by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Since it was first built in 1929, the red brick warehouse at 2111 Liberty St. in Springfield has served as a Chevrolet Parts Depot, the headquarters for a printing company, a World War II induction center, a General Motors manufacturing plant and a food warehouse.
Currently, it’s the home to a plastics recycling company and the space is filled with boxes of used grocery bags and crushed milk containers.
Soon, Urban Spaces, an adaptive use and design company, will give the building new life by turning the 36,000 square feet into loft apartments.
“We’re really excited. This will be a project unlike any other around here,” said Mark Bourgeois, chief operating officer of Urban Spaces, a company whose other members are his wife, Barbara, daughter Amanda and her husband Jonathan Barron, sister Bridgette Bourgeois and Atlanta-based architect Karl Turner. “We got caught up in the rehabilitation of the area like a lot of people did and this is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Because the building has historic designation, the group will have to pay attention to requirements about altering its appearance.
Fortunately, the exterior of the building is in good shape.
“We’ll have to make replicas of the original doors, but we’ll salvage the old brass pieces,” said Mark Bourgeois. “There are original lights out front and the entrance has the original terrazzo floors.”
Inside, the apartments will retain the feeling of a warehouse with high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and iron trusses.
“We really wanted to maintain the urban feeling of the place,” said Mark Bourgeois. “But we want to bridge the gap between that and modern living.”
“Tenants will still get convenient amenities and privacy,” said Amanda Barron.
Each loft — there will be 29 of them — will have its own unique touches.
In one corner of the warehouse, a sunken space that once served as a boiler room will be incorporated into a design. Another apartment will make use of the old men’s changing room.
The units will range in size from 900 to 2,000 square feet (the lofts will add an additional 8,000 feet to the total usable space) and include one bedroom, efficiency-style apartments and two or three bedroom spaces. The second floor units will likely have their own roof top terraces.
“There are little nuances that will set each one apart,” said Mark Bourgeois, adding that because the building is hollow, interior renovation work will be easier.
“We estimate that construction should take between a year and 18 months,” he said. “We have the architect, the engineers and the contractors all lined up.”
As for the building’s future tenants, the group is predicting they’ll be “urban pioneers.”
“We imagine this type of living will appeal to artists and younger people who enjoy loft living,” said Jonathan Barron, the company’s assistant operating officer.
“I envision it being the place for young professionals working downtown,” added Amanda Barron.
The building is significant because of its design and because architect Albert Kahn was an internationally recognized industrial architect. He also designed the Ford Motor Company assembly plant on Wambolt Street at the St. Johns River and designed over 1,000 buildings for Henry Ford.
“There is also a wonderful example of some of the earliest uses of reinforced concrete in this building,” said Mark Bourgeois.
It was about eight months ago that he and Jonathan Barron first spotted the place, in the middle of a warehouse district in Springfield.
“We know the area has great promise,” said Jonathan Barron.
“There is a lot that could be done in the area,” added Mark Bourgeois. “It has great potential and we’d love to do more eventually.”