Jim Fair
The former Bank of Greer is being renovated into a luxury apartment that features a sauna and changing room in two of the vaults.
Jim Fair
An insurance agency will occupy 114 Trade Street, between BIN112 and former Bank of Greer. Some space will be leased to other small businesses.
Jim Fair
Greer Trading Post, A Specialty Shop owned by Jessica Monroe is planned for this building at 217 Trade Street.
Jones, owner of the former Bank of Greer at 116 Trade Street, told the Board of Architectural Review that will be among a wholesale of renovations to the historical property that will serve as his residence and business. He is also renovating a second property at 114 Trade Street into an insurance business with extra office space that may be leased.
Jessica Monroe, opening Greer Trading Post, A Specialty Shop at 217 Trade Street, told the board the Reese building, owned by Greg Hall, would have an updated façade.
It was a busier than normal meeting Wednesday for the architectural board, charged with keeping the integrity of the historical district intact.
Jones said the meticulous renovation of the bank has benefitted from federal and state tax credits. “We are doing as complete a restoration of the bank building as possible,” Jones said.
Jones said he has worked with the Interior Department and historical registry during the process. “An example of working with Interior is we restored windows instead of replacing them. We lost the energy efficiency but retained the national historical integrity,” Jones said. The building’s completion remains at least 6-8 weeks away.
Jones said he wanted an elevator for the bank building, “but the staircase was historically significant. We also found the original tile.”
The bank vaults, said Jones, “obviously didn’t have any money but there were a lot of receipts for bonds from the 1930s and 1940s.” A second vault is being transitioned in a changing room. The almost two-ton steel doors will remain since a crane would be needed to extract them. They have been disabled.
The façade on the bank building was extensive and had to be torn out and replaced.
Jones said he is anticipating a certificate of occupancy next week for downstairs at 114 Trade Street. Furnishings are also scheduled to arrive next week. “We tried the best we could to get the original look back,” Jones said.
The board gave tentative approval for signage, windows and doors at the proposed Greer Trading Post. Doors opening to the downstairs (1,760 square feet) and upstairs (880 square feet), respectively, will be replaced.
The windows will be smaller than on the front that are now there and the middle windows, covered by the signage of a finance company, will be exposed in the new façade. David Langley (Langley and Associates), board member, told Monroe, “You might want to consider the kind of glass you put in. The afternoon sun will heat up those old windows.”
The board also told Monroe using vinyl on the façade would disqualify the business for a tax credit. Monroe is planning a summer opening that doesn’t allow pursuing the credit. The board also said painting the brick may be a better solution than matching it, since the original brick is no longer part of the building.