Revealing a gem in the 5-and-10

Once a downtown five-and-dime, McCrory's gets a new look and a new use.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
ICTURE A TRENDY NEW YORK loft apartment -- high ceilings, wide windows, exposed heating and cooling ducts, walls revealing the original old brick and concrete work.
Decorators would call it an "edgy" design.
That's just what the architects at Ricciuti Balog and Partners were aiming for when they renovated the third floor of the old McCrory's building on Federal Plaza downtown.
Their goal, said architects Paul Ricciuti and Gary Balog, was to inspire creativity, not only among their own staff but in the business community at large.
The longtime downtown architectural firm is out to prove it's possible to give some of the city's aging historic buildings a new lease on life instead of replacing them with parking lots.
First National Bank of Pennsylvania, which owns the McCrory's building and the 15-story First National Bank Tower building next door, is equally hopeful that the renovation will inspire more of the same, said Lloyd Lamm, a bank senior vice president.
Pride in design
"We're proud of what we've done with a building that a lot of people would have taken a wrecking ball to," Lamm said. "We hope this is step one for a lot of other owners to consider, that others will have the kind of vision, courage and pride in the community it takes to preserve an old building."
The three-story building is two-thirds occupied. Ricciuti Balog and Partners Architects has the top floor, the law firm of Millstone & amp; Kannensohn is on the second, and First National is actively seeking a business to lease the 7,500-square-foot ground-floor space.
Once a popular five-and-dime store, McCrory's downtown Youngstown location closed in December 1991, one of 229 stores the Pennsylvania-based McCrory Corp. shuttered around the country.
The building stood vacant for years, Lamm said, until the bank decided to buy it late in 1999.
That proved complicated, though, because the old structure had several owners and some were deceased. More years passed as bank officials worked to locate the heirs and hammered out purchase arrangements.
Finally, with the help of a $2 million zero-interest loan from the city of Youngstown, the bank began refurbishing the three-story building in 2001 with an eye toward preserving its historic features.
Architects' role
Ricciuti Balog & amp; Partners, experienced with historic restoration and with several award-winning historic designs to their credit, were involved from the start.
The firm worked with First National to assure that improvements and changes were in keeping with the original, 1922 look of the building so it could retain its spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
In all, Lamm said, the bank spent about $1.6 million on interior and exterior work, sharing the cost of the custom-designed interiors with the new tenants.
The terra cotta finish on the upper floors outside was carefully cleaned and preserved. Window replacements were close replicas of the originals.
Ricciuti & amp; Balog has always had its offices downtown, Paul Ricciuti said, and for the past 20 years it occupied the 15th floor of the First National Tower, eventually expanding to take up part of the 14th floor as well.
The new McCrory's building offices gave the firm more room, he said, and the unusual opportunity to decorate an 82-year-old space for the first time.
A vision for large space
Until Ricciuti & amp; Balog moved in this month, the third floor served only as a warehouse for the old discount store, they explained, so the concrete floors, the terra cotta-tiled outside walls and the rough ceilings had never been covered. Some concrete support beams even bear the doodles of workers from the building's early years.
Balog joked that the firm's architects had "an epiphany" when they saw the floor, and they decided immediately to go for the modern, open and functional look instead of a more traditional decor.
Clients are often surprised at some features, especially the varnished concrete floor and the coffee table the firm's interns made out of glass and concrete blocks. "They ask us if we ran out of money," he said, grinning.
Lamm said Atty. Frederick Kannensohn's office on the second floor has a more traditional decor, and the bank has left the first floor unfinished with plans to work with the new tenant on a custom design.
Support for downtown
Getting businesses to relocate downtown is sometimes difficult because of misconceptions, Balog said.
Some people think downtown is dangerous, for example, but Balog said the firm's 30 downtown employees feel safe, even though they come and go at all hours.
And Ricciuti said they're confident the parking situation will improve when the city opens Federal Plaza to traffic, a project now in the planning phase.
There was never a thought of moving to the suburbs when Ricciuti & amp; Balog needed more space, he said. "We've done work at some of Youngstown's great institutions -- Youngstown State University, the Butler, the Symphony Center, the library, St. John's Church -- so we're a part of all that. There's no need for us to be out in some burg."
vinarsky@vindy.com