North Ridgeville Mayor Kevin Corcoran and the North Ridgeville Fire Department issued a closure order March 30 on the city’s Old Town Hall building, 36119 Center Ridge Road.
Now a community center known as the Olde Towne Hall Theatre, the building originally got its start in 1883, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Corcoran said that the decision to officially close the city landmark, even temporarily, was not an easy one.
“Our priority is the safety of the residents and visitors to our community,” he said. “This decision is one that we did not reach lightly.”
According to a March 30 news release by the city of North Ridgeville, the city brought in a third-party inspector before reaching its decision.
Inspectors from John Patrick Picard Architect Inc. were brought in to see if the building still was usable or if it needed to be shut down.
“The primary safety concern at this time is the failing electrical system that is currently endangering the occupants and the structure,” the inspector’s report stated. “Secondly, but no less important, the substandard emergency means of egress out of this building, that in the case of an emergency, puts its occupants in harm’s way.”
The report also recommended the building be shut down, according to the release.
Beyond the loss of a historic monument in North Ridgeville, the closure presents a problem for the building’s current tenants, Old Towne Hall Theatre and the North Ridgeville Historical Society.
“Olde Towne Hall Theatre has been using the building for decades, along with the North Ridgeville Historical Society,” Corcoran said. “We are certainly concerned about the preservation of our history, which includes the building and its contents.
“More so, we are concerned about the people — the members of those groups and their visitors that use that building.”
Despite the shutdown, those who worked in the building are happy to see that their safety is being taken seriously.
“We’re pleased that the city is taking the safety of not only our members but the community so seriously,” said Kathy Bly, secretary for the North Ridgeville Historical Society. “We hope to be back in the building in the near future to continue our purpose of preserving the history of our town.”
Any previously scheduled use of the building has been postponed indefinitely, according to the release.
Corcoran urged the public to be patient as the city attempts to repair the building.
“We’ll do our best to figure out how we can make the building safe to use again in the future,” he said. “Unfortunately, this will not happen in a short time.”
