Historic Fremont School to be renovated as upscale apartments - News - GoUpstate
An Albany, Ga.-based developer has plans to renovate the now-vacant Fremont School building near downtown Spartanburg to create 41 market-rate apartments.
Pace Burt, the project’s developer, said the multimillion-dollar project will preserve the character and architectural integrity of the 102-year-old schoolhouse at 600 Magnolia St. while repurposing it for stylish apartments.
“The project is going to be a historical renovation, so we will bring the building back to its original grandeur. There are beautiful columns and workmanship on the brick,” he said. “The apartments will be very upscale and have high ceilings, plenty of windows and original wooden floors.”
The new apartments will consist of one- and two-bedroom units that will rent for around $850 and $1,000 per month, respectively, Burt said.
The project includes onsite parking, landscaping and a fence that will make it a gated property.
No new construction or demolition of the existing schoolhouse is part of the project, which Burt said should be finished before the first of the year.
"In the Northside master planning process and discussions, the renovation of Fremont surfaced as a community objective early,” said Chris Story, Spartanburg assistant city manager. “It’s a beautiful structure and I think what we’re seeing here is that when some positive things move in the right direction, some other folks see opportunities as well to help further that.”
The two-story brick and terra-cotta Classical Revival schoolhouse was built in 1915, with a 1926 addition. The 48,684-square-foot building sits on 2.17 acres and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building was converted into apartments in 2000 and a one-story brick leasing office and small pavilion were built on the property the same year.
Burt said his development company has owned the Fremont School for a few years and allowed the few remaining apartment tenants to gradually move out before starting the project.
Work already has begun on cleaning up the schoolhouse’s interior and removing old cabinetry and furniture.
Burt said Spartanburg’s redevelopment effort through the Northside Initiative was a big reason why he decided to take on the schoolhouse project.
“We saw Bill Barnet’s passion and selflessness in wanting to see Spartanburg become a better place,” Burt said. “We could see his vision for this area and what he wanted to do.”
Burt is no stranger to residential redevelopment projects, having transformed several properties throughout the Southeast into successful apartment complexes.
He has worked in Spartanburg since 2005 and renovated the Schuyler Building on South Church Street into Church Street Lofts and part of the old Arcadia Mill facility into Mayfair Lofts. Burt also is working on a second phase of renovations at the Arcadia Mill site.
On Monday, Spartanburg City Council will consider a development agreement between the city and Burt, which will require him to spend at least $3.5 million on the project.
The project already has received approval from the State Historic Preservation Office and Burt has applied for state and federal tax credits.
City Council also will consider offering Burt a Special Assessment for Rehabilitated Historic Property to provide tax incentives for the project.
Burt’s request for the assessment cleared the city’s Board of Architectural Design and Historic Review on Thursday.
“This project is certainly complementary to all we’ve been trying to do in the Northside neighborhood,” Story said. “I’m glad that Burt is choosing to again invest in Spartanburg.”
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