Powers Auditorium RestorationYoungstown, Ohio

Project Description

The original Warner Theater in Youngstown, Ohio, was saved from the wrecking ball in 1968 and became the home of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. No major work occurred in the building again until 2000 when Balog Steines Hendricks & Manchester designed an addition, which houses desperately needed support space, including a new music library and elevator servicing the second floor and mezzanine. As a part of this project, former storefront space adjacent to the Theater entrance was converted into new Symphony Society offices and a new box office area that not only serves the Symphony but other public and private performance venues. Granite and decorative metal panels, salvaged from a former downtown Youngstown landmark (The Higbee Building), were utilized in the new design for the box office entrance. Additional projects included the restoration of the façade and windows, which was approved and coordinated by the State Historic Preservation Office; repair of interior decorative plaster, refurbishment of the house seating, flooring replacement and repair, repair and reconfiguring restrooms for ADA, decorative painting, technology delivery systems, lighting restorations, terrazzo and metal work repair, and a new digital marquee to capture the essence of the original which was destroyed in 1969.

Awards

2005 Mahoning Valley Historical Society Historic Preservation Award for Commercial Revitalization