Knight's building to return to 1879 style, gain tenants

The building that housed Knight's Coins and Stamps for more than 20 years is getting a new look. Richard Scrivener, owner of Scrivener Oil Company, purchased the building in December and is restoring it to what it looked like in 1879 when it was built.

The target date for completion of the renovation is Aug. 1, and at that time the building on South Street will become Scrivener's home. He will live in a loft on the second floor, and the first floor will be leased to a retailer. Scrivener said he has not yet signed a first-floor tenant.

Both floors are 2,200 square feet. The upstairs loft will have a patio in the back. The loft will also have antique doors opening into the living room, and a glass-encased spiral staircase leading to the first floor.

Webb & Associates is the architecture firm on the project, and Oak Grove Construction is the general contractor.

Scrivener said he is trying to recreate the building as it was in 1879; the building was remodeled in 1929 and covered with a facade, which he has now removed. The building has arch windows, and the brick on the outside has been exposed. The interior will have tin ceilings, and the plaster that once lined the walls will be removed to expose the bricks, Scrivener said.

The building was once a grocery store, and later, starting in 1959, it was the Toy Chest. In 1971 it became Knight's Coins and Stamps.

"We're hoping to make it look more like 1879 rather than 1929," Scrivener said.

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The second floor will feature a 2,200-square-foot loft apartment with a patio. Scrivener plans to live in the apartment and lease the first floor to a retailer.[[In-content Ad]]