Candlewick Commons
Candlewick Commons is a senior living complex in downtown Newark, Ohio. In 1993, the Licking County Aging Program announced its intent to create a new senior citizen housing complex. After years of searching for a location, officials announced that the complex would be built on the Courthouse Square in Newark. The location that was finally chosen was the site of a 1994 fire that destroyed three buildings and damaged a fourth,[1] all of which required demolition. At the end of 1996, it was announced that construction on the building would have to be completed within 12 months in order to avoid losing grant funding. If this stipulation was not met, the project would lose its $2.2 million housing grant.[2] Fortunately, Candlewick Commons was finished in time and opened to residents the second week of December, 1997.[3]
Officials and community leaders placed a lot of hope that this new addition to the downtown Newark area would bring a boost of business by attracting new residents and other consumers from the surrounding area. In addition to the senior apartments, the building is home to a McDonald's on the first floor that includes a drive-thru window.[4]
M.J.
