Once again, Warren’s Redevelopment Authority seemed poised to order demolition of a property at 231-237 Pennsylvania Ave. West.

After the Eagle’s Crest senior housing proposal for the site fell through amidst public criticism and a federal lawsuit the RDA began moving down the demolition path after receiving no proposals in 2025. A proposal to demolish the building brought forth a proposal from a group of city residents who want to rehabilitate the structure into a nonprofit and community-focused space. Last week, the RDA scheduled a special meeting to again discuss possible demolition of the building. Again, the RDA was dissuaded from demolition amidst public pressure.

Chad Yurisic, city engineer, said a $130,000 demolition bid has been received for the site, which city officials say has safety issues that warrant the building’s demolition.

The RDA has previously offered to transfer the property to the Warren Heritage Community Alliance, under two conditions: that the project be fully operational within three years and that the organization secure a $200,000 developer’s bond to cover demolition costs if the project failed or the organization dissolved. Members of the redevelopment group presented a counterproposal seeking a longer project timeline and elimination of the demolition bond requirement. They argued the bond would make fundraising and grant applications more difficult and asked the authority to establish progress benchmarks rather than require full project completion within three years.

When possible we should preserve our history. Those trying to save the building say it is Warren’s last remaining example of Beaux-Arts architecture, an opulent, heavily ornamented and classically symmetrical style of design. If a new use is financially viable then it should be pursued – but determining financial viability for the alliance’s project has to have an expiration date. In our opinion, the time is coming for the RDA to make a decision one way or the other.