WATERLOO -- Part of the landmark Black's Building in downtown Waterloo will receive a $1 million renovation this year to add new loft apartments and office space.

Donna Nelson, managing partner in Midtown Development Management and Leasing, a division of Nelson Properties, detailed the project as Gov. Tom Vilsack, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and the Iowa Department of Economic Development announced a $40,000 federal grant for it Saturday in Des Moines.

The project will be in the three-story "annex" portion of the Black's Building, at the corner of East Park Avenue and Sycamore Street. Longtime local residents will recall it as a "men's store" portion of The James Black Co. department store, which operated in the building for more than 75 years.

Three buildings were combined to create the annex, which was added to the eight-story Black's Building in 1956 as part of the department store. Nelson said the structures making up the annex are believed to be as old if not older than the eight-story main building itself, built in 1913-14.

The annex is roughly 30,000 square feet, Nelson said, about 19,000 of which could be devoted to first- and second-floor office space, and 11,000 square feet for second- and third-floor apartments. About 11 two-bedroom, two-bath apartments are envisioned. Rents have not yet been determined. More apartments could be developed depending on market acceptance of the lofts, which so far has been good where tried elsewhere in downtown.

"There's a big need for them," Nelson said. "Lots of the young people want to live downtown, especially with gas prices. They can walk. They can do what they want. And if they're working downtown, they don't even have to worry about the car."

Work will begin soon and is expected to take about a year to complete, Nelson said.

The grant, secured through Main Street Waterloo, was one of several around the state Vilsack and Harkin announced Saturday, under a federal grant program administered by the state. It is similar to another $40,000 grant secured a year ago for property owner Chuck Orr's $1.2 million renovation of the Haffa and Fowler Buildings at East Fourth and Lafayette streets, now in progress.

Nelson said her company has invested more than $2 million over the past five years in overall mechanical, roof, elevator and other improvements to the Black's building.

The annex exterior also will get a face-lift, and the roof could be utilized as an outdoor sitting area for office or apartment tenants. "We think it's a good look," Nelson said.

Nelson and her husband, Vern, were encouraged to proceed with the project based on the recent success of their $2.5-million Westfield Avenue Lofts condominium project in the old Winterbottom Supply building on the west side of downtown near John Deere's Westfield Avenue site, conducted with downtown developer Bryan Nichols and former resident Gil Cummings of San Francisco.

"But we've always had confidence in downtown," Nelson said. "We've always been convinced that the correct way to revitalize downtown is for people to live and work downtown. So, it's sort of putting our money where our mouth is," along with other downtown developers and business owners including Orr and former City Council member Buck Clark.

"This is an exciting time for downtown and for people to live and work downtown," Nelson said.

Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com.

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Photo 1 filename 012606rc.blacks.bldg1.jpg

Photo 1 cutline Drawing courtesy of AHTS Architects

This is an architect's rendition of a renovated exterior of the Black's Building annex along Sycamore Street as it is renovated for offices and apartments.

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Notes:

Vern and Donna Nelson and Bryan Nichols, all of Waterloo and former resident Gil Cummings, now of San Francisco have embarked on a $2.5 million conversion of the old Winterbottom Supply Co. building into 12 "loft" condominium apartment units. The project is dubbed, appropriately, Westfield Avenue Lofts.

This story was published 05/30/2004 by the Special Sections desk.

It ran in these editions:

Waterloo/Cedar Falls, page 33 (Full version)

Waterloo 150th / 52. 1914: James Black.

It's still a downtown landmark, and can be seen from many approaches to the city.

As Waterloo celebrates its sesquicentennial, the Black's Building at East Fourth and Sycamore streets marks the 90th anniversary of its construction.

According to Courier files, the main part of the Black's building, fronting Fourth Street, was built in 1913 and opened in 1914 by The James Black Dry Goods Co., founded in 1892. The store's name is engraved in stone over the East Fourth Street entrance. The structure was built on the site of the Logan House Hotel.

James Black, born in County Donegal, Ireland, in 1858, died in 1918, during an influenza outbreak. It was four years after the Presbyterian-reared immigrant built and opened the permanent home for the dry goods store.

His nephew, James Graham, took the reins and ran the store for 46 years, until his death in 1964.

Black had brought his nephew over from Ireland to help him with the store a few months after it opened. Graham operated the store during its zenith, from the 1930s through the early 1960s.

In 1928 an addition was built on the Park Avenue side of the building.

From the 1930s through the 1950s, Black's was said to be one of the finest department stores in the state and the eighth-floor Tea Room was famous for its cuisine, known "far and wide as the finest dining for miles around."

