Renovation underway at 1621 W. Colorado
The major renovation of a 44-year-old commercial building at 1621 W. Colorado Ave. is underway, with completion
anticipated by the end of September, co-owner Joe Schmeiler said this week.
“So far, so good,” he told the Westside Pioneer, adding that pre-leasing is underway with “a couple of prospective tenants.” The main work consists of revamping the rear of the existing one-story structure into a carport, gutting the interior, adding a second story with two apartments and giving the façade a historic-style appearance. The ground floor is slated for retail space, with offices upstairs in addition to the apartments. The overall square footage will be more than 6,000 square feet, Schmeiler said. One of the early tasks by the contractor, J.D. McGrath Construction Company, was demolishing (with permission) a decrepit, roughly 100-year-old brick building on the property to the west that was leaning against his building. The exact age of the demolished structure was uncertain, but a newspaper dated 1911 was found in one of the walls, he said. Recycled brick from the old building will probably be used in fence pillars lining the east side of the property, he added. Before construction began, the project plan had gone through a review process that included City Planning, the Organization of Westside Neighbors (OWN), Planning Commis-sion and City Council, with final council approval last fall. Schmeiler is partnering in the project with his wife/co-owner Linda Abramson. Westside Pioneer article |