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IN WITH THE OLD - RECLAMATION OF HISTORICAL COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS Will" ~~:,'.' ' ~\i, , 7"" ,t- '~: ,':i~ ,':, :~ ' : " '\, "\ :i ,i~,:: - ,~4 ' i In ;I lIt!.L 11, t' , , ',","'.' .,~, ' ::' t: ~ ", ,M. :it_ ._c...e The reclamation of historical commercial 'bui Id:i ngs BY JOHN FERRI In the language of building contractors and commercial real- ty agents, it's called "adaptive reuse." But the term is cold and hard, businesslike, in comparison to the warmth, charm and sense of community produced by the preservation of historic old buildings. A building's fate~whether it's torn down or saved~sometimes is determined by whether it can be updated for modern use. Luck- ily, old structures in Tampa Bay have a lot going for them. "Doing historic renovation gives you some advantage if you have good stock that you're working with." explains Dan How- ell,president of Bay Villa Developers Inc. of Tampa. "Because you can deliver the product at potentially less cost than new con- struction; and then there are additional benefits, including tax credits and tax abatements." Additionally, he says, the buildings have a quaint attraction that draws people to them. "We're about to start on the Corral W odiska cigar factory, which was originally built in 1918 and was added onto a couple of times," says Howell, whose development company is just one of many entities in the historic refurbishing business. which is curre~tly booming around the Tampa Bay area. The SO.OOO-square-foot brick building sits at 19th Street ahd Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, the Cuban enclave of Tampa and a trendy hot spot for young professionals. When completed, it will be used as oHice space. "I don't think it's been affected by the Seventh Avenue activi- ty," Howell says, referring to the core of ~{bor's entertainment, dining and shopping district just a few blocks away, which has already seen several renovation projects. " [The factory] sits across from the Phillip Shore School, a magnate school for performing arts, and there hasn't been much renovation development in that area. It's speculation, but it (the project) will assist in further rede- velopment if it proves viable." And it will accomplish something else, according to Charlie Reese, a spokesman for the Greater Tampa Chamber of Com- merce. "They (refurbished buildings) are a great way of giving a liv- ing history of the community," Reese says. "This is evident in areas 21 UP FRONT :;?l~tf!ttt~bi!Yit.cucent~~~h~~}(,g;~st Associatedeg~'~Q.ny 8~1~rand Regency Blvd.tl[l~~fJ~o~,FL 33511 PhOJle: 813-655~~445 · aoq~~~?~()Q ':x',,",2445 Fax~a13,-6,~~~~~'~5 ',' ~'f!lf/"'~~is ~{~",. 22 like Ybor Ci1y. It lends flavor to the communi1y and a sense of history, and gives us a sense of our roots, especial- ly these buildings that Were designed during an era of grandeur and beauty that are preserved, yet pnt to new and modern uses. I think it's terrific and it really benefits this communi1y in a lot of ways. " Across town, nearer downtown Tampa, another major renovation has just been completed, the turn-of-the-century Tampa Union Station. "We were very fortunate in that (rail- road operator) CSX had the original construction plans for the building," says Tom Hammer, an architect for Rowe Architects Inc. of Tampa. "And fortunately over the years they hadn't altered it drastically." Hammer headed up the design team for tbe project, which was funded by the nonprofit group Tampa Union Sta- tion Preservation and RedeveloPlnent Inc. The station is going back into use for its original purpose, with Amtrak operating it as a train station. But it was also updated for reuse. One of the spaces on the second floor was designed as a communi1y conference room. A second building that was part of the original development, physically attached to the station building, will likely end up with a restaurant tenant. Hammer says one of the main con- cerns in approaching renovation of his- toric buildings is determining what damage has occurred over time. "It had [been] empty during eight years, then [been] without a roof for quite some time," Hammer says of the station. "The problem is finding all of that deteriora- tion and getting it repaired, and in many cases you can't even find it all until you get in and start tearing it apart." And