he Stone Block at the northwest corner of North Park Avenue and High NW has
been a Warren landmark since it was built in 1912. While many buildings around it are now gone, including the Dana School
of Music building, other structures are still standing - like the old Warren Public Library
Building, which today is the Carnegie Law Library.
The Stone building has housed a variety of offices over the years, including a sports store, health food store, bridal shop,
beauty salon, and a restaurant on the first floor, in addition to other county offices occupying space on the second floor.
At one time the fourth floor of the building was rented as apartments.
Bought by the Trumbull County Commissioners in 1981, the fate of the old building was undetermined. Due to the building's
dilapidating condition, it was questionable as to what to do with it with much talk about leveling it into a parking lot. At this time,
a few businesses occupied the first floor and the second floor was occupied by the county's Disaster Services Agency, Microfilm
Lab and Print Shop.
Demolishing the structure, at that time, could not happen overnight. Being in the heart of a historic area, there would be a
complicated and time-consuming series of hearings required before approval to demolish it would come from the U.S. Department of
Interior. The Stone Building is part of a district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A Warren City Council ordinance
stipulates that such buildings cannot be knocked down until after a public notice is published and a six month waiting period is over.
