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It's Half Off At
O'Neil's -- Old Department Store is Cut in Two
As part of a massive renovation, Concrete Cutting & Breaking,
Inc. - Cleveland, Ohio - used a wall saw to cut through the
exterior wall at the former O'Neil's department store in downtown
Akron. The Akron City Council approved spending $16.2 million
to redo O'Neil's six floors and $12 million for a parking
deck behind what was left of the building.
CCB began cutting at the base of the 1927-era
landmark, working their way up the six-story structure. It
was one of the first steps to cut the building in two. The
front portion of the building was to remain and become the
home of the law firm of Roetzel and Andress; the back portion
was to be demolished to make way for a parking deck to serve
the Canal Park Stadium and other downtown projects.
It was the first time Jeff Miller, now a
manager with CCB, had ever used his skills to perform this
type of radical surgery. "It's a little scary the higher
up you get, you start slowing down a little," said Miller.
Miller and a co-worker operated a "man
lift" to accomplish this cutting feat. First, a 24"
diameter blade was used to make a groove, then a 42"
diameter blade was used for the final cut. Removing approximately
500,000 square feet of O'Neil's accomplished two things: space
for the parking deck, and a smaller building that was easier
to redevelop. The front of the building was a key to the efforts
to redevelop Akron's downtown.
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| Wall
sawing O'Neils in half. |
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| Wall
sawing was performed from an elevated crane lift. |
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| Removing
sections of the half to be transformed into a parking
structure. |
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