Downtown Brownwood Loft Dwellers: A growing community !
Aloft Downtown
Brownwood residents tout loft living's sense of community
By Celinda Emison / emisonc@reporternews.com
June 4, 2006
BROWNWOOD - On a warm spring morning, Marcus Holley dons flip-flops and runs across the street from his home to pick up a belated housewarming gift: a floral arrangement.
Meanwhile, Reed and Becca Smith wait for furniture to be delivered to their loft apartment above a local shop. And Ladon Spence wonders when she'll need to weed the sidewalk.
They're all members of a growing community in downtown Brownwood: loft dwellers.
Loft apartments generally are open spaces with few walls dividing living, dining and bedroom areas. They frequently sit atop businesses in downtown or other commercial districts.
Loft living is not new in larger cities, such as Dallas and Austin. Downtown living is also taking off in Abilene, with the restoration of the Hotel Wooten, apartments in the same structures as art galleries or restaurants, and planned renovations that will bring a restaurant and condos to a downtown Abilene site.
''This is definitely a trend in the last decade,'' said Shelly Hargrove, vice president of the Texas Downtown Association. ''People want to work where they live and live where they work.''
Spurred by less expensive real estate, smaller cities such as Brownwood are seeing loft apartments pop up. Hargrove said the trend is becoming popular because it is the best use of available upstairs space and it creates business opportunities downtown.
''You have more residents downtown, and sidewalks become the front and back yards of these residences,'' Hargrove said. ''It creates a safer and cleaner environment.''
Other cities are hoping to get building owners and developers interested in the loft living idea.
''We have an Albany native from Houston who has purchased two of our downtown buildings, and we understand he wants to convert them to lofts,'' said Robert Echols, former president of the Chamber of Commerce in Albany, whose downtown boasts a well-regarded museum and courthouse and a small business district. ''We have some pretty neat buildings that would be great for lofts.''
Brownwood historic preservationists are so proud of the trend, they have scheduled a loft tour for August as part of the city's sesquicentennial celebration. Recent arrivals and more experienced downtown dwellers described why they enjoy their lofts.
Gregory Free, a restoration specialist and owner of Gregory Free and Associates design firm in Austin, said Brownwood's downtown buildings are a great resource for lofts.
''There are quality buildings that have nice exposure, and they are affordable,'' Free said. ''They have such great potential because Brownwood was such a sizeable city when they were built.''
Holley/Busby loft
Marcus Holley, 24, and his girlfriend Leanne Busby, 26, live in a brownstone loft that was built in downtown Brownwood in the late 1800s. The safe from a former bank remains, and a picture of a dentist who worked in the top floor 100 years ago hangs in the entryway.
Holley studied music in Austin, but came back to Brownwood two years ago after the death of his brother, Robert (an etched crystal image of Robert sits on the window sill). About the same time Busby came home to Brownwood from Dallas, where she lived in a downtown loft, and soon began dating Holley.
Hoping to bring an urban feel to their hometown, the couple decided to look for a building to turn into a loft and met Mary and David Stanley, who were renovating their loft.
''When they showed us the building, it had plywood floors and no walls,'' Marcus recalled. ''We said we wanted it right then and there.''
Last August, the couple moved in. They happily slept on the floor for weeks before they got furniture. Now the two-bedroom loft, which also has an office, is painted and furnished, and is lined with windows.
''We love the windows so much that we decided not to put curtains up,'' Busby said.
The couple walks their dogs every day at Center Park, and frequents downtown eateries such as Steve's Market and Deli, The Turtle and Danny Ray's Steak House.
They love the lifestyle and hope it catches on with others, particularly other 20-somethings interested in history and urban living.
''There's more of a sense of community downtown it seems,'' Busby explained. ''We know everything that goes on down here, and we can just look out our windows and yell.''
Smith loft
Reed and Becca Smith said they always wanted to try loft living, but thought it was too expensive while living in Pensacola, Fla.
But after the self-described ''serial movers'' - ''We've never been afraid to pick up and move and make a change,'' Becca said - arrived in Brownwood, they got their wish.
