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“Our redevelopment plans at the Broadway Building include creating 55 studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. The historic renovation will utilize energy efficient materials and fixtures and retain original historic finishes and artifacts,” Mr. Louthen adds.

The Broadway Building under construction in 1925. (This photo and photo of sign at top: Dan Brady)

The rehabilitation work will include improvements to meet current building code and restore the exterior masonry, and a refurbished attached parking garage. The existing building is on the National Register of Historic Places and will benefit from Federal and State Historic Tax Credits generated from eligible costs of the estimated $10M total.

A Lorain postcard, circa 1917.

Broadway at the loop, circa 1905. (Dennis Lamont)

A train car, circa 1938.  The Broadway Building can be seen at left. (Harry Christiansen)

The residential units will be located on all floors and the building will also provide renovated commercial spaces for lease with frontage along Broadway and Erie Avenue. The Broadway Building amenity spaces will be located on the ground and lower level. The amenities will include covered parking, fitness center, pool and hot tub, cedar sauna, locker rooms, rooftop garden with panoramic views, business center, arts and crafts studio, resident meeting/lounge spaces, storage lockers, and a sunken garden with sculptural water fountain and seating. The renovated apartment finishes will include hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, vintage energy-efficient windows, 9’ high ceilings, in-unit climate control, and in-unit washer and dryer. The Broadway Building is in the heart of Lorain’s historic downtown and adjacent to the waterfront. Each apartment will offer spectacular views to the historic downtown, Erie Avenue bascule bridge, and waterfront views to Lake Erie and the Black River.

The Vernam Block at the northwest corner of Broadway and Erie in the late 1920’s. (Dennis Lamont)

Each resident will enjoy watching boats and ships pass by the Erie Avenue Bridge, considered the worlds second largest bascule bridge. A professional property management company with an on-site manager will oversee the day-to-day operations and maintenance. Special resident programs are pre-arranged, featuring leasable boat slips through the Harborwalk Marina, life-long learning classes through the downtown campus of Lorain County Community College, dining at the Broadway Building Bistro, and a membership package to the Palace Theater.

Black River Landing is now the site of Roverfest and other events. (Lorain365)

Another feature of the Broadway Building is its proximity to the Black River Landing Park and Festival Grounds, a $7 million multi-modal center and riverfront park located on a 13-acre parcel along the Black River in Lorain, Ohio. Mr. Louthen supervised this multipurpose project that included planning for a commuter rail station, docking facilities for excursion boats, civic festival grounds, and a downtown riverfront park. The Black River Station involved the design of bulkheads, roadways, pavements, cut/fill analyses, grading, utilities, and site lighting, as well as mechanical, electrical, and structural design for both the train station and festival areas. The Park features trails, gardens, amphitheater, weekly concerts, a water taxi to fishing islands, a community building, and the permanent home to Lorain’s acclaimed annual International Festival & Bazaar. Black River Landing and the Broadway Building are directly accessible to public transportation, shopping, and the region.

The design for Black River Landing was created by the team at ReTown. 

Finally, the residents of the Broadway Building can look forward to future improvements of the downtown and waterfront championed by ReTown, the City of Lorain and the Lorain Port Authority.

Mr. Louthen has worked with the Village of Robbins for over a decade, and is the visionary and founding developer for the project. Mr. Louthen is responsible for creating the master development plan, the installation of the Village’s Business District, and the recruitment of private expertise and investment. While Mr. Davis and The Will Group focus on the industrial project, Mr. Louthen and ReTown will focus on the development of a transit-oriented, affordable residential neighborhood featuring 70-newly constructed townhomes, clubhouse, and parkland within walking distance to the Metra Station and future commercial properties. Mr. Louthen previously championed that new Robbins commuter train station, a $3 million development built in partnership with the Regional Transportation Authority and Metra. In 2007, Mr. Louthen helped create a comprehensive plan for the Village of Robbins. In 2010, Mr. Louthen was awarded $5 million of HOME and NSP funds, and applied for Low Income Housing Tax Credits for the 70-unit townhome TOD residential subdivision. In 2013, Mr. Louthen helped the Village prepare a regional industrial intermodal development proposal that will create rail, barge, and truck access for distribution of limestone from the planned quarry.

