Springfield, Ohio: Arcue Building Demolished

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Demolished in January, the Arcue Building was a significant structure in downtown Springfield, Ohio. Designed by Robert Gotwald in 1917 and completed a year later, the nine-story office building was named after Robert Quigley King. King had several retail businesses in the city and helped manage his family’s real estate. At the time of his death, King had left his two sons the King Building and the lot adjacent to it at the corner of Fountain and High, which King had started construction of a modern office tower. The two brothers completed the structure after their father’s death and named it the Arcue Building after “RQ,” or “Robert Quigley.”

Although housing offices on its upper floors, the Arcue was home to the Hub Clothing Store for men that closed in 1972. In 1978, the building was renovated that saw the removal of old steam heating pipes, electrical wiring and plaster walls, replaced with new walls, acoustical tile ceilings, electrical wiring and smoke alarms that was privately funded at a cost of $500,000. Individual cooling and heating units were installed.

The former City Building in the background was nearly demolished not all that many decades ago, too. The Arcue lot is currently gravel, with the owner hoping to get some development at the site in the future. There are no set plans. But these quotes from Bryan Heck at another recent demolition site, may give some hint as to the future of the downtown building stock. Heck is the city planning and zoning administrator.

[That work, coupled with the removal of Memorial Hall last year and the construction of a new hospital, serves as proof that downtown can be a good site for development]. "I think it’s a good opportunity for the downtown, specifically that new land is essentially available for new development in what’s already an established urban core."

Further Reading

a. Arcue Building