Reed, 29, the marketing director at Brownwood Regional Medical Center, and Becca, 27, an independent business consultant, recently moved out of a 3,000-square-foot home in Brownwood and into a 1,500-square-foot loft atop Miller's Christmas Store. Visitors get to the front door from the street by going up a flight of wrought iron stairs. Smith said a similar space in Pensacola would cost around $2,000 a month versus less than $1,000 a month in Brownwood. Their new apartment has one large bedroom, a smaller second bedroom and office, a heart-shaped bathtub and a dining room big enough for a table for eight. The loft, owned by Steve McCrane is painted in a variety of earth-tone browns, such as coffee and English toffee.
The Smiths, who moved to Brownwood more than two years ago, said they like the sense of community with other loft dwellers and downtown merchants. Ann Noble, who runs Miller's Christmas Store, popped in one day recently in to tell the Smiths that a repairman was coming up. She assured Becca she cannot hear noise made by their move-in or renovations.
''This is like a little community, and we all blend in together,'' Noble said.
Reed said the couple may one day buy a building of their own.
''We're giving this a trial run,'' he said. ''We want to spark some interest in downtown, too.''
Spence loft
One day, as Ladon Spence was showing her antique shop to a potential renter, the woman told Spence about folks in Austin who converted downtown buildings into living space.
The conversation sparked an idea.
''I had a big house and a big yard, and I liked to travel,'' Spence said of her then-home, a four-bedroom house in south Brownwood. ''I thought, well, maybe that's what I'm supposed to do.''
So with downsizing her life on her mind, 12 years ago, Spence, 72, decided to renovate the 100-year-old building into a two-story apartment.
It had to be completely rebuilt.
''Upstairs we had every stage of pigeon x96 from eggs to birds,'' she laughed.
An avid art and antique collector, Ladon auctioned off some of her things to scale down her lifestyle. But she kept some of her most treasured items: the paint pallet used by the artist who painted the mural at Howard Payne University's Academy of Freedom; a photo of her late husband, Dr. Allan Spence, and photos of her sons David and Dan; and one piece from her historic pitcher collection and an Indian dream catcher that she and her husband purchased years ago in northern New Mexico.
Ladon has a large functional kitchen and living space downstairs, decorated with jewel-tone fabrics and antique furniture. Upstairs, is a den, which is decorated with a combination of Native American and country items.
Her bedroom is frilly, decorated with pink roses and lace.
''I had boys, and I always wanted to do this,'' she said.
As one of the pioneers of loft living in Brownwood, Ladon says she has never regretted her decision and is delighted to see others moving downtown.
''It's nice to have neighbors,'' she said.
How to decorate a loft apartment
Decorating an open space with few walls dividing ''rooms'' can be a challenge. Here's what to think about.
Determine the function of the space. Walk around your space and decide the best areas for working, relaxing and entertaining. Once the functional areas have been mapped out, it's easy to divide the open space into ''rooms'' through the placement of partitions, large pieces of furniture or area rugs.
You can incorporate the architectural features of a loft - exposed ceiling pipes and ductwork - into your decorating with a sleek, contemporary style using clean lines and smooth surfaces. Combine wood, glass, chrome and stainless steel.
Get chairs and sofas upholstered in natural fabrics: silk, wool, linen or cotton. Leather is another good choice.
Select fabrics with textures and weaves in solids, stripes and patterns. The colors are often tone-on-tone and fairly neutral.
The color palette in contemporary design is frequently a mix of neutrals. Creams, browns and taupes are possible choices, but pure white is the standard.
Bold and bright colors can be introduced with the addition of a few, well-chosen accessories.
Area rugs can add color and texture, and they can help visually define a space. Low pile commercial carpeting helps soften a loft's look.
Source: Matt Fox, co-host of HGTV's ''Room by Room,'' via www.hgtv.com
source: http://reporternews.com/abil/fe_people/article/0,1874,ABIL_7933_4749152,00.html
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Some of us believed in Downtwon Brownwood ( Working, Living & Playing ) even when it was not "Politically Correct" to do
so !
