Banner Raising party, media coverage

On Wednesday, March 3rd, Mayor Copenhaver, Commisioner Aitken, and a number of interested Augusta citizens, as well as our team of bankers from Queensborough NB&T, our construction team from Capers & Associates, Realty Management team from Rex Realty, and our architect, Alan Venable, met at the 1106 Broad Street building for a "banner raising" party. Margaret Woodard from the Augusta Downtown Development Authority was there to kick off the remarks; Mack McLeod introduced the "team" and pointed out the highlights of our project that set it apart from other downtown mixed-use projects, and Mayor Copenhaver spoke to the importance of this project, funded by private citizens, to help move the downtown area forward. Scott Hudson of WGAC was present and interviewed both Mack and Natalie, and his report has been broadcast a number of times on the radio.




Ann Catherine Murray, Richard Peacock, Karyn Nixon, and Bruys Henderson review the blueprints.









The 'Team': L-R Paul King, property manager, Mack and Natalie McLeod, Alan Venable, architect, Cliff Eckles, financing, and Mark Capers, general contractor.




We had a good turnout with friends and supporters from across the community. Although we could not tour the building, our guests were interested in the blueprints, models, and wonderful renderings of some of the apartments that were on display.








Mack explains model to Nick Butt, Margaret Woodard, and Frank









Bruys Henderson with some of the fabulous renderings he did, bringing the apartments to life!







That same morning, the first in a series of articles on The Emporium was published in VERGE, Augusta's wonderful downtown newspaper, chronicling the history of the project and some of the challenges we've had to overcome to actually begin our construction. Then today (Monday, March 8), we received a call from a reporter at the Augusta Chronicle who wants to write a story about The Emporium. Natalie and I will meet her for interviews and photos tomorrow. Watch for the story in the paper!

From a contruction standpoint, things are moving along. We currently have three crews working: one framing the third floor apartment, one attacking the roof, getting ready to shore up the supporting structures, re-deck, and apply the HydroStop membrand, and one crew preparing the in-building parking garage at the rear of the first floor. Natalie and I are becoming more and more excited as we can see parts of our dream come to fruition. There were times we wondered if we'd EVER get started. (I'm sure Mark Capers shared that fear!). But we're going now, and look to make a lot of progress in the near future.

Please share this blog with other interested folks, and don't hesitate to comment!

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)-Commercial

What size commercial spaces will be available?
A: The Broad Street portion of the ground floor will become a large commercial space of approximately 4000 sq. ft. If desired, this space is easily divisible into two spaces, each with its own bathroom, entrance, and utilities.

Can I be involved in the planning of my space?
A: Absolutely! For now, we are leaving the space largely open with temporary lighting installed. There will also be his/her bathrooms installed at the rear of the space. Tenants can be involved from the very first stages in the build-out of the space.

When will the spaces be available?
A: We anticipate completion of this project in December, 2010.

What about parking?
A: There will be secured parking for commercial space tenants and staff in a fenced parking lot across Ellis Street from the rear of the building.

How do I reserve my space now?
How can I learn more?
A: Contact Paul King at Rex Realty: (706) 722-4962 or www.rexgroup.com

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)-Residential

What size apartments will be available?
We will have one single bedroom unit of 990 sq. ft., six two-bedroom units of 1100 - 1475 sq. ft. (average size: 1340 sq. ft.), and two three-bedroom units of 1685 and 2545 sq. ft.

How much will your apartments rent for?
Our apartments will rent for market value, similar to apartments in the White's Building and Enterprise Mill. Remember, we have in-building secured parking and two elevators which is unique in our neighborhood.

Why are your apartments special?
A: Each apartment is unique; no two are identical. Each apartment has access to an outside feature, either a deck, patio, or double French door with a view of Augusta, with lots of natural light. One secure, in-building parking spot is offered with each apartment and additional parking is guaranteed in our secured, private lot just across from the building on Ellis Street. The building has a state-of-the-art security system with video monitors of the entrances in each apartment. There are front and rear elevators within this secured space. Additionally, each apartment features ceramic tile baths, custom cabinetry with stone counter tops, sound insulation between units, energy efficient, stainless steel kitchen appliances, and at least one special architectural accent.

Shared amenities include the benefit of an Energy Star rated "cool" roofing system, bicycle and stroller storage, optional, in-building storage units, and additional secure parking just across Ellis Street from the rear entrance to the building.

