A renovation is planned for the former CSX Rail Depot in Delaware. Located at the southeast corner of East Central Avenue and Lake Street, the historic building has been slowly deteriorating for decades.
Columbus-based RiverWest Partners is now moving forward with the project after pandemic-related delays. An LLC associated with the firm bought the property in November of 2019 for $185,000 from CSX Transportation, according to property records.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to revitalize a piece of Ohio’s history,” said Brian Suiter, Principal. “We are anticipating working to get the building on the registry, pursuing historic tax credits and if the city is willing, to seek available abatements as well.”
Early plans call for exposing more of the building’s stone foundation, “to allow for walkout restaurant and patio space along Lake Street,” according to a press release.
Suiter said he anticipates a mix of retail and office tenants in the building.
As for when work might start on the renovation, he said there’s no firm timeline. In addition to going through the historic tax credit process, the project will need to get approval from the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, and may also require zoning changes (although the building most recently held a flower shop, so it has a retail use in its recent past).
“The City of Delaware has been incredibly collaborative so far and have been really good partners in this project and others that we have in the pipeline on this side of town,” Suiter added.
The building, which was listed in 2018 as one of “Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites,” initially served passengers of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis (C. C. C. & I.) Railway Company before becoming a part of the New York Central Railroad. Passenger train service to the station stopped in 1950.
