A recent post on the SRA Blog talked about the new HepCat Loft Development in Warsaw, Indiana. It’s an interesting concept and one I might consider including in our Sand Hill Farm Development when it moves forward. There is not much in the way of what I would call “loft space” developed as such in Culver. Most of the spaces above the downtown buildings have been developed as more traditional apartments such as what Susie Mahler has created above Cafe Max. (Listing with pictures here.) Jan Nanini’s building at 110 North Main Street took the old Masonic Lodge on the second floor and subdivided it into apartments as well. (You’ll need to go to Jeff Kenney for better history of that building. He tells us it’s haunted here.) Others, such as the space above Fisher & Co. have been left undeveloped and have been relegated to storage.
When I think of “Loft Space” I think of open concept and high ceilings, generally having exposed trusses and often having spiral duct HVAC systems. (I love Google Image search, but it’s frustrating when I look through so many pictures and don’t find exactly what I want. This time I came pretty darn close!) It is very much the look Larry Surrisi went for in the original design of The Edgwater Grille (now The Lakehouse Grille) in Culver. There are more of these spaces in Plymouth. We worked on a loft space at the site of the old Moose Lodge and George Schricker has developed some loft apartments above the former Vine Restaurant as well.
This is very much what RW Kidd Construction has gone for in their concept design; the difference being that instead of rehabbing existing abandoned second floors of buildings, they have used “Loft Space” as a style for their new construction. It is somewhat of a minimalist style that should lend itself to some cost savings. It looks like RW Kidd had outfitted them at a fairly high level though to go along with the HepCat theme, which has reintroduced costs.
I like the flat roof patios. I’m picturing them along the east property line of the Sand Hill Farm Development where they would look out over the baseball diamonds. It could be an interesting concept there. I also like the multifamily format. I think some limited mix of this type of building could fit well in my mixed use scheme. As mentioned above, it would be something different for Culver. I also wonder if it could be modified to work with a more traditional loft theme where there could be some home-based retail on the first floor, possibly moving the garage entrance to the back off of an alley. There’s potential here!
I’m in Warsaw enough that I will need to swing by and see them in person. There are quite a few pictures at the HepCat Loft Development site listed above, so check them out if you’re interested. Let me know what you think. Is this something that could work in Culver?
Taken from the Culver Citizen, April 27, 2012. Article and Picture by Jeff Kenney. Thanks Jeff!
Easterday Construction has been involved with multiple multi-family housing projects over the years. The Garden Court projects have figured prominently in our experience. Currently many of the economic indicators are reportedly pointing towards the need for more multi-family housing. Rental properties are projected to be in demand. A recent article here points to the Top Ten Reasons for owning multi-family housing. Check out the article and contact us if you’re interested in a foray into this type of investment.
This past Tuesday we had our PTO (Permission To Occupy) meeting with HUD for the Culver Garden Court. This released the building to the property management company (Bradley Residential Management, formerly Real Estate Management) and they started to move furniture in that day. There were a few minor cleaning issues and some general touch-up items to be completed and they are underway. We will be moving the equipment and trailers off the site this week. The first residents will be moving in on Monday of next week! We’ve had to kick one future resident out multiple times over the past month as he’s been impatient to move in! Ha!
Due to the timing for completion of this building, there were a few items escrowed including the landscaping. This is scheduled for installation later this Spring. If our Spring comes in as mild as the Winter has been, we should be able to get an early start on it. Since it includes seeding, we don’t want to push this too early though.
We think this has been a successful project and we have gone over and above since it’s in our home town. There will be an announcement for an Open House and Ribbon Cutting coming out soon which we’ll include as a post here. We look forward to seeing you there!
We’ve included a few additional pictures after the jump.
We previously discussed efforts to make Culver Garden Court “Greener” than previous Garden Court projects. Apparently our project architect, Brent Martin, took that a bit literally when selecting the color scheme as you can see as the siding installation progresses. The siding is Certainteed’s Cedar Impressions and the color is Cypress.
There is a flurry of activity at the site now that the drywall and painting has been completed. The vinyl tile has been installed. The cabinets are in place. This is allowing installation of door frames, plumbing fixtures, electrical devices and electrical fixtures. On the exterior the siding is nearly complete as well as the soffit. The gutters and downspouts are scheduled for completion this week as well.