Market Street reopens in front of Realty Building site in downtown Youngstown
Nearly five months after a deadly explosion rocked downtown Youngstown, roads around the area where the Realty Building once stood are beginning to reopen.
Barriers along Market Street were removed Friday evening, fully reopening the road for the first time since the May 28th explosion. After completing demolition on the Realty Building last week, crews spent this week filling in the basement.
A block of E Federal Street between the Realty Building site and the neighboring Double Tree hotel remains closed. The city has not announced an official reopening date for that section of the road.
The continued road closures and construction downtown has caused frustration for downtown businesses.
Chef Mark Canzonetta's restaurant, Bistro 1907, operated inside the Double Tree hotel, and was forced to close in May due to the explosion.
Canzonetta and his team used the time to reimagine the restaurant and rebrand as 'Casa di Canzonetta.' It was originally set to open at the end of September, but that date was pushed back to October 2 due to the barriers and road closures.