Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009

Run-down apartment building in Belleville gets new life as lofts

To see how nice the building at 201 S. Charles St. in Belleville will look, you have to use your imagination now, Shelly Leehy said.

But that soon will change. What used to be a run-down apartment building is going to blossom as new lofts, said Leehy, sales manager for Four Pointes Realty Associates in Belleville, the development firm of the new lofts.

What were five apartments will become four lofts with a lot of basement storage space. Workers have torn out old drop ceilings and removed junk from the building and are repairing the roof. When they are done, Leehy said hopefully by the middle of December, the building will have a new paint job and a lot of other renovations.

They hope to cash in on the desire of people to live near a jazzed-up downtown.

"We think there is a huge need for this in downtown Belleville," Leehy said. "At least we hope there is."

The lofts are only two blocks off East Main Street and should compliment the efforts downtown to produce upscale living space, she said.

Jerry Leehy, broker and owner of Four Pointes, and Steve Neumeyer are the investors. They expect to spend up to $375,000 on the project.

The four units in the first building at 201 S. Charles St. are being offered at prices ranging from $124,900 to $144,900.

"One of the neat things is that each unit offers some unique quality," Shelly Leehy said. "We found a staircase buried in there that probably hasn't been used in more than 60 years. We plan to fix that up. One unit has old tin ceilings. There are original hardwood floors and exposed brick."

The lofts feature high ceilings, tall baseboards, interesting window trim and will have crown moldings. Parking space is in back.

The developers also have bought 212 S. Charles, a few doors up and across the street, and will develop it later. That building will have six loft units.

Leehy said the project is private with no money from the city.

"But we do have their moral support," she said. "We've had our eyes on this building for quite a while and were able to buy it out of foreclosure. It is still zoned multi-family but timing is of the essence. We have to have it revived before it has been vacated a year or the zoning changes."

She said the outside beige paint will be stripped off and a nicer color scheme painted back on.

"This definitely will be a beautiful building again," she said.

Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert said the lofts are exactly the kind of thing the city is hoping to attract.

"Our people who have met with them were impressed with the plans," he said. "It's nice of them to lift those two buildings up."

For more information you can call the realty firm at 234-9601.