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FEATURE ARTICLE, JUNE 2005
HISTORIC RENOVATION PROJECTS
Dan Marcec
PEACH
Atlanta
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In the heart of Atlanta at 1655 Peachtree Road, Nexgen Properties is redeveloping an office building into Peach, a new 74-unit, boutique residential community.
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At the “Gateway to Midtown,” Nexgen Properties is redeveloping Peach, a boutique residential community situated at 1655 Peachtree Road in Atlanta. The building already is a landmark in Atlanta, featuring a distinctive peach-inspired advertising platform visible from its roof.
“The building is more than 40 years old, and we felt that the location was ideal for a small, intimate community,” explains Chandan Seemani, principal with Nexgen Properties. “The property has been an office building since the 1960s, and we want to introduce a very unique concept to Atlanta residential living.”
While Peach encompasses 69,000 square feet in 12 stories, the community will feature only 74 residences. Peach will be a welcome inclusion within Atlanta’s live/work/play environments, sitting in close proximity to public transportation, Atlanta’s fine arts district, more than 500,000 square feet of retail at Atlantic Station and the new campus of Savannah College of Art and Design. Nexgen has utilized an extensive adaptive-reuse approach to transform the building’s interior and exterior into an intimate condominium community.
Amenities within the residences include granite countertops, designer lighting, hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances. “Other people’s upgrades are our standards,” adds Seemani. “Yet we are catering to everyone, looking for a wide range of buyers, from first-time home buyers to people looking to settle in this great Midtown location.” Coldwell Banker The Condo Store is handling sales and marketing for the project.
Additionally, the community features gated access, wireless Internet connections, a fitness center, and the developers are converting one entire level of the parking garage into green space.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
St. Petersburg, Florida
Grady Pridgen Inc. is undertaking an endeavor to renovate the First Congregational United Church of Christ, located at 256 Fourth Street N. in St. Petersburg, Florida. Originally buying the property in 2000 for $400,000, Grady Pridgen wanted to rescue the church from becoming a casualty of expansion.
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Grady Pridgen Inc. is renovating the First Congregational United Church of Christ, located in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.
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Overall, St. Petersburg is undergoing a massive revitalization. With a younger generation moving into the city (the average age is now 37 years old), more than 3,000 condominiums are planned for the downtown area in the near future. More than 500,000 jobs are located within 20 miles of downtown, from which the beach is only a 10-minute drive. The church is situated in the heart of this community, located within walking distance of restaurants, recreation facilities and entertainment.
“There have been many enhancements to the quality of life in St. Petersburg during the last 10 years,” explains Grady Pridgen of Grady Pridgen Inc. “I think there always will be a need to respect our past while we create our future. Redeveloping the church is part of our commitment to supporting our heritage and community—as well as smart business.”
The church originally was built in 1912, but the congregation began in a rail car in 1888. Membership within the community grew to 3,000 by 1923, and famous speakers such as Amelia Earhart and Will Rogers were among those that drew large crowds. Several interesting features include stained glass windows and a 450-seat theater that has hosted a wide variety of activities and organizations throughout the years. “The historical interest and the community interest are the same; this special place could add to our vibrant economy and our sense of history and place,” Pridgen adds.
Grady Pridgen Inc. plans to redevelop the church into a mixed-use facility designed for maximum flexibility, housing anything from office space to condo units or even a restaurant/entertainment venue. Each floor has the capability to facilitate a self-enclosed office, and the entire rectory possibly could be utilized for a company with expansive needs. In addition, the new renovation is using green building technologies and the most environmentally friendly materials available. By using these ecologically conscious products, Grady Pridgen is “[giving] the church project the best of both worlds by preserving the past while building for the future.” Pridgen adds, “Breathing new life into this amazing church will help it regain its position as an integral part of St. Petersburg’s future. It also will provide the growing downtown community with a glimpse of the past while providing years of enjoyment.”
