Downtown sees new addition of lofts

Apartments and two new retail spaces are being built in one of downtown Milledgeville’s largest and newly renovated buildings. 

The building, which was previously a Belk on West Hancock Street, features a variety of layouts for tenants to choose from, including studio style; two bedroom, two bath; three bedroom, three bath and three bedroom, two bath.

“The top floor will actually open up and there will be a bedroom on the main level and a spiral staircase going up to the lofted area that will have two bedrooms and another bathroom upstairs,” Frank Pendergast, owner of the building and lead visionary, said. Units start at $550 per room without utilities and increase as they move up into the larger apartments and floors. Off street parking is also an option for each tenant.

Students are concerned with what the building would do for the feel of downtown Milledgeville.

“If they do keep with the design aesthetic that downtown has going, so they don’t stand out as being really distracting from the feel downtown has, that would be a lot more appealing,” Lucy Williams, sophomore art major said.

The four-story building has two retail spaces on the street level, and apartments on the second and third floor as well as in the basement. The third floor apartments are the most luxurious, with lofted ceilings and exterior walls of plated glass windows. These apartments are split into their own separate floors.

In designing the new building, Pendergast is maintaining a similar style as his six other properties in downtown Milledgeville, including The Brick

“I like the rustic/urban sort of look and feel. It lends itself to a new environment,” Pendergast said.Pendergast ran into a problem of finding a way to use the full size basement of the building, and in order to make it available as apartments, an open air sitting area in the middle of the building is being added.

“We’re going to remove the ceiling so that it is open to the elements, and there will be an interior courtyard. There will be plants and trees and stuff like that on the inside,” Pendergast said.

Savannah-based J.T. Turner Construction Co. has been hired to handle renovations.

“Since it is a historic building, there are certain issues that you want to be leery of. We wanted to be sure we had some one with that type of experience and J.T.  Turner has a lot of experience with historic restoration and preservation,” Pendergast said.

The benefits that this project will have for downtown have been noticed by students.

“For the people that do move in it will reduce drinking and driving which is a good thing. It also brings in almost a Charleston sort of feel because most places in Charleston have residential living above the commercial zoning,” Spencer Collins, sophomore accounting major, said.

The project is expected to be finished at the end of July.

“It’s a 12-month project that we’ve shrunk into a 10-month period,” Pendergast said. Despite the far off finish date, potential tenants have expressed interest in moving in.

“I’ve got a lot of hits, people who are asking about it. I was surprised how many non-students, several faculty members with kids are like ‘I want the top right corner,” Pendergast said. “That’s what I want. You know, husband and wife with two kids.”