Jackson Township company buys Barberton Armory site in Barberton, former Stark State campus
A Jackson Township company has bought the old Barberton Armory site on Norton Avenue in the city. The purchase closed on Tuesday.
W Construction Supply, which supplies concrete and masonry accessories, rebar and related products to the construction industry, plans to open a second location at the Barberton site. Its Jackson Township location will remain open.
The company's has supplied products used in major projects throughout Northeast Ohio, including Kenmore-Garfield High School and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village.
The old Armory building was constructed in 1965, with the addition of a parking lot in 2012, according to county records. It housed the Barberton Stark State campus for several years before the educational institution moved out last year.
The site is currently owned by the Barberton Community Foundation, which bought the property for $410,000 in 2008.
Here's what we know about the property at 666 Norton Avenue.
A site with room for growth
Ted Herncane, director of economic development for the Barberton Community Foundation, said W Construction is expected to employee 20-25 individuals at its Barberton location.
The site is large enough to accommodate future growth.
"It's really a great site," Herncane said. "There is opportunity for expansion on all four sides of the building."
Clearing the path for a deal
City Council was asked to help expedite the deal by removing covenants on the property that limited its use.
The restrictions were put in place by ordinances in 1949 and 1954.
They contained a clause that the land, then owned by the state, would revert to the city under certain conditions.
"The city put a covenant on it so it couldn't be anything but an armory," Mayor William Judge said.
Prime location in city
The 6-acre site is located immediately west of Decker Park, Dairy Queen and Rocky's and includes an original concrete block structure of about 16,500 square feet built in 1965.
A parking lot was added in 2012, about the time Stark State moved in.
The community college spent about $1.8 million to renovate the site, but later shifted its Summit County presence to Akron.
More: Al's Quality Market celebrates 75 years in Barberton
"It is another exciting (development) in the Magic City," Judge said.
Armory once had a military equipment on display
"There used to be a Sherman tank in front of it when I was a kid," Judge said.
Like the cannon at Lake Anna, he and other children used to climb on it, he said.
Prime location in Barberton
The Armory site is less than a half-mile west of the Newell Street Industrial Park project, for which the city recently received a $350,000 ODOT grant from the county.
"That's the last, largest tract of land in the city," Judge said.
He said the development has drawn widespread attention.
"There are a lot of interested parties, some local, some out of state, that have expressed interest," he said.
More: Community Spotlight: Lake, historic downtown with eclectic retailers make Barberton magical
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Construction supply company from Jackson Township buys Armory site
