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Commercial Projects
Poland Library
Poland, Ohio
 
Drawing from the village's Greek Revival heritage, the 35,619 sf new library could easily have overwhelmed its neighbors, but the design specifically downplays its size by creating the look of four smaller gable-front houses intrinsic to the architecture and scale of the community.  
 
One important aspect in the design included meeting green architecture goals.  Two of the most significant recycled items are 1) the re-use of the stone window surrounds from the previous library and 2) incorporating the Historic Poland Union Seminary dormitory (built in 1846), where it remains a functioning part of the library.   The dormitory is located on the far left of the library.
 
This project has won several awards and been featured in numerous national publications.

 

 
Mercer County Courthouse
Mercer, Pennsylvania
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The Mercer County Courthouse underwent a 3-1/2 year interior and exterior restoration bringing it back to its original grandeur.  The lower level was never finished originally, but is finished today replicating the rest of the courthouse and now provides the only on-grade ADA entrance.  Also included in the renovation was creating a fourth courtroom that was mandated by the State. 

 

The most difficult part of the project was keeping the courthouse open and functioning while doing the extensive renovations.  Serving as architect and project manager helped to minimize costs and maintain the project timeline.  The end result is a building that is a great and valuable asset to the County, which will be here for many generations to come.

 

Mahoning County Courthouse
Youngstown, Ohio
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Built in 1910, the five-story Second Renaissance Revival building was constructed to symbolize the area's prosperity from the steel industry and was "to be the finest courthouse between Chicago and New York".  It features laviish terra cotta, great marble Corinthian columns, canvas artworks, ornamental brass, ornate gold-leaf moldings, and Honduran mahogany.

 

The enterior and interior historic restoration of this 137,000 sq ft landmark was completed in 1990.  All work was done according to the Secretary of the Interior Standards for restoration and rehabilitation of historic structures.  4M Company served as architect and construction manager, which was vital in controlling costs and maintaining progression of the work. The Courthouse remained open and functioning during the entire renovation.  This project achieved many national, state, and regional awards.

Boardman Park Community Center
Boardman, Ohio
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The renovation and expansion of the former Community Center has completely changed the facility in both appearance and functionality.  The Park can now offer a magnificent place to gather, complete with a new commercial kitchen that is accessible from both meeting rooms within the building.  

 

The expansion of the main meeting room now accommodates seating for up to 120.  Some of its greatest features are the expansive glass windows including a folding Nana window wall, cathedral ceilings, and tree trunk timber columns.  The outdoor patio located just outside the folding glass wall provides additional seating for outdoor patio dining.

Austintown Library
Austintown, Ohio
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This library features a timeless, contemporary one floor design highlighted by a white brick veneer, a traditional gable-type roof, and walls of windows that take advantage of the lush green setting on a wooded five-acre site while letting the sunlight stream into the building.

 

A skylighted atrium entrance houses a cafe.  Other design features are the large children's programming area & activity room, a community meeting room with a seating capacity of 125, a teen area, indoor and outdoor terrace reading areas, and the computer & technology spaces.

 

Boardman Township Park Offices
& Georgiana Parker Meeting Room
Boardman, Ohio
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The existing park offices and meeting room were an outdated, unattractive community center that was built in the 1960's.  In dire need of more office space and an additional meeting area, renovation and expansion of this building was a necessity.

 

The original simplistic design provided the opportunity to enhance and expand while maintaining cost levels.  A new office wing was added to the right keeping the building symetrical.  Large expansive window sections were used to allow the natural beauty penetrate inward. 

 

Exterior colors on the siding and roof were selected to reflect the park surroundings.  The interiors are dominated by distintive wood-look vinyl flooring.

Youngstown East Library
Youngstown, Ohio
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The concept of this library was to take on a civic role as a community center and serve as a catalyst to the revitalization of the neighboring community.  The chosen location is ideal for the changing demographic and population shift.  Its design is classical yet contemporary which is especially evident with its stylish interior furnishings.

