I have spent decades imagining all the possibilities for the building located at 401 Elm Street. My relationship with the building and love of history both inform that dreaming, along with the structure itself.
Neighborhood Landmark
Together, Elm and Locust streets between the levee and the railroad tracks, from N 2nd to N 7th Street form one of the core hubs of North Lawrence, containing multiple businesses, bars, and restaurants; churches, a school, and social services; and two parks, city facilities and public transportation. Centenary United Methodist Church is on the corner opposite the building at the intersection at N 4th and Elm streets, making this intersection a destination for public activities, including annual and monthly events with an audience much broader than just the church membership.
North Lawrence has historically been an industrial Mixed Use community, as this building’s long history illustrates. It is almost as old as North Lawrence itself, appearing in city bird’s eye view map drawings beginning in 1872, and its preservation will help preserve the original character of the neighborhood. In fact, the location and orientation of the building are closely related to the North Lawrence ferry landing on “North New York Street” (as N. 4th was originally known) connecting to businesses and the railroad along Locust Street. The ferry ran from 1854 through the 1880s (Image 7).
Although it is just outside the ¼ mile radius of Downtown Lawrence, the building’s earliest history was as a significant commercial link to downtown. Thick brick walls and exterior brick ornamentation, high ceilinged open space inside, and large windows facing the street are typical architectural features other vintage buildings in the cultural and historical center of the town. Today, Locust has businesses between 5th and 7th streets, and 401 Elm is within one block of the businesses at 5th. Allowing commercial uses in the building would simply be an enhancement of the existing connection to the commercial center at N 7th & Locust since it dates back to the same era and styles as several of the buildings along Locust and has already been used historically for commercial purposes.
I have had many opportunities to speak to neighbors– many of whom I know well and consider friends – through two estate sales, an open house, online via Facebook posts, at North Lawrence Improvement Association meetings, and simply interacting with people walking by. They have given me a lot of positive feedback about our ongoing cleanup and plans for the future.
Working to preserve and improve the building inside and out is already resulting in a building that I, my neighbors, and passers-by are increasingly proud of. However, renovations and repairs can’t be kept up without the building having adequate cash flow from being effectively utilized.
My Plan
Anyone seeing this building for the first time assumes it is a business; therefore any business located here remains “an integrated part of the surrounding neighborhood so that the appearance […] does not detract from the character of the neighborhood” (Horizon 2020, 6-20). It is my intention to (re)create businesses in the building that are a true enhancement to North Lawrence. It is well located on Elm Street, which functions as an “artery” for the area, including pedestrians and bicycles, and a bus stop on Locust, just 100 feet away.
Upstairs
It has always been my intention to maintain the residential space as affordable housing. This is only possible if at least one of the other spaces can be leased as well. If the apartment remains the only usable, rentable space, the rent will need to be increased to cover expenses for the entire building, putting it out of the range of “affordable”.
Recent renovations include a new kitchen, new or refinished floors in the entry, bathroom, and living room, and a significant number of small repairs and cosmetic updates, especially new paint in every room. (Images 8 and 9)
Artisan Woodworking Workshop
The 1,500 sq. ft. addition to the building was constructed in the 1920s, and is ideally suited to be a studio and workshop for one artist creating one or two pieces at a time. Its layout and function were optimized over 40 years of my dad working there, maximizing the efficiency and usefulness of the equipment, including a fully integrated dust collections system. (Images 10-13)
I have spoken with more than half a dozen artists who have expressed interest in leasing the artisan woodworking shop over the past two years, many of whom I would be thrilled to see creating their art here. More recently, I have advanced to the stage of negotiation with one of those artists. The most significant hurdle is the need for the zoning to be corrected to allow the use of the workshop as a workshop without his living on site or having a Home Occupation or Work/Live arrangement; he and his family recently purchased their home. Proper zoning is also necessary for business and insurance requirements for the party utilizing the workshop.
The workshop has been a workshop continuously since it was constructed in the 1920s; the original industrial construction and use make it impossible to imagine it being anything other than a space to create functional works of art. It would be cost prohibitive to convert the workshop into a residential space, and would result in a dwelling three or four times the size of any of the near-by residential properties, with no yard whatsoever.
The arrangement of tools, machines, and work space in the woodworking shop allows only 1-2 people to work at the same time, not a large crew. On the other hand, it is an artisan woodworkers’ dream, containing one of every type of woodworking equipment imaginable. The limited size means that the scale of business operating here can only remain compatible with its neighborhood location.
Store Front
A small corner grocery store is my highest “ideal” of potential uses for the downstairs storefront space. I envision this as a place with locally sourced basics (produce, meats, bulk staples, etc), providing an easy stop for neighbors to grab something on their way to or from school (Woodlawn, Ballard), recreation (the levee, several parks), or work. Informal focus groups with neighbors indicate significant enthusiasm for this idea. Not only would employment be provided at the corner grocery, but it would also support local farmers by providing another outlet for their products. The idea is to meet the needs of the North Lawrence community by providing space for small, locally-owned businesses.
Even with the new grocery store planned for the Borders location at 9th & New Hampshire – which is wonderful! –, most of North Lawrence will remain a food dessert, by definition (one mile or ten minutes walk). Having a place to quickly stop in to grab essential items, or potentially providing delivery service to housebound neighbors, would be huge benefits to the neighborhood.
This will require a significant amount of additional research and planning. Along with the basic question of initial funding and rebuilding the space to suit, issues that need to be planned for and resolved before the store comes to fruition include parking, accessibility, and commercial building code. I continue to brainstorm with professionals and neighbors about these issues.
In the meantime, this part of the building will remain “empty”, retaining the kitchen and living area that my dad constructed in 1992. The space is still useful, and could be an artist’s studio, a place for yoga, an office, or something similar that requires minimal reconstruction. (Image 14).
Preservation
It is my goal to meet city codes and to make all updates to the building with an eye toward historic preservation of the structure, regardless of whether the building currently meets local historical listing requirements. Assuming the highest and best use of the ground floor spaces in the building is to return to the historical commercial (retail) and light industrial uses, future income will help fund the preservation of the structure since historic preservation resources are not a possibility.