September 2016 — Office Properties Quarterly —
Page 15
J
on and Peggy Schallert, prin-
cipals of The Schallert Group
Inc., are celebrating a new
start for a historic building
in Longmont. 321 Main St.,
the building that once housed Long-
mont’s first bank, is open for busi-
ness.
Originally constructed in 1875, the
building is the oldest brick building
in Longmont’s history. Many early
Colorado entrepreneurs walked
through the bank’s doors to ask for a
loan, including a young James Cash
Penney (JC Penney) to help fund his
business. It has been updated several
times over the years and seen many
uses, including as an alternative high
school, an upholstery shop and a
comic book store.
In 2014, the Schallerts purchased
the property and put a plan in place
to renovate the building. This time
the renovation would restore many
of the bank’s original features and
eventually would become home to
The Schallert Group, a nationally rec-
ognized marketing and consulting
company that specializes in small-
business and community work.
The building needed to provide
professional, functional offices, rest-
rooms and meeting areas in the his-
torically renovated space. From the
beginning, the Schallerts set out to
refurbish a building and use it as a
work space. Respecting the history of
the space was a priority, but adhering
to the daily needs of a marketing firm
was crucial.
The plan’s first phases included
extensive interior demolition, down
to the building’s
original framing,
saving as many of
the original fin-
ishes and features
along the way.
More prominent
restoration features
include 19th cen-
tury marble penny
tile flooring, the
original tin ceil-
ing, original 1870s
brick and a fireplace
made of cast iron
and marble.
“Saving the origi-
nal features was a
top priority for the
Schallerts,” said
Jason Golden, vice president of MW
Golden Constructors. “We rehabili-
tated the marble penny floors, recre-
ated the ceiling, removed plaster to
expose the brick and refurbished the
fireplace. It was a unique project.”
The marble penny tile was found
under layers of glue-down carpet and
asbestos-containing vinyl tile and
mastic, and was carefully rehabili-
tated. Plaster applied over the original
demising walls was chipped away
gradually until the original 1870s
brick was exposed. A fireplace made
of cast iron and marble was disman-
tled piece by piece, repaired and reas-
sembled. Two coal chutes in the back
were dug out and refinished. The
building’s original Douglas Fir wood
flooring was uncovered, repaired and
refinished. Every aspect of the build-
ing was carefully analyzed and where
the original couldn’t be restored new
features that were added were made
to look historic.
In many cases, what couldn’t be
saved or replicated was sustainably
replaced. Many new features of the
building are made from sustainable
materials. Reclaimed lumber from
Colorado buildings and fences was
used for architectural woodwork,
along with wood beams from torn-
down barns, for seating and shelving.
“The addition of sustainable fea-
tures gives the building a greater
sense of place and helps create an
environment that people love,” said
Jon Schallert. “Not only do we get
comments about how unique and
one-of-a-kind the building is, we now
have people approaching us about
renting the space for their corporate
meetings and retreats.”
Like all great projects, this job was
not without challenges. Keeping
and restoring the original ceiling, for
example, was a unique trial. In one
part of the building, only 20 square
feet of original ceiling was intact, so
every piece of that original tin was
relocated and reused. The existing tin
Meagan
Wairama
Business
development
and marketing
manager,
MW Golden
Constructors,
Castle Rock
Project Spotlight
Debbie Adams Photography
A view of the multipurpose area, restrooms and audiovisual alcove
