The Raymond John Wean Foundation held a dedication ceremony and grand opening celebration today to mark its move to its new headquarters, located at 147 W. Market St. in downtown Warren.
Wean’s new headquarters on Courthouse Square will more than triple the foundation’s office space. The two-story, Civil-War-era building has undergone a year-long, historic restoration by the Chesler Group Inc.
According to Wean, the relocation will allow the foundation to better fulfill its mission of promoting resident engagement, equity, collaboration and innovation in the Mahoning Valley.
Besides expanded office space for the foundation on the upper floor, the building houses a lower level with a seven-office complex for new initiatives, funded by the Wean Foundation, to share when they start up. A focal point of the new headquarters is the Western Reserve Room, a meeting space that will accommodate up to 120 people for community meetings. It features up-to-date audio-visual equipment and a catering kitchen.
“This is more than a change of address; it’s what we hope will be an expansion of the Wean Foundation’s impact, not only on downtown Warren, but across the Mahoning Valley,” said Chairman Gordon B. Wean.
Wean said the foundation‘s overarching priority is to empower residents to create a healthy, vibrant and economically stable Mahoning Valley community with equal opportunity for all.
The Wean Foundation has its offices in the top floor of the building, known as the Market Block Building. It was originally three adjacent buildings built in the 1860s and combined in the late 1800s. The middle of the complex, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, lines up precisely with the center of the Trumbull County Courthouse.
Jeffrey M. Glebocki, president of the Wean Foundation, said the renovation represents approximately a $2.5 million investment in downtown Warren. The Chesler Group of Cleveland was assisted by Dimit Architects LLC of Lakewood, Ohio, and Kim Phillips, architect with the Warren firm of Phillips/Sekanick Architects Inc., served as the Foundation’s owner’s representative.
“We were especially pleased that the Chesler Group made efforts to engage local trades people, companies and suppliers,” said Glebocki. “This is a project that has and will have great local value. We will be bringing more people downtown and expect a spinoff for local businesses and restaurants.”
Glebocki said the first of the foundation-funded programs that will be housed in two of the seven lower-level offices will be the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, which has already been sharing space in the Wean Foundation offices on Main.
The lower level, called the Garden Level, includes a conference room, a work room, a break room, a fitness room and a reception area. The offices share portions of the stacked stone outside walls, while the other rooms are clustered in the center. The next incubator tenant is expected to be an early childhood initiative, Glebocki said.
“These initiatives will cycle in and out as some get started and others get on their feet,” Glebocki said. The time a program is expected to be in the facility is one to three years, he said.
The Wean Foundation offices include eight offices, an executive board room, two conference rooms and a central work area. One of the conference rooms has clusters of chairs and tables for informal meetings and work sessions. The third floor also has three skylights.
About The Raymond John Wean Foundation – Raymond John Wean, after having achieved success in the flat-rolled steel processing industry, in 1949 created the foundation that bears his name in Warren. Since then, The Raymond John Wean Foundation has made more than $100 million in grants to a broad variety of non-profit organizations. The Wean Foundation has evolved from a small, board-managed organization with informal grant-making procedures to a strategic, professionally-staffed Foundation. Gordon B. Wean, a third generation of the Wean family, serves as chairman.
About the Chesler Group Inc. – The Chesler Group, headquartered in Cleveland, has restored over 25 historic buildings in Northeast Ohio. The company has more than 20 years experience in the restoration business.
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