Columbus Avenue Revitalization

Marous Development Group and Sea Sand Holdings, the property owners, partnered to redevelop the block into a mixed-use project, including the new Sandusky City Hall. The project utilized both Federal and State of Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits, as well as special financing provided by the City. Our team selected to lead the Design-Build delivery, providing in-house historic preservation consulting, design, and construction services. The project’s 16-month timeline saw the completion of a comprehensive renovation, stabilizing the buildings structurally and preserving their historic character while introducing modern functionality. The renovation encompassed a total of 53,000 square feet, with 21,600 square feet dedicated to City Hall, 8,500 square feet for retail space, and 21,200 square feet for 18 market-rate apartments. Marous Brothers Construction performed extensive structural stabilization prior to completing the interior and exterior renovations, all in adherence to the Department of the Interior’s historic preservation guidelines. The completed development not only revitalized and reactivated all floors of three local landmark historic buildings (the Whitworth Building, the Kingsbury Building and the Commercial Banking & Trust Co.) but creatively and intentionally distinguished each programmatically through creative system installations and architectural design. Today, this award-winning Public-Private Partnership project serves as a catalyst for further growth and redevelopment in Downtown Sandusky, earning praise from residents, city officials and the preservation community alike as a remarkable transformation of a vital historic block within the downtown commercial historic district.