sometimes, until a project is underway, you don't know what hid- den treasures you'll find. That was the case at the 1920s Rutland's Depart- ment Store building, located at Fifth Street and Central Avenue in down- town St. Petersburg. "\Ve restored it back to its original condltion, which had been drastically altered," says George Rahdert, a St. Petersburg attorney whose hobb.y it is to reclaim historic buildings. "In about 1950. the building had been re-facad- ed to make it look modern. They cov- ered it with stucco, and <!l lot of what a good preservationist does is tear that crap off." And so he did, and found a nice sur- prise beneath. "\Ve found imbedded in four inches of stucco 10-foot-high French doors opening out to the street." Rahdert says personal taste drives his passion for old structures. "I like to see historic architecture preserved, and it's a creative challenge to find modern uses for historic buildings." With the Rutland's site, he says, "We gave it sort of an arts flair, and the anchor tenant is the Floridi Craftsmen Gallery. On the second floor are art studios for practicing fine artists. We've subsequently added Cafe Ovo, which is a high-end restaurant with an arts flair, and Milagros, which is a South- western arts, antiques and interior- design business." His own office is in the old Alexan- der Hotel, a five-story 1920s building that was restored in 1990. It's another great example of adaptive reuse Com- bined with historic charm. In addition to his space, which is on one of the upper floors with offices he leases to attorney colleagues and others, there is a health food restaurant and a fruit basket gift shop on ground floor. "We hit a good market niche with a combination of small offices with shared, large office facilities, such as confer- ence rooms, receptionists, copier rooms Pro Staff'!' specializes in finding a good fit between people like you and our client companies. Call us today to get connected with the right people and the right benefits. Great opportunitl~es: . word processing . office & administration . customer service . data entry . reception/switchboard . accounting Excellent benefits: . premium pay rates . flexible hours . medical insurance .401k . vacation pay/holiday pay . free software training Temporary/Permanent Placement In Tampa Call (813) 636-9675 and a large law library, which we share with out tenants," explains Rahdert. "It's good for high-quality lawyers who like to have the amenities of a large Restored in 1990, the old Alexander Hotel. a five-story 1920s building, is another great example of adaptive reuse combined with historic charm. PRD STAFF@ people you can cOlml ouill> EOE office, but who are more independent- minded. "Combined with shared space facil- ities, people in Continued an page 45 The two sections of the Coachman Building (built in 1917 and now known as the Atrium Building) are now joined with a beautiful glass atrium. 23 ~ " MANATEE COUNTY Palmetto Library and South Manatee Branch. Central Library 1301 Barcarotta Blvd. Bradenton, FL 941-748-5555 ~ RELIGION For complete listing of churches in Manatee County see the yellow pages of your phone book. African Methodist Episcopal- St. James AME Church 2315 5th Avenue Dr. E. Palmetto, FL 941-722-6452 Assembly of God- First Assembly of God of Bradenton 1820 53rd Ave. W. Bradenton, FL 941-756-7331 Baptist- Bethel Baptist Church 1805 30th Ave. W Bradenton, FL 941-746-1936 Baptist (Southern Convention)- Bayshore Baptist Church 6502 14th St. W. Bradenton, FL 941-755-1129 COMMERCIAL Oo;;li/ll~e() p-om page ZJ Catholic- Saint Joseph's Catholic Church 3100 26th St. W. Bradenton, FL 941-756-3732 Christian- First Christian Church 181518th Ave. W. Bradenton, FL 941-746-4649 Christian Science- First Church of Christ Scientist 702 15th St. W. Bradenton, FL 941-746-9367 Church of Christ- Palmetto Church of Christ 1575 14th Ave. W. Palmetto, FL 941-722-1307 Church of God- Bradenton Church of God 1011 7th Ave. E. Bradenton, FL 941-746-0701 Congregational- Faith United Church 4850 SR 64 Bradenton, FL 941-746-8890 Episcopal- St. George's Episcopal Church 912 63rd Ave, W, Bradenton, FL 941-755-3606 Jehovah's Witnesses- Jehovah's Witnesses Central Congregation 3915 26th St. W. Bradenton, FL 941-755-0710 Jewish (Conservative)- Temple Beth EI 2209 75th St. W. Bradenton, FL 941-792-0870 Latter Day