The Citizen-Times Office Moves to Washington Center
Along East Maple Street, near the intersection of South Court Street, one of the entrances to the Washington Center can allow for people to access the new office space for The Citizen-Times. Being located in downtown, it allows for the reporters to have easier access to the heart of the city. “It puts us right in the middle of the happenings and events that we cover, and we hope to continue to partner with those organizations to grow them, and to grow ourselves,” Jobe expressed.
By Damon Stone,
Staff Writer
After 135 years being in the same location, the office for The Citizen-Times has moved into the Washington Center, with the old space being sold to a construction company.
The new office space is located on the bottom floor of the Washington Center, with a door to the floor being near the intersection of South Court Street and East Maple Street.
“We were finding that we were spread thin,” said Jeff Jobe, the owner of Jobe Publishing and by extension, The Citizen-Times. “We bought the Washington Center, and the demands upon that facility, as far as showing the venue to people so they can rent it, and maintaining it was (spreading us thin).”
The new space is in the back corner of the first floor hallway, with glass windows peering into it, and being downtown, allows reporters to be more connected to the city, and allows more ease of access for people as well.
Once inside, going down the hallway to the left of the entrance will lead to the new office space.
“What we have found is that as the industry has transitioned, the needs for space changes,” Jobe explained. “At The Citizen-Times, it had been there for the better part of a century, there were presses in the back, and a wasted space in the back in the warehouse area, loading dock facility, and areas that we no longer needed. And then also, with the growth of Scottsville, that section of town being on the main road was very busy.”
Jobe explained that customers would want to have a personal relationship with the paper, running ads like yard sales and buying subscriptions, and would have to back out into moving traffic if they parked in front of the original building, potentially putting them in danger.
With the new location, it allows for a lower level entrance, providing more space, and safer parking for people doing business at the Washington Center and The Citizen-Times.
Jobe emphasized that being downtown allows for reporters to be more present for any changes in the city, being in the same building, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Allen County-Scottsville Industrial Development Authority, along with several local businesses.
Once construction and renovations have completed, people will be able to enter the office through these doors, with the new address being 31 East Maple Street.
“It puts us right in the middle of the happenings and events that we cover, and we hope to continue to partner with those organizations to grow them, and to grow ourselves,” Jobe expressed. “It allowed us to create an opportunity to renovate the Washington Center, making it nicer for the people that are there, as well as making it a nice place for us to have our newspaper in, and offer our reporters a better working space.”
Several historic items in the old office that won’t be able to fit in the new one, such as the historic printing press, will be part of a museum celebrating and preserving the history of the newspaper industry in the region.
As of press time on Monday, the transaction has not been officially closed, with the closing of the building being set for Wednesday.
The staff of The Citizen-Times has discussed hosting an open house to celebrate the new space once the business is properly settled, with more details to come in the near future.
The Citizen-Times building has been on East Main Street next to Jack’s Shopping Center for many, many years, but as the city expands and more business comes to the square, the current office space has been sold to another company. Staff of The Citizen-Times will be moved into the new office space, once signing has been completed on Wednesday. “It puts us right in the middle of the happenings and events that we cover, and we hope to continue to partner with those organizations to grow them, and to grow ourselves,” Jeff Jobe, owner of The Citizen-Times, expressed.
