Developing a lofty lifestyle in downtown Suffolk

The Jones Building still has a working marquee. It also has five retail businesses and five loft-style apartments on the second floor. (Michael Kestner / The Virginian-Pilot)

By Phyllis Speidell
The Virginian-Pilot

Historicpreservation meets contemporary urban flair in the restoration of theNorth Main Street structure known as the Jones Building.

The1920, two-story structure, named after the builder, once housed the artdeco Chadwick Theater, a few stores and 13 small apartments.

Now it is home to five retail businesses and five chicloft-style apartments, unlike any others in the downtown area.

The apartments are part of a trend to build upscale housing onthe upper floors of downtown commercial buildings.

In some ways, they're a throwback to the district's earlierdays, when shopkeepers and others lived above the stores.

A few doors down the street, at 139 to 145 North Main, Paigeand Marcus Pollard are transforming the circa-1928 building that oncewas the Montgomery Ward store into Montgomery Lofts, 13 loft-stylecondominiums above a retail store and an office.

The condos, 800 to 1,300 square feet, will range from theupper end of $100,000 to the mid-$200,000 range. The Pollards estimatethe condos will be completed by mid-June.

The units, mostly two-bedroom, two-bath floor plans, willinclude high tin ceilings, original heart-pine floors, lots of windowsand a plasma TV with surround sound.

Owners will also enjoy a shared roof deck and, for seven ofthe condos, covered parking.

Even more loft-style apartments over stores and offices willbe included among the 170 residential units in the nearby Fairgroundsurban renewal project.

The Jones Building apartments, ranging from 730 to 1,145square feet, have unique floor plans that make even the smallest seemlight and spacious.

Twelve-foot ceilings, walls of wide windows and, in a fewapartments, glass-block walls create a sense of openness.

Luxurious amenities include Jacuzzi tub and shower units,solid cherry kitchen cabinets with granite countertops, new oakhardwood floors, and high-end appliances, including stackable washerand dryer units.

The units, priced from $1,150 to $1,490 a month, include areserved parking spot behind the building and a keyless entry securitysystem.

In order to get tax credits for the building's restoration,the developers are required to rent the apartments for at least fiveyears.

After that, they can convert them to condos.

Charlie Jones of Charlie Jones Inc., a Chesapeake constructioncompany, said his firm did some of the work on the building.

He said he was so impressed with what he saw, that he rentedan apartment for one of his project managers to use.

The employee, who travels from his home near Richmond,generally stays in a hotel on weeknights to be closer to the worksites.

"It's the first time we've tried this, but it's much betterthan renting a hotel room," Jones said.

"And this location is close to a lot of things happening onthe Suffolk corridor."

Marquee and all

Suffolk developers Michael Haas and Robert T. Williams,partners in LUP (Last of the Urban Pioneers) LLC, did the majorrenovation and restoration that has returned the building's fa?ade toits 1920s luster - including the lighted marquee that once announcedthe theater's latest bill.

They bought the building from the Suffolk Land Co. in 1997 for$325,000.

Their biggest challenge was finding an appropriate use for thesecond floor of the building that had been carved into 13 smallapartments of less than 500 square feet each.

"We decided on upscale loft-style apartments because we feltthere was a market for them, but there was nothing in downtown tosupply that market," Williams said.

"Five apartments was a small enough number to test thatmarket."

The developer painstakingly brought back the building'soriginal brick fa?ade and wide, multi-pane windows that overlook MainStreet.

Plywood had been tacked over part of the windows to bring themdown to standard size.

Williams and Haas removed the wood, and had new windowscustom-made to fit the original size openings.

The $3 million reconstruction included renovating both floorsof the building, as well as the parking lot.

Haas and Williams also spruced up the stuccoed back of thebuilding, and added a stair tower with a green awning.

"Like living in Ghent"

In the 1920s the theater flourished, booking both movies andstage acts.

Over the years, the theater turned to spicier offerings, andwas known as the Magic Lantern.

On Nov. 18, 1982, a fire, believed to be arson, claimed thetheater.

The fire smoldered for two days before the theater, tuckedbehind the Jones Building, was razed.

The hole in the wall that was once the theater's marbled lobbywas converted into a passageway that gave pedestrians a short cut fromthe shops and restaurants of Main Street to the parking lots behind thebuildings.

Randy Hicks, the original architect who designed therenovations, and former chairman of the Historic Landmarks Commission,said that after a few years, the passageway also became a securityproblem, especially at night when it was a hangout for less-respectablecharacters.

With the renovation, the passageway was closed, creating anew, fifth storefront for the building - and a longer walk forpedestrians trying to get from North Main to Saratoga Street.

The stores at street level have new plate-glass windows andcontemporary interior redesigns.

There is a spa for foot and ankle care, a store specializingin shoes aimed at comfort and a gift and stationery shop.

Chris Schors, 34, a professional cabinetmaker, designed allthe loft kitchens, efficient galleys with stainless-steel appliancesand granite countertops.

Schors is also the project's first residential tenant, movingin a month ago after spending a year or more looking for a house to buy.

"I fell in love with the building and feel very comfortableliving here," he said.

"They've done a phenomenal job with the rehab.

"A lot of people don't feel safe in this area, but it reallyis safe," Schors said.

"It's like living in Ghent, with being able to walk to almostanything you need."