herr2ck: Springfield's Skyscraper

March 2025.

Hull Plaza, a massive Beaux-Arts office building, anchors the corner of Main Street and Fountain Avenue. It stands as another unfortunate victim of Rust Belt urban decay, abandoned and unused. However, it was once Springfield’s tallest building.

Hull Plaza is located at 4 West Main Street in downtown Springfield, Ohio. It is bordered by a parking garage to the north, Main Street and the Modernist KeyBank Building to the south, Fountain Avenue and the Bushnell Building to the east, and Fisher Street and the new National Road Commons park to the west.

History

The Fairbanks Building c. 1925. Note its demolished neighbors. (CardCow)

Hull Plaza was built as the Fairbanks Building. Its construction began in 1906, commissioned by the Fairbanks Building Company, and its official grand opening was in October 1909 (though tenants opened before). The building opened as a bank (the American Trust and Savings Bank) with office space above, and it also held a theater known as the Fairbanks Theater. When it was finished, it was the tallest building in Springfield, standing nine stories tall.

Historic photo of the Fairbanks Theater. (Cinema Treasures)

The theater was four stories high and occupied the void that the skyscraper’s L-shaped plan left. It operated through at least 1950, but it has since been closed and demolished.

Hull Plaza was purchased in 2015 by Robert Hull, who renamed the building. He planned to conduct renovations, but it was eventually closed and the businesses inside moved out. The building was eventually condemned for its unsafe nature. It apparently lacked both running water and fire suppression systems, due to the pipes bursting during winter. A March 2023 inspection discovered personal items like clothes and mattresses that indicated the space wasn’t being used by businesses. It also found fire code violations, obstructed hallways, and fun electrical issues like extension cords as permanent wiring. The building itself was in poor condition, too, having ten maintenance code violations like peeling paint and broken windows. Inspectors were unable to enter certain areas, there was an abundance of trash throughout the building, and one of the interior walls was found to be unstable. Luckily, the city seemed to have an attitude that Hull Plaza should be saved, due to its historic value and position downtown. The owner was found guilty of the criminal charges filed.

Although Hull Plaza currently sits empty and condemned, it is expected to be renovated soon. It will be developed into a mixed-use space, with retail space on the first floor and 80-90 apartments above. It seems like preservation is a priority, as the developers plan to save anything with historic value and uncover the original wood floors.

Photos

The scale of Hull Plaza is obvious when viewed in comparison to its neighbors:

When viewed from this area of town, as it was meant to, the building appears as a stalwart block. Its small footprint is disguised and it appears as one of the great department stores or bank buildings of the day.

Getting closer, though, the shoddiness and neglect becomes apparent.

Note the missing/broken windows and the crappy window AC units. This is a poster child of a historic building falling into a slumlord’s hands.

I like this corner clock, which might date to the bank’s existence (but the face doesn’t):

Detail of the south entrance:

All the doors were boarded up and plastered with signs. I’m laughing at how one is taped up to the lintel above the doors, which is like 12 feet high.

Zooming in on the details, it’s obvious this was once a fine Beaux-Arts building, but deferred maintenance has dulled the original luster:

The windows appear to be mid-century replacements and do not match the original character. The cornice and frieze are rusting and chipping away, and the stone masonry is sooty.

It’s equally bad on the east side, too: