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New Vitality for the Lovemans on Market
Older downtown department stores—even the most swank—have generally sat abandoned with the changing paradigm of consumer behavior brought about by suburban malls. The fate of many—even those that still generate the fondest of memories in a community—is to be torn down and considered the “white elephants” of historic preservation. In downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, two large historic anchors of the city’s Market Street central business district have finally found owners with vision for their adaptive reuse. The former Lovemans department store, built in 1892, will be renovated to allow for five floors of condominium space and ground-floor commercial or retail space. Two Chattanoogans, national investment banker Nelson Bowers and Buck Schimpf, a 25-year real estate and development veteran, have partnered to form 800 Market Properties, LLC and have named the project, The Lovemans on Market. Architect and educator Andy Smith will provide consultation on the historic preservation of the building. Architects David Hudson, Frank Greene and Justin Dumsday with Artech Design Group have teamed-up for the overall building design and Larry Parks with TU Parks Construction will be the general contractor. “The Lovemans on Market will encourage further redevelopment of central downtown,” says Ken Hays with RiverCity Company, a private nonprofit downtown development firm that is working on another project just up the street from The Lovemans. Andy Smith joins the team of Chattanooga-based architect Garnet Chapin and the Atlanta-based firm Smith Dalia to design the adaptive reuse of the remaining mercantile two and three story shops recently purchased by RiverCity in the 700 block. It too will have a strong residential component. The large three-story Central Block Building, Chattanooga’s oldest commercial structure and the area’s first mixed-use professional office building, anchors the 600 block. It was built in 1883 and was definitely the City’s most prestigious business address for decades. The top floor meeting lodge, Castle Hall, still virtually intact, was home to a number of private social clubs. Their membership rosters tell the story of Chattanooga’s early wealth that rose from an entrepreneurial and industrial synergy unique for a Southern city. The historic landmark advocacy group, Cornerstones, will donate the 20,000-square-foot building to the United Way of Greater Chattanooga. Cornerstones saved the building from demolition and used its resources to secure and stabilize the building. The United Way plans to move its offices to the site following a comprehensive restoration process estimated to cost approximately $3 million. For further information on The Lovemans, call Buck Schimpf, 423.266.9127; To learn more about Chattanooga’s efforts to “reinhabit the city” and other downtown projects on the drawing table, call Ken Hays or Ann Coulter at RiverCity Company. For information on the Central Block Building, contact Ann Gray at Cornerstones, 423.265.3700 or Dan Bowers, President of United Way of Greater Chattanooga, 423.752.0316. |
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