Renovated 159 Main building now home to luxury residential units and mix of businesses

When Frank Jellison went to refinance his former Portage Lakes condo in 2020, he found out the value of his home had jumped.

So, he decided to sell it and signed a lease for a luxury apartment at 159 S. Main St. the following year.

Jellison was the first resident to move into one of the new apartments at 159 Main in Akron.

Since moving, he's been able to treat his goldendoodle Lexi to the apartment’s pet grooming station and Bark in the Park at Canal Park down the street.

“She’s probably the most popular dog in downtown,” Jellison said. “She’s probably walked Main Street over 4,000 times.”

Right across the street from Crave on the corner of Main and Bowery streets, the 11-story 159 Main structure was formerly known as the Law Building — and before that, the Key Building and Second National Bank Building.

The building has undergone several changes since owner Tom Rybak purchased the property in 2016 for $2 million. It housed several law firms and title companies at that time, he added.

Rybak said he's since put about $27 million into improvements, not only adding luxury apartments on the top six floors, but also renovating the space to accommodate commercial tenants such as Signal Akron, NAC Products and Market on Main, as well as an event area.

159 Main renovations

Residents may be best acquainted with the building due to the Akron Bazaar, which is contracted to host 10 markets there throughout the year.

Rybak said about 1,000 people came out for the Akron Bazaar’s first event on April 6. The next Akron Bazaar market is May 11.

Rybak described the first-floor room that hosts the monthly Akron Bazaar events — which is about 12,000 square feet — as having “very high ceilings” and being “very well-lit.”

“If you need privacy, you could have privacy. If you want to do something else with it, not only my imagination but the user's imagination could go wild,” he said, noting opportunities for everything from wine tastings and conferences to weddings and graduations. The space can accommodate 300 to 500 people for events, he added.

The building's common areas feature restored marble walls and terrazzo floors.

Working with a consultant, Rybak and his team made sure building features such as ceiling heights and windows met certain historical standards.

“We did the whole renovation with the elevators and the hallways to take into account the historical nature of the inside,” he said.

As for the roughly 17,000-square-foot basement, which previously housed Olive Tree Restaurant, Rybak said potential future tenants could be "making things, brewing things or baking things."

In the meantime, the basement can be rented out for special events, he added.

Then, there are the residential spaces — floors five through 11 are reserved for unfurnished studio and furnished one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. There are 110 apartments, three of which are guest suites for people visiting the building's commercial and retail tenants.

The residential units are nearly full, but there are some apartments available, as well as commercial space, said Commercial Property Partners CEO Gerilyn Gleason, who leases out the spaces in 159 Main.

159 Main’s attorneys

Attorney Joshua A. Lemerman practices domestic and family law with Gertz & Rosen, a law firm that moved onto the fourth floor of 159 Main in 2023. Lemerman said he can walk to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas in about three minutes.

Lemerman said the building has undergone “some serious improvements" since its days of wood paneling and old law books.

Lawyer and commercial tenant Hector R. Smith said the building has a “historical charm” but is “immaculately clean.”

Smith began leasing a unit on the fourth floor of 159 Main this year to open his immigration and criminal law practice, SmithLaw LLC. He calls the work a “passion operation” that he focuses on when he’s not serving in his full-time staff attorney role with the International Institute of Akron, a nonprofit that serves immigrants and refugees.

An immigrant himself, from Jamaica, Smith said he moved to Akron to attend law school at the University of Akron. Now, he considers the city home.

Coffee shop planning opening at 159 Main

Pending permits from the city of Akron and Summit County, a new coffee shop called Ilić Café could open on 159 Main’s street level as soon as this summer.

The roughly 1,700-square-foot shop will be run by Vasilija (Vaska) Ilić; her daughter, Jovana Ilić; and her son, Stefan Ilić.

In addition to coffee, the family café owners plan to serve loose-leaf teas, soups and salads, Jovana Ilić said.

At the new business, Vaska Ilić will draw from her nearly 30 years of experience working in the coffee and bakery industries. She managed a downtown Susan’s Coffee & Tea location, which later became an Angel Falls Coffee Company site, and more recently has been working in bakeries.

“She migrated here from Serbia back in '96, and that's kind of when she started working in the coffee industry,” Jovana Ilić said.

One of Ilić Café’s suppliers will be Red Cedar Coffee in Berea, Jovana Ilić said, adding: “We wanted to work with another family-owned company.”

As the café gets off the ground, Jovana Ilić will continue her full-time work as an attorney for the city of Akron. (She’s starting in a new felony prosecutor role on Monday). Stefan Ilić will still work full-time as an electrical designer with GPD Group.

Addressing an opportunity with the Akron Bazaar events, Jovana Ilić said: “Hopefully, we'll be able to provide some pastries and coffee to people who want to attend there, as well.”

More: Local artist gives 'new life' to used fabrics, sells from storefront on Main Street

A boost to downtown

Gleason said she notices downtown Akron becoming lively again. Walking, biking and driving is simple around the area, she said, adding that there is a bike room on 159 Main's first floor.

“There’s parking that's everywhere — it’s free on the weekends,” she said.

Attorney Richard D. Honeck, who has been practicing law in the building since 1986, said 159 Main has helped with the “reinvigoration of downtown because you do see people on the street all the time at this point.”

He added: “There were years when I would finish up my day here and head out onto the street, and you wouldn't see anybody around.”

And Jennifer Couch, who recently opened a storefront in the building's Market on Main area, said she has noticed a resurgence downtown as well, giving kudos to local groups such as the Downtown Akron Partnership.

“It’s, like, on the edge of becoming something awesome,” she said.

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron's former Law Building downtown now home to apartments, bazaar