Saints-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Cortez Rd. Bradenton, FL 941-756-1586 Lutheran (ELCA)- Gloria Dei Lutheran Church 6608 Marina Dr. Holmes Beach, FL 941-778-1813 Lutheran (LCMS)- Faith Lutheran Church 9608 U,S, Hwy, 301 Bradenton, FL 941776-1395 Methodist (United)- Trinity United Methodist Church 3200 Manatee Ave. Bradenton, FL 941747-3704 Presbyterian- Westminster Presbyterian Church 3011 19th Ave. W Bradenton, FL 941-748-2848 along with the attraction of historic nostalgia, tax breaks for reclamation of old buildings are a prime incentive for such projects. But, she says, that's just the most obvious economic factor. "The labor cost of renovation is often a large percentage of the total cost," she says. "And with such projects labor is usually hired locally, keeping money in the local economy." the marketplace respond to the ambiance of a historic building," he continues. "It's on the National Register (of His- toric Places), which it got on in 1990 or 1991." According to Alma Hubbard, his- toric preservation planner for the Ciiy of St. Peters burg, Emergency......................................911 Poison Control Center ...800-282-3171 Chamber of Commerce 941-748-3411 County Information Line 941-749-7100 Property Appraiser 941-748-8208 Tax Collector 941-741-4800 NOTES Also, she says, materials may be more specialized and are often purchased locally. "It's just that kind of reinvest- mentln local and existing resources that helps lead to a more stable economy." Ada.ptive reuse sometimes means adapting old building to a new loca- tion, as well. The 1891 Williams House, the home of St. Petersburg founder Gen. .] ohn WJliams, Oontinued on P".ge 46 The historic St. Petersburg High School, recently renovated into the Mirror Lake Condominiums, is an example of how the city of St. Petersburg is capturing a little bit of history in everyday life. cgCopyright 1998 New South Publishing, Inc. 43 Catholic- Our lady Queen of Peace Church 5340 High New Port Richey, FL 813-849-7521 Christian Science- First Church of Christ Scientist 6131 River Rd. New Port Richey, FL 813-849-9341 Episcopal---,- Saint Elizabeth Episcopal Church 5855 16th S1. Zephyrhills, FL 813-782-1202 Jehovah's Witnesses- KingdomHall of Jehovah's Witnesses 13703 17th S1. Dade City, FL 352-567-6040 Jewish-Jewish Community Center of W. Pasco 9841 Scenic Dr. Port Richey, FL 813-847-3814 latter Day Sail1ts- Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints 9016 Fdrt King Rd. Zephyrhills, FL 813-788-4826 D" COUII1" " ":,' .," ,':'~""'::": "':: " lutheran-Atonement lutheran Church of Wesley Chapel 29617 State Road 54 Wesley Chapel, FL 813-973-2211 Methodist- Free Methodist Church 13945 20th S1. Dade City, FL 352567-7939 Nazarene- Chapel of the Hills Church of the Nazarene 35707 Clinton Ave. Dade City, FL 352-521-3511 Pentecostal- Gospel Assembly Church 12747 Happy Hill Rd. Dade City, FL 352523-0020 presbyterian- First Presbyterian Church 5510 19th S1. Zephyrhills, FL 813-782-7412 Seventh-Day Advel1tist - Seventh-Day Adventist Church 6424 Trouble Creek Rd. New Port Richey, FL 813-848-4567 has been moved from its original site to the campus of the Universiiy of South Florida. The Queen Anne-siyle home is now used by administration and fac- ulty as office and conference space. "That's a real good use for keeping one of our most historic residential sites," says Hubbard. And the home of anoth- County Information 352-521-4274 Property Appraiser 352-521-4433 Tax Collector 352-521-4360 ~ Chamber of Commerce, Dade City 352-567-3769 Chamber of Commerce, Zephyrhills 813-782-1913 NOTES '" ", er St. Petersburg pioneer, the 1904 house of early land developer C. Perry Snell- built in the Dutch Colo nial Revival-siyle-also has been moved to USF for faculiy use. It also increases tourism, she claims. "Cultural and historical tourism is a huge trend. People pick out their vaca- tions through websites and like to visit areas that have historic properties. That's one of the first things people do is go to the chamber of commerce and ask for maps of ,v here historic properties are." And sometimes, finding the truly his- 46 toric stuff requires some digging, as with the French doors excavated by attorney Rahdert during his Rutland's project in St. Petersburg. In some areas, there's pleniy more beneath a layer of stucco. In the 1950s, to the north in Pinellas county in downtown