The Shumaker Building
Location: Lancaster, Ohio
Project Type: Historical Adaptive Reuse
Contract: $2,800,000
Role: Electrical Contractor
Construction Manager: The Daimler Group
Completion: 2026
Built at the turn of the 20th century as a shoe factory, The Shumaker has long been part of Lancaster’s industrial and architectural history. After years of vacancy, the 138,000-square-foot building is being transformed into a mixed-use residential development with apartments, Airbnb units and first-floor retail, helping bring new life to downtown.
Claypool Electric provided a full electrical renovation throughout the building, replacing aging infrastructure with entirely new systems designed to support modern residential use. The scope included new electrical service and distribution equipment, individual feeds and panels for each unit, a complete fire alarm system, low-voltage pathways, lighting systems and power supporting elevator and common area systems.
Converting a century-old industrial structure into housing required more than installing new systems. The work involved integrating modern electrical infrastructure into a historic building never designed for today’s residential demands, while preserving the character that makes the structure significant.
Today, The Shumaker represents both preservation and reinvestment, supporting housing, street-level commerce and continued revitalization in downtown Lancaster.
Challenges
Transforming an industrial building into a modern residential environment required planning, sequencing and precision across interconnected systems. Key challenges included:
- Installing all-new service and distribution infrastructure throughout a building originally not designed for modern residential electrical demands.
- Routing feeds from service equipment to 65 separate units across long distances and multiple floors.
- Coordinating electrical installation with other trades in tight spaces while maintaining progress across the renovation.
- Managing extensive underground feeds, transformers and splice points required to support individual unit metering and house systems.
- Using prefabrication strategies to accelerate rough-in, improve consistency and keep the project moving.
- Integrating new electrical and life safety systems while preserving the historic character of the structure.
Outcome
The completed project now operates with a fully modern electrical backbone supporting 60 apartments, five Airbnb units and mixed-use commercial spaces. Every electrical system in the building was replaced or newly installed to support safe, reliable residential use.
Claypool installed approximately 1,000 light fixtures across the project and completed roughly 20,800 man-hours over a 16-month duration. The finished work supports not only the building’s operations, but the long-term reuse of a historic landmark.
What once sat largely dormant now supports housing, business activity and renewed energy in downtown Lancaster. The project reflects Claypool’s experience delivering complex work in historic environments where craftsmanship and coordination matter.
Highlights
- Approx. 1,000 light fixtures installed
- Complete building electrical system replaced
- New fire alarm system installed throughout
- Individual electrical feeds and panels for 65 units
- 20,800 man-hours worked
- 16-month project duration
- 138,000-square-foot historic renovation
138,000
square feet
20,800
man-hours worked
65
residential units