A building in Brush Park that is sandwiched between the
Heidelberg Project's administrative headquarters and the Carola Building, and just across the street from the not-yet-open Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe, is set to be renovated. Developer Todd Wenzel is a neighborhood resident that was inspired by "a block that has a lot going on," the Ford engineer says. "It's a great location. I'm just trying to do my part to get people to move Downtown (and this building is) on a scale that I can take on."
The four-story building on Watson St. is called the Devon. It was built in 1905 and features a concrete art deco facade. It will house four 1,300 square feet residential units. The rear of the building will be demoed and rebuilt with floor to ceiling windows. New garages will be built along the alley line, which will create an interior courtyard. Sustainability measures will include geothermal heating and cooling, tankless water heating, day-lighting, solar shading and a green roof atop the garage.
Wenzel estimates the cost per unit will be approximately $220,000. One is pre-sold, and construction will not begin until the other three are purchased, which he hopes will occur the first quarter of 2011. "This is a very very unique
property at a small enough scale people where can really feel that they are part of a community," he says. "This is a special project -- I don't think I'll have an issue finding (three) people," he says.
Once all the units are spoken for, Wenzel estimates a one-year construction timeline. The project architect is
Kraemer Design Group and
Strategic Energy Solutions is the sustainability consultant. More information on the project can be obtained by emailing
[email protected].
Source: Todd Wenzel, Devon Renewal LLC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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