Clear- water, many of the ciiy's historic struc- tures from near the turn of the century were "modernized" with pleniy of stuc- co and metal facades. Some perfectly beautiful buildings were changed dur- ing more recent "renovations," and in both cases the Continued on page 49 The old Maas Brothers department store building was renovated and is now called Harborview Center, a beautiful waterfront location. The original home of the Clearwater Sun Newspaper is now home to Pat Lokey, an upscale women's clothing store. @Copyright 1998 New South Publishing, Inc. COMMERCIAL COI,tllZlle{] frori, pa/le 46 updates are viewed as having taken something away from downtown's his- toric character. Located on the prominent downtown corner of Osceola Avenue and Cleve- land Street, for example, is the 1911 Exchange Building. The original home of the Clearwater Sun Newspaper, the building was in 1980 given a wooden siding exterior facelift and a new store- front of fIxed glass. The building, now home to Pat Lokey, an upscale wom- over the years. Now, after the connec- tion of two sections of the building with a beautiful glass atrium, it is mostly offIces, though an ice cream parlor and health food store front the street on the ground floor. And renovations were recently com- pleted on the old Maas Brothers depart- ment store building overlooking the city's waterfront. Mter sitting vacant for years, the 150,OOO-square-foot, three-story building was purchased by en's clothing store, has since had some of its underlying brick exposed, and may eventually be totally reverted to its original state. "What many purchasers are doing in downtown Clearwater as part of the renovation is taking the historic build- ings and restoring them," confinns Carol ,^farren, who has been a commercial real estate broker in the area for more than 15 years. She's also served on the downtown development board of the city, and says there are several notable adaptive reuse projects in addition to the Exchange Building, and others are in the works. She notes the Coachman Building, now known commonly as the Atrium Building. The fIve-story brick struc- ture, built in 1917, has housed every- thing from drug stores to linen shops Two homes were moved from their original sites to the University of South Florida: The 1891 home of St. Petersburg founder Gen. John Williams (above and left) and the 1904 home of St. Petersburg pio- neer! early land developer C. Perry Snell (below and right). new deli; the third story is a confer- ence center used by community groups andthe overflow from trade shows. "That's been a beautiful renovation," says Warren. "It's really a beautiful location overlooking the water." City of Clearwater Downtown Man- agel' Diane Smith even has an idea on how to capitalize on people's love of history. She's thinking of creating a walking history tour. "Since we have a lot of first-floor retail space as offIce space, we could exhibit historic photos blown up and hung in the windows, with history writ- ten up about the building or the pic- ture," Smith says. "I thoughtthatwould bring up some interest to owners of properties to maybe see what's under- neath, or what they can do to bring out the historic features of their buildings. It may be interesting to see if their is some historic character behind all of that masonry." For example, she says, there are sev- eral buildings she's seen archival pho- tos of and said: "Can that really be the same building?" One of them, which sits at the corner of Garden and Cleve- land streets near downtown, is currently a blood bank. "It looks like there's some beautiful brick work underneath. The present building isn't ugly; it's just that there are some beautiful things under- neath --if it's still there. I don't know if the city and revamped. Now called Harborview Center, it is anchored by a SteinMart department store, which occupies its street-level second floor. Below is space for trade shows and a @Copyright 1998 New South Publishing, Inc. it's been retained. The pic- ture shows bricks and a lot of windows. There are now no windows on the upper floors. "As buildings are chang- ing hands, there is an oppor- tunity to bring back that character," says Smith, who is involved with the city's economic redevelopment. "And I think that will give Clearwater a sense of place." . JO/"II Ferri I> a Tampa Bay haJeo freeLance write!: 49