Lease Signing for Historic Carlisle Building

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 14, 2014

Chillicothe, OH – a Lease Signing Ceremony, held yesterday, kicked off the long-awaited collaborative efforts to restore and preserve a beloved landmark in Chillicothe, Ohio. Adena Health System, the largest healthcare provider in the south central Ohio region, signed a 15-year lease to occupy 100% of the historic Carlisle building, using the first floor for community-focused business operations and the upper floors as housing for physician residents and medical students.

The prominent Carlisle Building, located at the corner of Paint and Main Streets, in the heart of Chillicothe’s downtown, will undergo an extensive $7 million renovation. The Chesler Group, Inc. (TCG) will restore the circa 1885 Romanesque, four-story building to its former glory.  The facility will include approximately 32 apartments for Adena’s medical residents and students who will occupy three floors of living space. The first floor will include offices for some Adena staff, and a community conference space.

“With the solid support of the Adena Board of Trustees, we have taken on this project as a way to meet the housing needs of the young doctors we are bringing to Chillicothe for training; and to give back to the community that supports us by helping to spur economic growth in our downtown,” said Adena President and CEO Mark Shuter. “Adena is proud to be able to make this commitment to Chillicothe, our longtime hometown.”

Adena’s growing Graduate Medical Education (GME) program has made it necessary for Adena to invest in housing for dozens of physician residents and medical students who are training at the local hospital. Shuter added, “By locating dozens of young professionals in downtown apartments, and employees in first-floor offices, Adena can help generate future economic development, bringing in dollars and creating jobs.”

Over the past decade, the 35,100 square-foot condemned structure has suffered severe damages and was partially destroyed by arson in 2003 and has been vacant ever since. “This building represents the spine of traditional Chillicothe,” Michael Chesler, President of TCG, said. “You tear these buildings down, you lose your sense of history, you lose your sense of place. … When you restore these buildings, it gives everyone a sense of time a hundred years ago.” TCG is an award winning, vertically integrated redeveloper of commercial buildings with a special emphasis on the adaptive reuse of historic structures. With over 20 years experience in the restoration construction business, TCG understands the unique challenges facing historic buildings.

The importance of this community revitalization effort has been recognized by JobsOhio, the City of Chillicothe, and the Chillicothe Ross Community Foundation, all of which have played pivotal roles in making this project possible.  TCG will also utilize Federal and State Historic Tax Credits for the project, which is expected to begin in this spring and conclude in late 2015.

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                                                                                                                            Photo: Chesler Group