Glow-in-the-dark lighting proposed for downtown building

The new owner of an underutilized downtown building proposes striking new facade elements as part of a renovation plan.

Canadian firm Olymbec purchased the 11-story building at 111 W. First St. at auction earlier this year.

The building, which was only about a quarter occupied, will benefit from capital improvements and upgrades to attract new tenants, company officials said.

The company has proposed installing new facades on the south and east portions of the building, including new LED lighting to glow at night. The design plan features a bright red metal panel spandrels.

“It will jazz up that area,” said Mary Beth Caudill, zoning appeals board member.

The Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday approved a variance request to install facades.

The project calls for removing and replacing the curtain wall on the south and east sides of the building.

There will be bright red rectangular metal exterior designs intended to make the building stand out, a staff report states.

The red accents will have LED lighting around the edges for nighttime illumination. The plans also include a new canopy for the main entrance and the addition of a bright red sign reading 111 on the west side on the building.

The glow-in-the dark components could complement the downtown skyline, which features some colorfully lit-up buildings. The Montgomery County administration building has LED lights that span the entire front and back corners of the 12-story structure.

City staff recommend approval of the variance, saying the facade upgrades will “add an eclectic and dynamic style” to a building in the Central Business District.

Caudill, with the zoning appeals board, said she can see why the owner wants to make the changes to market the property.

“It’s dramatic, it’s different, it’s interesting,” she said.

Renovations will occur inside the office building, but what type will depend on the occupants, said Mike Duke, with John Poe Architects.

Matt Sauer, a local architect and member of the Dayton Plan Board, asked the zoning appeals board to table the case, saying there was insufficient information about the ground floor level’s relationship to the sidewalk.

But Duke and city staff said there would be no significant changes to the first-floor.

The project summary says the ground floor storefront windows will be replaced with a new storefront.

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