A single small pigeon egg resting in an old rusted piece of equipment upstairs in the Fulk Building on Main Street signals promise of new life for the century-old building that once housed the Arkansas Democrat.
Moses Tucker Real Estate and retailer Janan Filat and her family are partnering to overhaul the two-story 14,000-square-foot building at 615 Main St. and make it into a showplace with a high-end restaurant, coffee shop or both on the ground level plus first- and second-story lofts. Cost of the project is expected to be about $2 million. The Filat family owns the building.
When it's done -- about a year from now -- the front facade will be restored to look like the newspaper's old digs, said Chris Moses, president of Moses Tucker. Contractors with Central Construction Group of Little Rock are keeping the newspaper name intact as it was originally engraved in limestone. Curved awnings will shade four large arched windows on the structure's second floor.
The street side exterior had an additional Arkansas Democrat sign, but it was poorly installed, Moses said, and deeply damaged when construction crews removed a facade last spring.
The size of the seven lofts will range from 750 square feet to 1,300 square feet; leases will start in the range of $850 per month. Some ceilings in the lofts will be as high as 20-30 feet.
"The cubic footage in here is incredible," Moses said while standing on the concrete floor and craning his head to the gaze at the elevated ceiling.
"There's no other building in this market with those kind of ceiling heights and natural light in a residential setting," he said. Some of the second-floor lofts will have space to add another level within the unit.
Cromwell Architects Engineers designed the project, which has been in the works for about a year.
"We work together to try to decide what is something unique that they can bring to market that will entice future tenants for downtown Little Rock," architect Chris East said. The owner and developer will receive state and federal historic tax credits that equate to 20 percent of the building cost. It's the same tax credit program that has been used to improve many of the historic buildings in the state, East said.
"We're preserving as much of the historic character of the historic building as possible," East said.
Work on the project is expected to start with some demolition and remediation within the next 60 days. The upstairs has largely been inhabited by pigeons. Crews will take down a wall that separates the unoccupied storefront from space next to it recently vacated by a Subway restaurant. That will make about 4,000 square feet for the fine-dining restaurant Moses hopes to land.
The firm is expected to start marketing for an eatery in about a month. Potential tenants for the residential units are already calling, he said. Retail is another possibility for use.
The downstairs will house two of the seven lofts. One of the upstairs lofts will face the street, another will face the east in the back and three in the middle will share a covered courtyard with a skylight overhead.
"It's kind of hard to visualize, but with the skylights it will open it all up," Moses said.
He said he hopes the major overhaul will encourage other property owners in the area to spruce up their places, as well.
The Arkansas Democrat occupied the building from the time it was built in 1916 until 1930, when it moved to its currently location, 121 E. Capitol Ave. and eventually became the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Business on 12/19/2014