Change coming for the Cooke Building

[gallery]SANDUSKY — Two developers whipped up a plan to restore downtown Sandusky's most recognizable corner structure all while incorporating their personal flair and flavor for a complete overhaul.But they promised all work centered around reviving the Cooke Building will be in good taste, paying homage to its roots as a premier entertainment destination.During the past year, spouses Rick and Meghan Hogrefe, under their company H2 Property Management, have purchased several pieces of property spread across Erie County.None, they said, stands out more in their ever-growing real estate profile than the Cooke Building, an iconic yet severely deteriorated structure falling into a near-blighted state.The Cooke Building at Columbus Avenue and Market Street in downtown Sandusky on Friday, March 2, 2018. The property's new owners, spouses Rick and Meghan Hogrefe, plan on investing $6 million of their own money to transform the entire 30,000-square-foot property.Before buying the building, wrapping around Columbus Avenue and Market Street, Rick and Meghan became enamored upon hearing its backstory.From the mid-1800s, when it debuted, until the 1940s, people from across northern Ohio and beyond would attend concerts, shows or dances in the building's ballroom and theater. The Cooke Building even served as an original temple for local Masons.Since then, a number of businesses have come and gone. Some street-level storefronts, such as The Lunch Box and Hall of Framers, remain there. But, overall, it's mostly desolate and a depressed entity. A number of factors, namely former property owners neglecting regular upkeep and other maintenance tasks, contributed to its dirty, dilapidated state on the upper floors.A number of factors, namely former property owners neglecting regular upkeep and other maintenance tasks, contributed to the Cooke Building's dirty, dilapidated state. The property's new owners, spouses Rick and Meghan Hogrefe, plan on investing $6 million of their own money to transform the entire 30,000-square-foot property.Yet downtown Sandusky, its residents and surrounding community members don't deserve this, Rick believes."This building is so beautiful," said Rick, a 1979 Margaretta High School graduate who today resides in San Diego, Calif., with Meghan. "It's in the heart of Sandusky. Could you imagine this not being here and it just being a hole instead of a building? No. So our plan is really bringing this building back into play, and we hope, by doing that, it will drive everything else around it up and add a lot of life and joy."The Cooke Building's ballroom is one of several focal points in a $6 million transformation project undertaken by Rick and Meghan Hogrefe, the property's new owners. After repurposing the space, they want the ballroom to, once again, host events and performances.The transformation planRick and Meghan recently embarked upon an ambitious 16-month transformation plan to invigorate and re-debut this 30,000 square-foot-structure, ideally turning it into the area's leading commercial center.Now known as the Cooke Complex, it starts in June with finalizing design work and continues in December with construction starting. All work should end in June 2019. Then they'll rededicate the space during a formal ceremony sometime in July 2019.The Cooke Building's theater is one of several focal points in a $6 million transformation project undertaken by Rick and Meghan Hogrefe, the property's new owners. After repurposing the space, they want the ballroom to, once again, host events and performances.Estimated at $6 million, with Rick and Meghan providing all funding, the job involves accomplishing several main objectives, such as:• Repairing the facade to its late 1800s appearance• Turning the storefront at 119 E. Market St. into a grand entrance• Connecting the first-floor stores into an arcade, of sorts, where people can easily access all the building's businesses• Retaining the second floor's design as much as possible; They'll lease out units to businesses.• Restoring the third floor into a ballroom and theater for intimate performances and public events• Improving egress to all floors while adding an elevatorThey'll effectively merge this building with the former Huntley Building, now known as The Marketplace at Cooke. Inside there, the Hogrefes want to convert interior portions into a small downtown mall, food court and more.Meghan Hogrefe points out the details on the ceiling while walking through The Cooke Building in downtown Sandusky with her husband, Rick, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. The two recently acquired this property and plan on investing about $6 million of their own money to restore various aspects, including spaces for businesses, a theater and ballroom. Meghan looks at the project as an exciting challenge to tackle."There is so much historical value with this building, and we want people to, once again, be proud of it," she said.Rick doubled down on her assessment."We need to bring this building back," Rick said. "If we succeed, I believe we will have accomplished something great not just for us but for the entire city."Many people, especially city manager Eric Wobser, are ecstatic about the undertaking."The Cooke Building is one of the most significant, historic buildings in all of the Firelands and sits in the center of historic downtown Sandusky," Wobser said. "The Hogrefes will pay homage to that history while making a major investment in our downtown." Rick and Meghan Hogrefe in downtown Sandusky on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. The spouses, who live in California, have invested about $18 million of their own money in buying up depressed and deteriorated real estate properties spread across Erie County. This would include the Cooke Building in downtown Sandusky.History lesson: the Cooke Building and the Cooke BlockThe Sandusky History Blog provides some context and background into the Cooke Building:Sandusky's Cooke Block, at the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street, has been in existence since the 1850s.Ellie Damm wrote in "Treasure by the Bay" that the north section, known as the Union Building, was built first along Columbus Avenue.Wildman Mills erected a large building at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street, and he sold the building to Charles E. and George A. Cooke in 1866.In about 1876, the Cooke Block and the former Union Building were consolidated.Sandusky city officials met in the Union Building and the Cooke Block in the early days of the city's history.From 1882 until 1899, the Melville Brothers ran a wholesale and retail drug business in the main corner building of the Cooke Block. Josh B. Davis and J. H. Wagenet were insurance agents in the upper levels of the building. When the men of Company B returned home from the Spanish American War, a huge parade in downtown Sandusky welcomed them home.By 1908, the Commercial National Bank was the main business in the corner building of the Cooke Block. A variety of other businesses were located in the Cooke Block, including insurance and real estate agents, lawyers, doctors, restaurants and retail stores.From about 1923 and into the 1930s, Fred A. Martin operated a wholesale and retail confectionery business in the Cooke Block. By the time Martin's Confectionery was in the Cooke Block, streetcars and automobiles had replaced horse-drawn vehicles.At the time of the Northwest Territory Celebration Parade in 1938, Walgreen's Drugstore was located at 172 Columbus Ave., where Martin's had formerly been in business.Holzaepfel Brothers Sporting Goods was at the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street from the 1960s to the 1980s. More recently, antique shops have been located at this address.The street numbers have varied slightly through the years on Columbus Avenue and Market Street, and businesses have changed hands numerous times.Article 51 of "From the Widow's Walk, Volume II" by Helen Hansen and Virginia Steinemann provides a concise history of the east side of the first block of Sandusky's Columbus Avenue.This photo, taken in the early 1900s, shows the Cooke Building in downtown Sandusky.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.