The now vacant, but once elegant, Packard Apartment Building on North Park Avenue in owned by a man named Steve Coon, a real estate developer based in Canton who specializes in restoring old buildings. Mr. Coon has told several people in Warren that he intends to begin the restoration of this magnificent structure next spring. I certainly hope so — especially after sitting through a webinar today in which he, Josh Smith, the City Manager of Hamilton, Ohio and several other people discussed the recently completed, $8 million renovation of what are now called the Hamilton Mercantile Lofts.

What an incredible addition it would be to Warren to have something of this quality developed in our downtown.

Mr. Coons has a reputation for being in love with the process of restoring old buildings and doing so with a level of quality and attention to detail that reflects that love. It is evident in this short video in which he gives the viewer a tour of an old church he bought in downtown Canton. You can also see a slideshow of some of his other projects here.

Thanks to George Piscsalko of TNP for setting-up the webinar showing. The restoration of the Packard Apartments is recommended in the Warren Strategic Plan.