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All Hospitality is Local !
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McKinney residents attracted to heart of their town
11:34 PM CDT on Sunday, June 4, 2006
By MIKE JACKSON / The Dallas Morning News
McKINNEY – Don Day says he'll probably never move out of his apartment above a hair salon and art gallery on McKinney's historic square.
He's 30 paces from his office down the hall. He's a short walk away from shops and restaurants on or near the square. And he can get to a couple of his company's building renovation projects without even getting in his car.
"What's so neat is the convenience of everything," Mr. Day said. "I'll probably never leave."
Mr. Day, 66, shares his enthusiasm for the lifestyle with six other denizens who live on the square. They're not alone.
It's happening from Denton and Granbury in North Texas to Huntsville in southeast Texas and Colorado City in West Texas. Small-town coziness and old-fashioned character are drawing people to live in historic downtowns.
Debra Farst, who promotes downtown revival for the Texas Historical Commission, said old downtowns have been drawing people away from suburban subdivisions for years. Anecdotal evidence suggests a state and national trend, she said.
"A lot of times, when people want to move downtown, they want to do away with their yards and they want to do away with their cars," Ms. Farst said.
Jennifer Day was among them. She gave up her house in a newly developed subdivision in west McKinney and moved into a one-bedroom loft on the square last year.
She's glad to be rid of the yard work, she said, and enjoys the five-minute commute to her job at LifePath, an agency that treats people with mental illnesses.
Ms. Day, a Texas native, got her first taste of downtown life when she lived in Manhattan during the mid-1970s.
"Ever since then, I've always wanted to live in a loft," said Ms. Day, who is no relation to Mr. Day. "I saw this apartment and fell in love."
Linda McNeff moved to the square three years ago. She wanted to be closer to two shops she owns there. She said she also wanted to leave behind a Plano neighborhood characterized by block after block of look-alike brick homes.
She now shares an apartment with Mr. Day, her fiancé. With three grown children between them, apartment life suits their needs.
The couple often take morning strolls to the nearby coffee shop and then walk to work afterward. For more exercise, on some evenings, they'll extend a stroll around the neighborhood or to a restaurant.
"I don't drive much," Ms. McNeff said. "Sometimes I forget where I've parked my car because I haven't driven it for days."
People from the surrounding neighborhood walk the square after work, Mr. Day said.
"About 6 or 7 in the evening, there's a dog parade," he said. "We still have that small-town feel."
That's one of the things Gerhard Deffner said he likes most about living downtown.
"McKinney people will actually say 'hi' and stop you in the street and look you in the eye," said Mr. Deffner, a flight instructor who moved to the square in 1998.
Mr. Deffner left Dallas to be close to his flight school at McKinney's airport.
"It's nice because I have a five-minute commute to the airport," he said. "If I ride my bike it would take me 15 minutes. I'll never commute an hour again."
The square has 10 apartments, but only five are used as homes, said Mr. Day. The rest are occupied by small businesses.
The buildings date to the late 1800s and early 1900s. Restaurants, boutiques and antique shops take up most of the ground-floor space.
The square anchors McKinney's historic district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mr. Day's building, which he bought and renovated 10 years ago, was built around 1875, he said. It was unoccupied and boarded up when he bought it, but its three-foot-thick walls and solid foundation were promising.
Its long second-floor hallway, a beige concrete tunnel that leads to several offices, leaves no hint that anyone lives here.
But open the door marked "204" and enter Mr. Day's elegant 1,800-square-foot apartment. Floors are a mixture of carpet and original wood. The ceilings are made of pressed tin salvaged during the renovation. Original art adorns the walls, and an antique Chinese Chippendale table demands space in the dining room.
On a recent afternoon, he left his building to inspect another one on the square that he recently bought. He plans to convert it into a hotel and restaurant.
Mr. Day, who has renovated 18 historic buildings in the area, hopes his latest project will attract more people to downtown.
"Right now it's a big dusty building," he said. "But when we're done you won't recognize it."
E-mail mjackson@dallasnews.com
source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/060506dnccosquarelife.d7be5c8.html
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