Park Place adjacent to Painesville Square, become the first offsite residential facility for the private liberal arts college, established in 1856. Downtown Painesville, which includes The Tower, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. Preserving the features and characteristics of the mid-century modern office building was a vital aspect in receiving a total of $6.46 million in state and federal historic tax credits for the project, which will also include two ground-floor restaurants and a convenience store. The city of Painesville is currently engaged in a $1 million streetscape 46
improvement and beautification project in and around the downtown area. The project will connect downtown with the college, which is located less than one mile away via Washington Street.
Beginnings
Discussions on the $18 million historic renovation project began in 2020 between Lake Erie College, the city of Painesville and real estate developer Renew Partners LLC, of Montville, which developed and manages the facility. JCI Contractors, of Ashtabula, served as construction manager. LDA Architects, of Cleveland, was brought aboard early in the process to initiate design and planning for the building, which sat largely vacant for a number of years.
“At Renew, we bring the project to the table, and then JCI starts putting the numbers together – the budgets and working with the architect – and then to the final product,” explains Charlie Borsukoff, president of JCI and partner for Renew. “We’re two separate entities, but we have a cohesion when we work together on all of these projects.” “We’re excited to partner with Renew, the developer on the project,” says Jennifer Schuller, president of Lake Erie College. “Our residence halls on campus are old and weary, and they’re packed to the gills. We opened up last academic year with only seven empty beds.” “For the last decade, the college has had to lease apartments across the street from campus, and that wasn’t an Properties | July 2024