"If you lose buildings, you lose history."
Y he bought it
Thousands and thousands sneakers have pounded the hardwood floors of the former Titusville YMCA basketball courts since it first became a gathering place for area youth in 1913.
Nathaniel Licht was one of the of many children who laced up their Doc Martins, Adidas or Nikes for a few hours after school or on the weekends. Now, as he remembers those days, he sees a future of heels and dress shoes gliding across a dance floor in a converted ballroom to host weddings, music and special events.
Licht bought the building this week with lofty intentions to have a mixed commercial and retail space occupying the first floor right around the time when summer turns to fall. Licht is excited about the possibilities.
The more than a century old building has stood vacant for six years. Licht had been interested for awhile and when the price was right he nabbed the building. Now a few days in, he is going to start by turning the water on and see what leaks. "I'm sure we'll find some, but hopefully not many," he said as he is ready for the quick repairs and moving on to the next step.
Licht has been around renovations since he was a kid when his mother one day decided to take a hammer to a wall in order to start a project in their home. He even has an uncle who purchased a former YMCA building in Alton, Illinois. "To a lot of other people [this] seems like a lot of work - to me it's just another day at the office," he said.
Nathaniel Licht was one of the of many children who laced up their Doc Martins, Adidas or Nikes for a few hours after school or on the weekends. Now, as he remembers those days, he sees a future of heels and dress shoes gliding across a dance floor in a converted ballroom to host weddings, music and special events.
Licht bought the building this week with lofty intentions to have a mixed commercial and retail space occupying the first floor right around the time when summer turns to fall. Licht is excited about the possibilities.
The more than a century old building has stood vacant for six years. Licht had been interested for awhile and when the price was right he nabbed the building. Now a few days in, he is going to start by turning the water on and see what leaks. "I'm sure we'll find some, but hopefully not many," he said as he is ready for the quick repairs and moving on to the next step.
Licht has been around renovations since he was a kid when his mother one day decided to take a hammer to a wall in order to start a project in their home. He even has an uncle who purchased a former YMCA building in Alton, Illinois. "To a lot of other people [this] seems like a lot of work - to me it's just another day at the office," he said.
He has some lofty goals for the 20,000 square foot structure that was built solid with a steel skeleton and plenty of layers of thick hardwood through out. He is hoping to restore the first floor to what it looked like in 1913 and have it ready for the first tenants by the end of September.
To achieve that, he needs to get a picture of exactly how it to look.
"I'm looking for photos, especially of the common [first floor] area," he said as he showed some of the buried features covered up from years of paneling and drop ceiling "improvements" to the building.
His goal is preservation, not goldmine.
He said he hopes to break even, but knows its going to cost him some money to save this piece of history. But he has a passion for keeping the building as a thriving part of Titusville. "I think if you lose buildings, you lose history," he said.
To achieve that, he needs to get a picture of exactly how it to look.
"I'm looking for photos, especially of the common [first floor] area," he said as he showed some of the buried features covered up from years of paneling and drop ceiling "improvements" to the building.
His goal is preservation, not goldmine.
He said he hopes to break even, but knows its going to cost him some money to save this piece of history. But he has a passion for keeping the building as a thriving part of Titusville. "I think if you lose buildings, you lose history," he said.
Licht 26th birthday is coming up at the end of the month. He posted on social media a perfect gift for him would be help clean up the building. The response has been impressive. "People I don't even know," Licht said about the response. "They all have a memory, a good memory of being in the building, I think that's the common denominator."
So on August 29th, a slew of volunteers are expected to ascend on the old building to begin ripping up old carpet, tearing down boards over windows to let light flow in again, washing windows and scraping paint. He also wants to really spruce up the grounds outside the building, pull up weeds and sweep sidewalks. "There is a long list of chores for any skill set," he said.
Volunteers are welcome to come anytime that day after noon and should bring with their own masks and gloves.
As a thank you, Licht will provide dinner and a parting gift. "I'm sending them all home with a trophy," he said with a laugh as he looked over at dozens of old YMCA trophies that have been left behind.
"It'll probably be the best birthday party ever," he said.
So on August 29th, a slew of volunteers are expected to ascend on the old building to begin ripping up old carpet, tearing down boards over windows to let light flow in again, washing windows and scraping paint. He also wants to really spruce up the grounds outside the building, pull up weeds and sweep sidewalks. "There is a long list of chores for any skill set," he said.
Volunteers are welcome to come anytime that day after noon and should bring with their own masks and gloves.
As a thank you, Licht will provide dinner and a parting gift. "I'm sending them all home with a trophy," he said with a laugh as he looked over at dozens of old YMCA trophies that have been left behind.
"It'll probably be the best birthday party ever," he said.
His vision of returning the building to how it was designed in the early 20th century means tearing out what appears to be over a mile of paneling and a sky's worth of drop ceiling to reveal the ornamental architecture. There's also linoleum glued to original tile and hard wood molding covered by paint for decades. All of which he hopes to bring back to life again.
First floor is his immediate priority. He's like to get tenants in that space as soon as possible. He is hoping for niche shops or "stores that can work as an attraction to Titusville." And he wants to offer office or studio spaces as well and expects to be able to have an apartment or two eventually on the second floor.
The gym will be after that will be revitalized as a ballroom and concert space, but he doesn't expect that to be ready for a couple years. He will work his way through the building as time and money allows. The old two lane swimming pool he isn't sure what wants to do with yet. "I'm looking for ideas," he said, though his self-diagnosed "car problem" has him wonder if it might make a good space to park some classic cars.
The top floor will be a last priority but he hopes eventually to make it into a working part of the building down the road.
The building will be renamed the Parkside but will have many reminders of its rich YMCA history.
First floor is his immediate priority. He's like to get tenants in that space as soon as possible. He is hoping for niche shops or "stores that can work as an attraction to Titusville." And he wants to offer office or studio spaces as well and expects to be able to have an apartment or two eventually on the second floor.
The gym will be after that will be revitalized as a ballroom and concert space, but he doesn't expect that to be ready for a couple years. He will work his way through the building as time and money allows. The old two lane swimming pool he isn't sure what wants to do with yet. "I'm looking for ideas," he said, though his self-diagnosed "car problem" has him wonder if it might make a good space to park some classic cars.
The top floor will be a last priority but he hopes eventually to make it into a working part of the building down the road.
The building will be renamed the Parkside but will have many reminders of its rich YMCA history.
Licht has a small box of photographs that will also be a part of the decor in his renovation vision and he welcomes more photos. The more pictures he has, the more he preserves the history of the building. And different views from the past will help him restore it to its original form.
He has been overwhelmed with the response from the public in just a few short days. After posting he bought the building, word spread like wildfire with many people sharing it and offering support. Comments on his social media post range from congratulations to inquiries about renting space.
"You've started something magnificent, labor intensive, and worth the struggle that lies inside those walls. I have no doubt this will be one of your greatest achievements. You are a natural visionary," one Facebook response read.
"You've started something magnificent, labor intensive, and worth the struggle that lies inside those walls. I have no doubt this will be one of your greatest achievements. You are a natural visionary," one Facebook response read.
For Licht it is simply a "labour of love," that he is excited about developing. People have asked him what he plans. He laughs and says "plans are for people seeking grants, I have a direction and we are going to head in that direction."
This story was updated at 4:45 p.m. August 21.
This story was updated at 4:45 p.m. August 21.
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