Who lives downtown?

The Brentwood

Craig Wagoner and partner Doug Acklin continue renovations to the Ozark Camera Building, 210 E. Walnut St., that will transform it into The Brentwood.

The five-story building will devote its first floor to retail, with 11 residential apartments above, ranging in size from 800 to 1,400 square feet. Rental rates, Wagoner said, will be in the $600- to $900-range. Wagoner anticipates the lofts will be ready in early 2006.

Wagoner already has redeveloped the former Seville Hotel, which houses 15 loft apartments as Seville Apartments. Wagoner said the lofts are full.

The typical loft dweller, Wagoner said, can be anyone, young or old. “It’s more on the young side, but it’s the more unique, individual person. Somebody that doesn’t want the plain apartment,” he said.

Wagoner and Acklin also have plans to renovate the old Finkbiner Moving & Storage building at 512 W. Olive St.

“There could be some neat things – possibly residential,” Acklin said. “We’re trying to work on a condo deal with that, but it’s just in the preliminary stages.”

Founders Park Lofts

On July 1, the old Mulhollan Furniture building at 331 E. Water St. will be move-in ready with its new identity, Founders Park Lofts.

Sara Smith, secretary for Recess Properties, said the lofts, which range in price from $550 to $1,700, are renting quickly.

“We started out with 32 apartments. I believe we have 15 or 16 left to rent,” she said.

Matt Miller and Matthew Miller own the 40,000-square-foot building, which also will have 1,500 square feet of first-floor retail space.

Renovations on the old Bay-Wilhoit building, bordered by Pershing, Elm and Jefferson streets, are moving along. Renamed Wilhoit Plaza, Matt Miller said lofts there will be ready in 2006, and the first floor is currently being leased as office-retail. Construction of the lofts won’t begin for a couple more months, he said.

400 Place

Dan and Melissa Scott are turning the Marquette Hotel, 400 E. Walnut St., into 400 Place, with loft apartments of about 1,000 square feet and two-bedroom units leasing for $895.

The Scotts have spent $2.8 million on the building’s purchase and renovations.

“I think it will be interesting to see what the increased activity generated by this building will do for this end of downtown, as well as the renovation of the Guaranty Federal building across the street,” Dan Scott said.

The east end of downtown, he said, has a different crowd from the rest of downtown. It’s a little quieter, with Southwest Missouri State University’s Alumni Center, less of a bar crowd, more of an art gallery crowd, and less in-and-out traffic, he said.

More than half of the lofts at 400 Place are now occupied. The majority of Scott’s tenants are 20-something men, sharing a loft with roommates while getting their start in the professional world so they can “still be part of the night life,” he said.

On the first floor, business partners Devin Durham, Jason Durham and Chris Stuart plan to open 1984 by July 7. Devin Durham, who described 1984 as an arcade for people in their 30s and 40s, said the arcade will have a coffee shop atmosphere.

“We selected downtown because it has an entirely different attitude than anywhere (else),” Durham said, adding that downtown’s foot traffic is a positive factor. “If we were to put this on South Glenstone, people would have to drive to get to us.”

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