A renovation is planned for 15 W. Cherry St., a former shoe warehouse that also once held the Nest Theatre and Art of Yoga.
The four-story, cinderblock building will get a new paint job, a rooftop patio and updates to the entryway. A former loading dock area will be replaced with storefront windows, and a glass garage door will be installed for a potential restaurant or bar user.
The new owner of the building, local developer RiverWest Partners, will also be the first tenant. The 15-person firm is moving its headquarters from Franklinton and plans to occupy one of the building’s upper floors.
“We are thrilled to rehabilitate and develop this unique downtown building,” said company co-founders Tom Vetter and Brenen Palma in a statement. “Moving into this building will give our business breathing room for growth, enable us to better recruit and retain talent, and allow us to contribute to and be a part of the dynamic energy and growth of the RiverSouth neighborhood downtown.”
Constructed in the 1950s, the building served as a warehouse for the nearby Julian shoe factory, which was renovated to hold apartments in 2015.
The building is currently adorned by two large billboards – one on the east side and the other on the south side – which will remain. In a press release, RiverWest stated that it “plans to engage local artists to create one or more murals on the north and west sides of the building.”
The plan to renovate the building was approved yesterday by the Downtown Commission. Also heard at the meeting were plans for the new Crew stadium and the North Market redevelopment.
