Story of the year No. 3: Downtown's rise continues with Arcade, Sullivan, McKenna's, Athan

Kent Mallett
Newark Advocate
The historic Sullivan Building on the corner of West Main and North Third streets.

NEWARK – The city's $22 million, nearly four-year downtown utility upgrade project ended in 2018, but the momentum for downtown improvements continued right through 2019.

The Newark Development Partners purchased The Arcade and plans major improvements. The $7.7. million restoration of the historic Sullivan Building began. McKenna's Market opened to rave reviews. A descendant of the Natoma restaurant founder will open a restaurant in the former Natoma location.

An even more expensive utility project on Fourth Street will bring three more roundabouts to downtown starting in 2020. The downtown Special Improvement District continues to fund downtown parking enforcement, security and beautification. The Mark opened on North Park Place. Baba's Grill opened on East Main Street. More than 40 loft apartments have now opened, with more on the way.

Explore Licking County named the Canal Market District its Attraction of the Year. The Downtown Newark Food Truck Festival won Event of the Year. DoubleTree by Hilton won Lodging Partner of the Year. And, Susie's Bistro and Bakery on West Main Street won Food and Beverage Partner of the Year.

Alex Athan, managing partner of Barrel & Boar and great grandson of The Natoma founder George Athan, announced plans to open 1922 On The Square in the former Natoma and Park Place Bistro location.

Visitors to an all-day roundabout conference here in September fell in love with The Square.

"This is phenomenal what you guys have done here," Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 employee Dianne Kahal-Berman said. "This is one of those places people will discover and want to live. This place is going to explode because you're doing things right."

Newark Development Partners Chairman Dan DeLawder said the Special Improvement District has worked out as planned.

“It’s an incredibly successful venture property owners took on to assess themselves fees," DeLawder said. "Members will tell you it's improved their business. There's just a lot of positives, more than just the utility upgrade project. We have great momentum in Newark, Ohio.”

The SID paid to remove more than 1,100 pounds of garbage this year and 63,150 gallons of water for watering plants and flowers. It also funded leaf collection, mowing, mulching, weeding and street sweeping.

For decades, residents have wondered what the Arcade was like back when it opened in 1909, and if it could ever be recreated. It once featured an orchestra playing over the Fourth Street entrance, dances every night and children playing around a fountain. A theater was later added and the building at one time became T-shaped, extending all the way to West Main Street.

In the last decade, The Arcade has been placed on 24-hour a day fire watch, flooded multiple times due to sprinkler lines freezing or water main breaks and cited for fire code violations on several occasions.

NDP Chairman Dan DeLawder said, "The Arcade area is a crucial part of the downtown district. It holds special value in our community's heritage, and it has tremendous potential as the next step in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Newark. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of this historical property and look forward to it becoming, once again, a unique jewel in our city."

The Sullivan Building, opened in 1915 as the Home Building Association Company. It was one of eight banks, known as jewel boxes, designed by famous architect Louis Sullivan. The Licking County Foundation announced in October its capital campaign raised the funds to begin the exterior restoration.

The exterior work will restore the facade, including the intricate terra cotta, art-glass windows and mosaics, and install new doors, lower-level windows, roof and facade illumination. The interior restoration will include the murals, marble, mahogany, safe, lighting, check counters and wood benches.

Eschol Curl, chairman of the Licking County Foundation Governing Board, said, "Restoring this building's facade was imperative. It;'s what has drawn people from all walks of life to the building for over a century. Someday soon it will become the center of Licking County tourism."

Explore Licking County will move into the building when it's completed, possibly in 2021.

The Natoma restaurant closed in 2010, ending 88 years of the Athan family operating the downtown landmark, which opened in 1922. Alex Athan, great-grandson of Natoma founder George Athan,  announced in September he will open 1922 On The Square in the former Natoma location, previously home of Park Place Bistro.

"This is pretty humbling for me," said Athan, a managing partner at nearby Barrel & Boar. "I never set out to do this. Never thought about it. It's a wonderful opportunity, a great opportunity to honor this space, the hard work there, and honor my family."

kmallett@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8545

Twitter: @kmallett1958