DOWNTOWN Panel gives go-ahead for concert hall, courthouse

By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The city has given approvals to a pair of major projects that will change the downtown landscape.
The city's design review committee approved Wednesday the look of a 600-seat, $4.2 million concert hall on Chestnut Street. The hall is between West Federal and Commerce streets next to Edward W. Powers Auditorium.
The committee also approved needed demolition and the concept for the new $2.8 million 7th District Court of Appeals on West Federal Street.
"It'll be a vast improvement downtown," said board member Barry Silver, a downtown business owner.
The committee approved the concert hall's look. The building includes a round performance space covered in zinc shingles, a lobby of glass and steel and a backstage area with brick that closely matches Powers' brick.
The committee is requiring the Youngstown Symphony Society to get approval for any signs and also for a garden planned for the corner at Chestnut and Federal. Plans for those haven't been finalized, said the architect, Gary Balog, of Ricciuti Balog and Partners in Youngstown.
The concert hall will be attached to Powers in two spots, the backstage and lobby. The backstage loading area will service both venues. A spot in Powers' grand lobby will connect to the concert hall lobby.
The new lobby will be made of a green-tinted glass and steel and feature pivoting walls. The rod and lead weight mechanisms that will operate the walls will be exposed, creating a unique look, Balog said.
New courthouse
The committee also approved demolition for three dilapidated buildings on West Federal between the Kress and First Educators buildings and the concept to replace them, a new 7th District Court of Appeals courthouse.
The idea is a building that sits on the sidewalk to maintain the streetscape, yet has the entrance set back several feet. Five columns would hold up a roof over the recessed glass entrance.
The facade will depend on the budget, but designers envision a light-colored stone or brick panel.
A covered walkway would connect the sidewalk on Federal next to the courthouse to the parking lot and alley in the rear.
The design isn't final. The concept is what the builder -- downtown's redevelopment agency, the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. -- will seek when it advertises for bids this fall.
The winning bidder will design and build the courthouse. The firm will have latitude with the ultimate look, said Greg Strollo of Strollo Architects in Youngstown, which drew the concept.
The committee also denied a request from Go Outdoor Advertising to erect a billboard at the south end of the Market Street Bridge.
The board's guidelines say no signs on poles are allowed in the downtown unless the sign is advertising for a specific business on the property. The company can appeal the decision to the city zoning appeals board.