E.J. CODD BUILDING
Baltimore
The E.J. Codd Building, located within Baltimore’s “Northwest Harbor” area at 700 S. Caroline Street, currently is being redeveloped by Streuver Bros. Eccles & Rouse (SBE&R) and H&S Properties Development Corporation.
“The E.J. Codd building is part of the industrial age of downtown Baltimore,” explains Larry White of SBE&R. “The property is a collection of three buildings; it is an old foundry where a company manufactured parts and boilers for Bethlehem Steel, and shell casings were built there during World War II as well.”
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After withstanding extensive damage from a fire and a hurricane, the E.J. Codd Building, located at 700 S. Caroline Street in Baltimore, is being renovated into a mixed-use development.
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The building underwent a series of renovations in the 19th century, bringing it to its current size of 40,000 square feet. Unfortunately, E.J. Codd has endured disastrous hardship; it was damaged in a fire during the 1960s, and coupled with flooding from Hurricane Isabel in fall 2003, it was rendered unusable until a complete retro fit and renovation began in 2004. “In essence, we’re redeveloping the property to save the building,” White adds. “Another developer wanted to tear it down so it could have the entire block, but basically we went in and outbid them in order to preserve its history. We also want to revitalize the neighborhood and create some pedestrian livability.” The development sits in the center of 70 acres that SBE&R and H&S have in the area, and renovating the historic building plays a large role in the companies’ plan to improve the land that they have. In addition, prior to commencing redevelopment, SBE&R and H&S have completed an extensive environmental remediation program on the site.
“Our goal is to preserve as much of the integrity and character of the building as possible, to serve as a symbolic bridge between the old and the new Baltimore,” explains Michael Beatty, vice president of H&S Properties. “With the acceleration of construction about to begin at Harbor Point, the E.J. Codd building will be both the gateway and the anchor for the development that will transform the east side region of Baltimore City from Harbor Point to Fells Point.”
Within the newly redeveloped building, tenants include Pazo, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine, which is leasing 11,000 square feet; Gaines McHale Antiques & Home, which has leased 17,000 square feet, markets European country and formal antiques, replicas, private label upholstered goods and accessories; and finally, Spa Sante, which offers a range of spa, medical spa and hair treatments, is occupying 9,000 square feet.
LITTLE WHITE HOUSE MUSEUM
Warm Springs, Georgia
Batson-Cook Company recently undertook a project to renovate the Little White House Museum, located in Warm Springs, Georgia. The company plans to renovate the existing space and provide new construction for the President Franklin D. Roosevelt museum.
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The Little White House museum, dedicated to the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is being redeveloped by Batson-Cook in Warm Springs, Georgia.
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“The Little White House was built for Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s when he was governor of New York,” explains Chunk Newman, project manager for the renovation. “Roosevelt often traveled to the area to enjoy the warm waters of Warm Springs; when he liked it so much, he decided to build a house. The vacation home became known as the Little White House while he was president, and it was here where he died.”
On an adjacent property to the Little White House, the owner left his house, which now is being renovated into the museum. This project originally broke ground on April 12, 2003, the anniversary of Roosevelt’s death, and it held a grand opening a year later on the same date. The museum encompasses 12,000 square feet, housing permanent exhibits and a theater. The developers also renovated the existing ticketing areas and gift shop to accommodate access to the new museum; the former museum, Mustian Place, was redeveloped into staff offices.
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A view of the inside at the Little White House museum.
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“The attraction is on the national register of historical sites, and it retains a huge tourist draw, more than 150,000 visitors a year,” adds Newman. “The FDR advisory committee that oversees the property spearheaded the funding for the project. Previously, nothing had been done to the site since the 1960s, but over the last 10 to 15 years, there was a push to raise money for the museum renovation.”
In addition, the project received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification. To achieve this distinction, the development has included energy efficient and environmentally friendly features; it reuses rainwater, recycles construction waste and used environmentally conscious materials overall.
Newman says, “In general, we are redeveloping this site not only to increase visitation to the site, but also to provide a much better venue to tell the story of Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
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