The Village of Robbins is a proud, historic south suburban African American community located about 15 miles south of Chicago. The Village of Robbins was incorporated on December 14, 1917, and is the oldest all-black governed incorporated town in the northern United States. In 1930, Robbins became the home of the first black airport built in the United States. The airport and its flight school for African-Americans flourished until 1933, when a violent windstorm destroyed the hanger and the three airplanes inside.  The airport and flight school served as a model for the Tuskegee Airmen Program during WW II. The first black rodeo, pioneered by the late Thyrl Latting, also began in Robbins.

Recently, Robbins has suffered from blight and impoverishment, and subsequently, its population has dwindled from approximately 17,000 in the 1970s to just 5,337, according to the 2010 census. The ability of the Village to service its debt is challenged. Robbins has substantial land area in the floodplain, and a significant number of blighted properties.

At its core, Robbins is a proud community that cares deeply about family and faith.

 Due to many factors, some properties near the floodplain show conspicuous evidence of blight, neglect, and abandonment.

A new administration has restored great optimism within the community with a new 20-year vision to increase economic growth and redevelopment. The process began with a project advisory committee and a series of public workshops.

ReTown President and Managing Director Jim Louthen has been working to revitalize Robbins for more than a decade, and has entered into a Master Development Agreement that spells out a public-private partnership for multiple projects that are underway and described below.

Robbins Transit Oriented Development. “In 2002, Metra intended to close the Robbins commuter transit stop due to inactivity,” Mr. Louthen explains. “At that time, the train station was a flag-stop whereby the train conductor would stop the train only if a passenger was present and flagged/waved to the conductor, as if to hail a taxi cab.” Louthen subsequently worked with Metra and the Village of Robbins to develop a new transit facility. Thanks to Louthen’s efforts, today Robbins is a permanent Metra Rock Island Line train stop with a new train station, platforms, and new parking lot.

Renaissance Affordable Townhomes (Jenny’s Landing). The second phase of the Robbins master plan is a neighborhood of townhomes named Jenny’s Landing. The proposed project financing is from the 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit program through the Illinois Housing Development Authority, Federal Home Loan Bank, and Soft Private Equity Sources. The economic development work underway includes the implementation of a TIF district. The targeted income for the tenant population is 30%, 60%, and market rate average median income. The proposed residential buildings are planned to be attached multifamily units in groups of up to six units.

“The buildings are planned to be a mix of two-story and ranch homes, each with frame construction with cement board siding, architectural style roof shingles, and a garage,” Mr. Louthen explains. “What we are most excited about,” Louthen adds, “is the application of our ReTown approach to integrate all needs and desires of the community. In addition to the residences, a semi-public Community Building with a kitchen, bathroom, conference room, fitness, and office will be built to service this development. A park will be built with a tot lot and visitor parking. The park landscape will include a berm and fence that will separate the development from the railroad. The neighborhood will include prairie plantings to create a bio-diverse habitat and a community garden. A walking path will be provided. We also hope to build a youth ranch much like the Latting family has in Kankakee, Illinois.”

A youth ranch run by Mike Latting, a school principal from Robbins who also happens to be the son of the late Thyrl Latting, pioneer of the first black rodeo. The ranch gives young men an opportunity to train, work, ride, and learn, and also serves as a positive alternative to gangs and drugs. 

After-school learning with the Homework Helpers Program at the Robbins Community Center.

With the vision to ReThink, ReInvest, and ReBuild, ReTown looks forward to continued collaboration with the Village to write another positive chapter in the story of Robbins and put it back on the map.  For future generations in Robbins, there are no limits but the sky.

Learn about Robbins’ famous moments and star celebrities from curator Tyrone Haymore of the Robbins History Museum.

Robbins’ very own Bessie Coleman, the first black female pilot.

The late Thyrl Latting, pioneer of the first black rodeo.

The sexiest Trekkie on the TV show Star Trek, Lt. Uhuru, was played by Robbins native Nichelle Nichols.

A sign of optimism at the Hudson Boxing Academy in Robbins, led by resident and former martial arts champion Glenn Hudson.