Acorn Corner Grand Opening Offers Tours of Apartments

Public gets first look at upper floors of restored downtown landmark

Ron Burbick spent Monday evening thanking the many people who contributed to the restoration of Acorn Corner with a private party in anchor-tenant Buffalo Wild Wings mezzanine. The unofficial grand opening gave the invite-only crowd a chance to tour the upper floors of the building, which is now home to the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce and Marathon Financial Services on the third floor with apartments on floors four and five. The Acorn Alley developer credited numerous partners and contributors to the restoration of the old Kent hotel, which is abuzz again at the corner of South DePeyster and East Main streets downtown. Burbick thanked private Kent residents who invested in the project, city officials for speeding the sale and permit …

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Liquor License Request for 'Secret Cellar' Approved

Council modifies liquor license transfer regulations, takes no action on second liquor license request

Jazz and wine fans could be lifting a glass in Kent's newest wine bar, The Secret Cellar, by the Kent Heritage Festival on July Fourth weekend. Kent City Council voted Wednesday to sign off on a trex liquor license transfer for the new jazz club, which plans to open in the lower level of the restored landmark Acorn Corner building downtown. Developer Ron Burbick, who's responsible for the building's renovation and the adjacent Acorn Alley projects, gave detailed plans for the business to council as part of yesterday's formal request for the transfer. Burbick is serving as a development partner in the club, which will be owned by Cuyahoga Falls residents Jim and Amy Bragg. "Their concept, my concept, is we’re really a jazz club," Burbick …

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Two Student Deaths, Armed Robbery, Acorn Corner Updates: Kent's Top Stories in April

In case you missed it, here's a quick recap of the stories readers most clicked on during the month of April 2013.

Here's a look back at the most popular stories on Kent Patch in April: "Like" Kent Patch on Facebook to make sure you don't miss out on the top stories of May. 

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Restored Acorn Corner Opens to Public (Photos)

Buffalo Wild Wings opened Monday on first floor of renovated old Kent hotel

Buffalo Wild Wings opened to the public for the first time Monday as the first tenant in the newly renovated Acorn Corner at the intersection of Main and DePeyster streets in downtown Kent. The opening marks a milestone in the landmark building, where the upper floors have been vacant and condemned for nearly 40 years and the main floor has been empty and boarded up for more than a decade. Monday also was the first time the public got the chance to see developer Ron Burbick deliver on his promise to restore the 1920s era structure after buying it from the city in November 2011. A brief illness kept the developer from attending opening day for the restaurant, which boasts 55 TVs — including a 35 feet by 8 feet TV above the bar — and about 7…

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Signs for Acorn Corner Approved

Planning commission signs off on plan for signs as part of restoration of old Kent hotel

The renovation of Acorn Corner has cleared its last major city planning hurdle. The Kent Planning Commission approved a comprehensive sign plan for the restoration of the building Tuesday. The Kent Architectural Review Board gave the sign plan the green light earlier this month. Michelle Hartmann, vice president of The Burbick Companies, presented the sign plan to the commission Tuesday. "We did our best to minimize the signage and keep the historical integrity of the building," she said. There are 11 total signs planned for the building. The signs, and their locations, are: The signs were first presented to the Ohio Historic Preservation Office in Columbus, where state historic preservation officials also gave the plan their blessing. …

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Acorn Corner Signs Approved

Architecture board gives OK to historically accurate sign plan

Subtle and historically accurate signs on the renovated Acorn Corner will identify the building's tenants to the public. The Kent Architectural Review Board signed off on a comprehensive sign plan for the building that was presented to the group Tuesday by developer Ron Burbick. Burbick said the 11 total signs were first presented to the Ohio Historic Preservation Office in Columbus, where state historic preservation officials gave the sign plan the green light. "All these signs were historically on the building," he said. The signs, and their locations, are: Burbick said the signs must remain as approved by the state preservation office for five years in order to comply with regulations set so he could obtain the close to $2 million in …

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Kent Cycle Not Moving to Acorn Corner

Cycle shop will remain in Lake Street location

Bicycle retailer and repair shop Kent Cycle will remain at its Lake Street location instead of relocating to the Acorn Corner redevelopment downtown as previously planned. The owners of the shop informally announced the news on the store's Facebook page earlier this month. Last summer Kent Cycle and Acorn Corner developer Ron Burbick said the bicycle shop would be moving into the basement of the five-story downtown landmark as part of the building's multi-million dollar renovation. Management for Kent Cycle issued this statement when asked about canceling the move downtown: "After much deliberation we have decided to remain in our current location for the foreseeable future. While the new Acorn Alley project is exciting and full of renewed…

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Editor's Picks: Top Stories of 2012

Editor's Picks: Old Hotel Transformed into Acorn Corner

Kent Patch gives you the editor's picks for top 10 stories of 2012.

Editor's note: this year Kent residents bore witness to something many people thought impossible — the restoration of the old Kent hotel. The sale of the building to Acorn Alley developer Ron Burbick was a big story in 2011, and in 2012 renovations started. The restored building is expected to open in mid March with anchor tenant Buffalo Wild Wings on the first floor. For 2012, this story is one of my picks for top 10 stories of the year. RECENT COVERAGE:

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Snapshot: Elevator, Stair Shaft at Acorn Corner

For the first time, the new construction is protruding from the nearly 100-year-old building

Another sign of the restoration of Acorn Corner became clear this week when, for the first time, the elevator and stairwell shaft started to protrude from the building. Metis Construction Services has been building the new elevator shaft for three weeks, but it wasn't until this week the new shaft started to protrude from the rear of the building as it makes its way to the fifth floor. Doug Fuller, of Fuller Design Group Architects, which is overseeing the renovation, said construction on the shaft started in October with the foundation, which must extend 4 feet beneath the old hotel. The restoration is expected to be finished by mid March 2013. RELATED COVERAGE:

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