Construction begins tomorrow on Steel House Lofts apartments and it could possibly bring a restaurant from La Gloria’s owner, Johnny Hernandez. I’m really watching the SoFlo area transform into the next great place to live in downtown. I completely agree with Hernandez’s quote, “I see that neighborhood really coming to life in the next couple of years.” I have several friends that call SoFlo home and are happy to see the area become the next hot spot.
Earlier this week I attended the Centro Partnership’s first Downtown Strategy Workshop that is working to fulfill the Vision 2020 desire for increased downtown living. A lot of discussion was had about the great opportunities for development and revitalization in the neighborhoods that edge downtown. Steel House Lofts is a great example of what our city needs to satisfy our desire for increased urban living.
Steel House Lofts project
Construction on rental units will begin Monday.
By Valentino Lucio
San Antonio Express-News Sunday July 24, 2011
Renderings for the Steel House Lofts, located just south of downtown near South Flores and Alamo streets. Photo: COURTESY PHOTO Alamo Architects
Construction will begin Monday on the long-awaited Steel House Lofts, a project that will turn a nearly 100-year-old building that once housed iron and steel into a modern living space just south of downtown in the South Flores area.
Austin-based developer Dennis McDaniel bought the 73,000-square-foot building in 2006 with the idea of creating condos and townhomes. But the collapse of the economy and the real estate market put that plan on the back burner and the plan then morphed into rental units.
The developers recently closed on a Housing and Urban Development loan, which allowed them to finally start the project.
The lofts are set to open next summer.
The developer has worked on multiple historic renovations in Austin but this is his first crack at it in the Alamo City. He estimates it will cost about $140 per square foot to renovate the space and added that it would have cost less to tear down the building and construct something new.
“This is a beautiful, beautiful building, and it’s vacant, it’s dead,” McDaniel said. “And if someone didn’t come and fix it up and bring life to this building, it would just deteriorate. That would be such a shame. Instead, we’re going to bring new life to the building and that area.”
With exposed-brick interiors, high ceilings and concrete floors, some spaces will include private yards and patios. A lap pool, exercise room, basement storage and private covered parking will be available to residents. There also will be a commercial storefront on the first floor.
Johnny Hernandez, the owner of La Gloria at the Pearl Brewery, said he is in talks with McDaniel to open a Mexico City-influenced cafe and deli at Steel House Lofts.
Prices for the 67 units haven’t been determined, but McDaniel said they will be listed at market price. Spaces start at about 880 square feet for one-bedroom units and go up to nearly 2,000 square feet for three-bedroom lofts. There also will be eight two-story units.
The red-brick exterior will get a minor face-lift, but because the building is historic, not much will be done to change the facade. An additional two floors will be added to the front of the building to make room for 22 units. Project manager Melissa Gomez said they might hire a local artist to create signage on an old water tower atop the building.
Even though McDaniel is focused on creating something new there, it’s the history of the building and the area that’s the biggest draw.
In 1912, a fire broke out at the Peden Iron & Steel Co. building on South Flores Street. A year later, Atlee B. Ayres designed a new warehouse for the company across the street. This is the building that will house the lofts.
The company operated out of that location until the early 1930s and since then it has housed a furniture maker, paper manufacturer, hardware store, General Motors parts division and realty company.
The Steel House Lofts is the latest addition to the revitalization occurring in SoFlo, one of the oldest areas of the city. The area doesn’t hold the historic designation that’s attached to surrounding neighborhoods such as Lavaca and King William, but it is seeing an influx of families, students and artists. Several old warehouses along South Flores already have been renovated into living spaces, including the South End Lofts, Judson Candy Factory Lofts and the Camp Street lofts. Add to that the newly renovated Mission Reach stretch of the San Antonio River and other projects such as the Cevallos Street Lofts, a four-story, 252-unit rental property, and the area is poised for a comeback.
“I see that neighborhood really coming to life in the next couple of years,” said Hernandez, who moved into the area about two years ago.
While the area waits to turn around, for the Steel House Lofts, the wait is finally over.
“Really, the building has just been sitting, waiting,” Gomez said. “Now it’s time to get to work.”
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/Steel-HouseLofts-project-1541995.php#ixzz1T4zZGtZ5