Erie Ironworks Square is taking shape.

Erie Times-News Article by Jim Martin

Five years and $25 million have gone a long way toward transforming a poster child for industrial blight into what’s shaping up to be a showpiece.

The former Erie Malleable Iron Co. complex on West 12th Street, portions of which were built in 1880, was purchased by the Erie County Redevelopment Authority for $375,000 in February of 2021.

Environmental cleanup, including the removal of 800 barrels and 240 construction totes full of waste, had been completed by the time the Redevelopment Authority employees and architect David Brennan led public officials on a tour of the sprawling complex in September of 2022.

But the building itself, infused with the smell of decay, fueled by water that poured through gaping holes in the roof, suggested this was a project with a long way to go.

Some, including former Erie County Executive Brenton Davis, predicted it would never get there, at one point calling it a “cockamamie investment.”

He had described the project as beyond the scope of the Redevelopment Authority’s mission.

“I think this is going to be a bigger project than what is being let on,” he said. “I am just mindful of getting the Redevelopment Authority into something bigger than they are prepared to chew.”

Nearly four years later, the complex, now known as Ironworks Square, remains a work in progress, but it’s a work moving quickly toward completion.

Transformation of the property continues

The smell of decay is gone. New roofing panels have been installed, crumbling bricks have been replaced and most of the building’s steel skeleton has been sandblasted, sealed and reused. New windows have been installed as well as exterior walls on the westernside of the building.

Two high-profile tenants already have signed leases and two more are expected to finalize agreements soon, said Tina Mengine, CEO of the Redevelopment Authority.

• Those tenants include the Foundry Pub & Restaurant, a new concept being developed by business partners John Melody and Russ Stachewicz, owners of six Erie-area restaurants and the former owners of Molly Brannigan’s.
• In March, FishUSA, an online retailer specializing in fishing gear, announced it will move its offices, warehouse and retail store from Fairview Township to a new 60,000-square-foot building to be built in the Ironworks Square complex. The building is expected to cost about $12 million.

During a recent tour of the building, Mengine highlighted spaces that will be transformed into a conference room, restrooms and a common area that will be available for public use. That space is expected to house historic artifacts rescued from the building, including a massive iron safe and an industrial generator.

The inside of the building shows off much of the original architecture, including brick archways and the steel framework of the former factory building.

“It’s bigger than you think it is,” Mengine said of the building that will include offices for the Erie County Redevelopment Authority and 5,300 square feet of space for the Foundry, which will offer patio dining and a second-floor mezzanine.

The leases haven’t yet been finalized, but Mengine said two other prospective tenants are expected to move in. They include a small manufacturer and a company that’s expected to claim 38,000 square feet for office space, including the four-story office building at the northeastern corner of the complex.

Mengine said she had originally expected a greater share of the building might be leased to industrial tenants.

“The demand for Class A office space is so high right now. That has been most of our inquiries,” she said.

Mengine said she expects that the building will be ready for tenants sometime this fall. The Foundry restaurant is expected to open this coming spring.

Mengine said she’s optimistic about both the timetable and the likelihood that the two pending leases will be finalized.

“I don’t want to curse myself, but I feel good about it,” she said.