 

One is easily drawn to the library by its peaked building forms, circular cut-outs, and the characteristic way it relates to the street.  The use of glass window walls provides transparency enhancing the view from within while offering a wealth of natural lighting.

 

The interior courtyard allows the cafe, meeting room, and reading areas to succeed as lively gathering places.  Nature's beauty is forever present from any angle while inside.

Youngstown Kenworth Offices
Youngstown, Ohio
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To fulfill the Owner's desire to remain in his current location yet have a new and exciting look, our design was to mimic the front of the Kenworth Truck.  Thus, the exterior of the building was wrapped in stainless steel while the front entrance noticeably resembles the front view of a semi-truck - all complete with the look of the exhaust stacks and the front grill area.

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Youngstown Kenworth is the most unique-looking dealership amongst all of the Kenworth dealerships.

Peterson Park
Poland, Ohio
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Peterson Park was uniquely designed to replace an unsightly abandoned gas station located in the center of town at the intersection of several crossroads.  This space was turned into a "Vest Pocket Park" to define the village center.

 

This green space is defined by the clock tower, which is used to emphasize the park's location. The park is further complimented by a fountain, a statue of the Polish Heroes, pergolas, and finished off with beautiful landscaping of plants and lighting. 

Roth Bros. Office Renovation
Youngstown, Ohio
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The vision for the outdoor signage was to showcase the Company's own fabricating abilities and reflect on its recent innovation, growth, and acquisition.

 

The interior remodeling now provides departmentalized individual workstations increasing efficiency and productivity.  Public spaces were enhanced offering more casual interaction among the employees.

 

What was once an unused patio area between buildings has been transformed into a beautiful outdoor dining and meeting terrace.  This area is now complete with inviting landscaping, outdoor furniture, and a custom-made waterfall feature that also provides sound masking.

Springfield Library
Springfield, Ohio
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This library was once an old convenience store.  Adapting the building into an attractive, inviting space was accomplished by adding a gable entrance and columns to the exterior.  Today, one would never know this building had such a different use when it was first built.

 

Once inside, the space was easily transformed into a welcoming environment.  The use of windows provides an array of natural light while offering a view to the outdoors.  The children, youth, and adult reading areas are complete with appealing, comfortable seating.  The overall interior design is a sophisticated style.

Walgreens
Poland, Ohio
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One of the most dominant sites within Poland Village was nothing more than urban blight.  Against significant resistance from the community because of their dislike of big box stores, the design was undertaken from the local level to insure that the predominate traditional Greek Revival style of architecture would prevail.  After many community meetings and assurance from the developer and Walgreens' uppermost management, the final design was accepted and approved by the  community.

 

The building and site incorporate many of the design principles used in traditional town planning.  The design is two stories in appearance for scale and defines the street wall as being five distinct and separate store fronts.  The building is designed to be exposed on all four elevations due to the configuration of the site and its placement. 

 

 

St. Charles Church
Ministry Building &
School Renovation/Addition
Boardman, Ohio
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The elementary school building was in dire need of renovation and it lacked functionality as well.  New classrooms were built to replace the modular ones being used.  The desire for cultural education rooms to house art, computer and music were added to the design.  A new cafeteria, administrative offices, and a lobby/reception area were incorporated into the new design. 

 

The ministry building was built to house meeting rooms on the ground level and administrative offices on the second floor.  Pre-finished moveable trend walls were used in some areas to allow flexibility to future change.

WENDELL AUGUST FORGE
Grove City, PA
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This master plan was designed to be the new site for this business after it suffered a devasting fire that destroyed its offices and worshop.  Our concept would expand on the old facility increasing it to over 11,000 sq ft.  Included would be corporate offices, manufacturing forge, warehouse storage,  museum, and a new retail shop.  The  proposed new site is located beside the Grove City Outlet stores, which is a highly visible and well-visited location affording the continued success of this family business.

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