WARREN, Ohio - A federal judge has temporarily stopped the demolition of a large commercial building in Warren. The order, issued Tuesday, means the city can't tear down the 33,000-square-foot building known as “Park Place” at 155 South Park Avenue until at least June 3.

U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson issued the temporary restraining order in favor of 155 South Park LLC, the company that owns the building. The decision followed a Tuesday court hearing.

The building owner claims the city started an "unlawful campaign" to stop its construction work and unfairly changed a court-approved agreement. Under that agreement, 155 South Park LLC was supposed to fix a collapsed brick wall on the building by May 15, 2025, and had already spent over $227,000 on repairs.

However, the lawsuit alleges that without warning, Warren's Chief Building Official, Christopher Taneyhill issued a new approval document on March 31. This document supposedly "substantially altered" the original agreement by demanding the removal and replacement of all brick walls, including one on the east side that was never part of the original plan. The company says this change quadrupled the cost and time needed, making it impossible to meet the deadline.

The city issued a stop-work order on May 16 and then moved to demolish the building. 155 South Park LLC argues that tearing down the building would cause "irreparable harm," meaning damage that can't be fixed. This includes losing their investment and potentially damaging the neighboring Boyle Building, which shares a wall. The lawsuit also hints that the demolition might benefit "undisclosed private interests."

155 South Park LLC sued, claiming the city violated its constitutional rights, including due process and equal protection under the law.

The lawsuit specifically names Taneyhill, the City of Warren, and several members of the Residential Board of Appeals.

The temporary restraining order took effect immediately and will last 4 days, ending on June 3 at 3:25 p.m. A follow-up hearing is set for June 3 at 11 a.m. to discuss a preliminary injunction, which could pause demolition even longer.

21 News contacted the city law department via email after hours for comment and is still waiting for a reply.