A final addition was built on the Park Avenue side, and, when it opened in 1957, extended the store a full block from Fourth Street to Park Avenue.

Black's became associated with Donaldsons, a Minnesota firm, in 1978, and in 1979 the name Black's was replaced by Donaldsons. The downtown store closed in 1981.

After that, the building underwent a series of name changes -- the Sycamore 501 Building, and the Chicago Central Building, named after the railroad offices once located there. Longtime residents still referred to it as the Black's Building.

In 1992, during a wave of nostalgia and renewed interest in the building, Midtown Development principals Vern and Donna Nelson and Chuck and Jo Granger announced it would permanently be renamed the Black's Building and held a celebration with store employees. A restored neon "Black's" sign sits atop the building.

--P.K.

This story was published 12/17/2004 by the News desk.

It ran in these editions:

Waterloo/Cedar Falls, page A1 (Full version)

A home for the arts.

$40,000 grant could help create studio space downtown.

By PAT KINNEY

Assistant City Editor

WATERLOO -- A downtown property owner's dream to create an art colony in downtown Waterloo received a $40,000 shot in the arm from the state of Iowa Thursday.

Main Street Waterloo secured the grant from Main Street Iowa and the state Department of Economic Development toward developer Chuck Orr's $1.2 million plan to build an art center in the historic Fowler Mercantile and Haffa buildings at East Fourth and Lafayette streets.

"This grant really becomes important for completing the project, because the project is getting really close," said Orr, who owns both buildings. "We're excited about the energy that's being created from the artists that support this project."

He's had lease commitments from three artists for studio or apartment space, and another 15 or 16 who have expressed interest in at least sharing space in the building.

"There's a great need out there, even for musicians who want a sound room to practice," said Orr. Artists involved in ceramics and other visual media also are interested.

"The art community is buzzed about this," said Orr's artist son, Daniel. "We're all pushing for this. The reason we're doing this is to create an arts center…this place that fosters a (creative) energy to bring artists."

The elder Orr has been involved in other past downtown renovations individually and as a board member of Main Street Waterloo. He and his family are involved in this project.

He plans to redevelop the Fowler and Haffa buildings -- totaling 10,000 square feet -- for upper level apartments and studio space, as well as a ground-level commercial art studio in the Haffa storefronts, at 220-224 E. Fourth St., which previously housed the Amish Connection and Full House Furniture. Orr acquired the building from Jim Lown.

The Fowler Mercantile building -- the gray building at the southeast corner of East Fourth and Lafayette -- housed Larry's Clothes for many years and, later, the Arts 'n' Crafts store. It is now home to the Tequila Club, operated by Jose Marin. Marin has three months left on his current lease. Orr hopes to work with Marin to coordinate his business with the mix of prospective artists-in-residence and their customers -- including a diversity of ethnic artists.

Orr hopes to have upper level apartments leased out in six months. He hopes to get both buildings -- two of Waterloo's oldest -- listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The buildings' exteriors would be "chemically cleaned using historic preservation methods and tuck pointed," Orr said.

The $40,000 grant is specifically for a facade renovation of the Fowler building. Orr has secured "new market tax credits" from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the Haffa building, and hopes to do the same for the Fowler Building.

To help Orr secure those credits, the Waterloo City Council in June approved a development agreement with Orr for the Haffa building, offering a partial loan guarantee and property tax rebates. The city would guarantee $100,000 of a $500,000 private loan for the Haffa Building project. The city also would grant a seven-year, 100 percent property tax rebate for any value added over and above the Jan. 1, 2004, assessed value of $64,220. Orr would guarantee a minimum assessed value of $260,000 after those seven years, through 2018.

Orr said he plans to seek no additional financial commitment from the city, only a reaffirmation of its prior commitment, requested by the National Trust as Orr seeks additional tax credits for the balance of the project.

He is working with Community National Bank of Waterloo for his private financing, for which the bank would receive the new market tax credits.

The $40,000 state grant will leverage remaining financing necessary to make the project happen, Orr said.

The project has been supported by the Iowa Department of Economic Development and Main Street Iowa, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and Main Street Waterloo.

It was one of $500,000 in grants announced Thursday by Harkin, Gov. Tom Vilsack, Iowa DED Director Michael Blouin and Main Street Iowa officials.

Elsewhere in Northeast Iowa, Charles City won $37,000 toward the $200,000 installation of an elevator in the city's cultural center.

Courier Des Moines Bureau reporter Dan Gearino contributed to this story.

Pat Kinney can be contacted at (319) 291-1484 or Pat.Kinney@wcfcourier.com