The Walls Come Tumblin' Down

The neighboring houses at 325 and 329 E. Erie St. likely took many months to build. They stood the test of time together for more than 80 years. Yet it took less than 40 minutes on a rainy Thursday morning for both to be reduced to piles of rubble.

had the former homes demolished to make way for the University Esplanade extension, a project designed to create an attractive physical link between campus and downtown Kent.

Last June, the Kent State Board of Trustees authorized the university to begin the design, bidding and construction of the tree-lined walkway that will connect with campus on Lincoln Street at Hilltop Drive.

The pathway will meander through the properties within the Lincoln and Willow streets block and then follow Erie Street's current right-of-way, culminating in a large oval green along the southeastern side of Haymaker Parkway.

The land on which the 325 and 329 E. Erie St. houses sat until Thursday will be part of that oval-shaped park area, which is where the Esplanade will terminate at Haymaker Parkway, across from the .

The cost of creating the Esplanade extension will be covered by $2.58 million from the President's Campus Enhancements account and a $700,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The $3.28 million project figure includes the demolition of purchased homes along Erie Street and parcels of land along the direct path between Lincoln and Willow streets; removal of the existing Erie Street, and actual construction of the Esplanade extension with a combination of brick pavers and concrete, a prominent gateway structure, trees, shrubs and gardens, lighting, furniture and emergency phones.

Eventually, Kent State will extend its along the pathway by installing more artwork in the area between campus and downtown.

The university purchased the 1,251-square-foot house at 325 E. Erie St. in August 2010 from Michael A. Smith for its appraised value of $125,000. The two-story home was built on a 64- by 88-foot lot in 1900, according to Portage County Auditor online records.

The university purchased the 1,440-square-foot house at 329 E. Erie St. in December 2010 from Cynthia Lavelle-Pahl for its appraised value of $175,000. The two-story home was built on a 50- by 110-foot lot in 1930, according to the county auditor’s records.

In June, university officials said they had secured all the key properties necessary along the proposed Esplanade route, but that they were still working on buying additional properties needed to provide landscape buffer areas for the Esplanade extension.

Since 2007, university trustees have approved spending more than $6 million buying land in the neighborhood west of campus.

Construction of the Esplanade extension is expected to start in the spring and be finished next fall.