Developers pursue spring goal for building

They have spent about $3 million on the Neisner-Centennial Building so far.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The sheen from the newly poured concrete is still visible on the third floor of the Neisner-Centennial Building as developer Tom George makes his way across it.
"It was scary in here up until the steel went in," says George as he motions to the vast area that is still without a wall to the south.
Work on the building -- which has portions more than 100 years old -- has been ongoing since a portion of it collapsed in 1996.
The work, George says, is finally nearing completion.
George's son, Jason, and his partner, Jonathan Bruce, are developing the downtown building as part of a proposed Warner Brothers-themed mall. The Warners, Youngstown natives turned Hollywood moviemakers, opened their first permanent theater in the structure in the early 1900s.
The Georges say they are planning to recreate the old theater and fill the building with retail stores, office space and a restaurant. It's part of an overall downtown development George and Bruce are working on, Jason George said.
Other buildings nearby, including the Troutman and Fisher buildings on East Washington and Croton avenues, are part of the plan and will be refurbished later, he said.
But their first project, the Neisner-Centennial Building, should be completed by spring, he said.
Inside the building
Full-length glass windows on the entire first-floor exterior of the Mill and East Washington streets are expected in about four weeks, and barriers, up since the building collapse, will come down a few weeks after the windows are in, he said.
Work on an addition in the rear will begin Monday.
To the naked eye, it's just a large open space, but Jason George says he can see the escalators, fountains and atriums that will become part of the building in the next several months.
Those things will come quickly since the biggest obstacles inside the building have been tackled, George says.
The entire inside of the building was once wood and has been replaced with about 400 tons of steel and 850 yards of concrete. Tiled floors and glass-enclosed retail shops will adorn the first few floors. Offices with openings looking down into the first few floors will be above.
In all, it's about 66,000 square feet.
Seeking tenants
Jason George says there has been some interest in the building, but they are hoping to generate more. In about a month they are planning a party for 45 to 50 prospective tenants, he said.
Six have already signed on. George refused to name them but said they are local and regional stores that include a clothing store, coffee shop, furniture store and candy store. A restaurant is also opening in the area yet to be constructed.
"We've gotten a lot more calls this year than last year," George said. "Everything has been positive. You still get your types that say they will believe it when they see it."
George's father said the inside contractors should be starting work soon and it should be done through the winter.
The father and son estimate they've spent about $2.5 million to $3 million on the building. When it's all done it will probably cost about $6.3 million, the elder George said.
Downtown redevelopment
The building renovation is all part of downtown New Castle's redevelopment. The George/Bruce investment was used as the local match to the $5 million grant the city received from the Pennsylvania Capital Assistance Fund. That money has been used to resurface streets and to put in new sidewalks, lamp posts and street signals. It's all part of a turn-of-the-century theme that will match the old Warner Brothers building. The city has been using the same architect as the Georges, Larry Hecky of Akron.
Hecky is also the city's architect on the downtown facade program and must approve all outdoor designs on the nearby building.
The Georges say it should all come together and attract new businesses and people downtown.
"We've spent a lot of dollars to promote this city," Jason George said. "We're betting on it."