There soon will be activity in the long-vacant Pythian Castle as renovations to the historic downtown building are set to resume this week.
The City of Toledo granted a building permit Tuesday for crews to construct a new first floor, fifth floor, and roof on the brick six-story building, work that developer Dave Ball said was delayed by structural issues, winter weather, and a slow permitting process with the city.
“It’s been a challenge. We finally had everybody in the room together and figured it out,” he said. “We’re on track. We’ll get this thing done.”
Mr. Ball acquired the 128-year-old building at Jefferson Avenue and Ontario Street in 2016 from the Lucas County Land Bank, which itself acquired the structure in 2013 through a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. Mr. Ball paid $300 for the building, and the land bank gave him $247,300 to put toward replacing the roof and stabilizing the structure’s tower.
The building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was built by the fraternal organization Knights of Pythias, who left in 1951 after selling the property to Greyhound Lines. It hasn’t been occupied since the 1970s, and its roof and interior fell into disrepair.
As part of his agreement with the land bank, Mr. Ball has to produce a certificate of occupancy by November 2019 or repay the $247,300.
Last year his crews put up a steel support structure to stabilize the building’s Gothic turrets, and in the process of that work discovered how dilapidated the building’s interior was.
Ken Fischer, the city’s commissioner of building inspection, said a restoration project always is more complex than a new build, and therefore can take more time to get through the permitting process. Mr. Ball said he is confident the renovation will now proceed smoothly and be complete within the land bank’s timeline.
“Now that they’re at this stage, it’s going to be moving,” Mr. Fischer said.
Mr. Ball said he isn’t sure yet what the building will house when the renovation is complete. He expects at least the first floor will be commercial, though he said the second and third floors could easily function as commercial space as well. Floors four and five would function well as either residential or commercial, he added.
Part of the property’s appeal is the potential for parking. Mr. Ball also owns the adjacent former Greyhound bus terminal and its parking lot, which could create a 150-space lot if the two properties were combined.
“We could put secure gated parking on site, which is really unusual,” he said.
Lucas County Land Bank President David Mann called the Pythian Castle a “historic treasure” in downtown Toledo.
“Getting a roof on it as soon as possible will help ensure that it survives for another hundred or more years,” he said.
Contact Sarah Elms at selms@theblade.com, 419-724-6103, or on Twitter @BySarahElms.
First Published April 6, 2018, 9:48 p.m.