When will these apartments be available to occupy?
A: We plan completion of this project in December, 2010

How do I reserve my apartment now?
How can I learn more?
A: Contact Paul King at Rex Realty: (706) 722-4962 or www.rexgroup.com

History of the McLeods' renovation project of 1106 Broad Street

Mack and Natalie McLeod became interested in the renovation of downtown Augusta buildings in the mid-2000's. At that time, Natalie was in the antiques business and her initial interest was in renovating a downtown space for her business. This interest evolved to include interest in downtown renovation in general, and we began to identify properties that we felt could be successfully renovated into commercial space, residential space, or both. We went on the annual Loft Tours for several years, and saw many people our age (or older) who indicated that they would love to live downtown, but couldn't deal with the many steps associated with most of the downtown loft apartments, nor the uncertainty of downtown parking.

We partnered with another investor in the renovation of a different building on Broad Street, but we were essentially "silent partners" in this effort. This whetted our appetite to be more "hands on", and we identified and purchased the 1106 Broad Street building in 2006, and within a year were the sole owners of the building.

Natalie, who is DEFINITELY the driving force behind this project, has spent countless hours meeting with our architect, Alan Venable, poring over plans, having other meetings with our contractor, Mark Capers, and his team, and with many other engineers and subcontractors. This project has been her full-time job for the last three years, and she can cite square footages, apartment sizes, and just about any other statistic regarding this project flawlessly from memory.

Our initial plan was to have either one very large or two smaller commercial spaces downstairs, and ten condominiums upstairs. As we got further along with the project, however, and learned more about Federal and State Historic Tax Credits (HTC's), we discovered that condominium projects are not eligible for either Federal or State HTC's, and we redirected our residential spaces to be apartments. In about the seventh or eighth generation of floor plans, we also changed the number of residential units from ten to nine, allowing the third floor to "belong" to one apartment only, rather than splitting this wonderful space into two smaller units.

We struggled with the very large first floor commercial space which extends all the way from Broad Street to Ellis Street. We were advised by Paul King of Rex Realty, our management agent, that we would probably be more successful renting smaller retail spaces than the very narrow, block-long spaces that we had. So that raised the question of what to do with the rear of the downstairs. As mentioned, one of our concerns was with parking for this project, and in a "Eureka" flash, our team had the idea to convert the rear of the first floor into secured in-building parking, with one parking space available for each apartment. This one decision has probably created the biggest "WOW Factor" of the project. The other major decision that we made to make our building extremely tenant-friendly was to put in, not one, but TWO elevators, one front and one rear, to access all apartments.

Another thing we noticed as we viewed many of the apartments on the Loft Tours was that many of the loft apartments in Augusta are somewhat spartan, without many of the amenities available in most upscale homes. Our intention in designing our apartments was to provide many of these amenities, with the aim of appealing to "empty nesters" and others seeking a more finished residence. Also, Natalie has a great love for architectural details, and we will incorporate at least one "special" architectural feature into each apartment.

We know how appealing a view to the outside, with natural light, is, and we have designed each apartment to have access to an outside view. This has proven to be a challenge, since the sides of the second floor are each on a property line, and window penetrations are not allowed on property lines because of fire safety. With some creativity on our team's part, and after several consultations with the Building Inspector and fire marshal, as well as with the State and Federal Historic Preservation authorities, we have created apartments filled with natural light from a variety of sources. Each apartment has access either to a deck, a patio, or at least one double French door with a view of Augusta. We invite you to view our floor plans and artist's renderings to see how this will work.

History of the 1106 Broad Street Building

The building now known as the "Antique Emporium", was built in the late Victorian Romanesque style as a 3 story retail/residential building sometime prior to 1884. We know from historical documents and photos that additions extending the building all the way to Ellis Street were constructed between 1884 and 1890, again between 1890 and 1904, and again between 1923 and 1954. Sometime after 1950, a total restructuring of the first floor storefront to a modern metal and plate glass storefront with one large, double glass door was completed. At that time, the large windows on the second floor were removed and their openings filled and covered over by a block and plaster facade.





In 1884 the original structure appeared on the Sanford Fire Maps as a "furniture and dry goods store". The only facts that we know for sure about the life of this structure are that it was a Montgomery Ward Department Store until the Great Depression, became Schneider's Department Store through the 1940's, then became Heilig-Meyers Furniture Store in the 1970's. In the 1990's, after the decline of the downtown area, it was reincarnated as an Antique Store and currently the front of the building bears the name "Antique Emporium". This business moved from the site in 2007.