Courtesy of Matt Yerkes
Even if a historic building has seen better days, it often has the potential to be restored into a beautiful office space or small business.
Cultivate, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs and small businesses in Grove City, took over operations at 3989 Broadway after it had been boarded up and neglected for years.
Matt Yerkes, founder and executive director of Cultivate, had a vision for what the space could be the first time he looked at the building. After he purchased it in 2014, Yerkes spent two years tearing away irreparable parts of the foundation.
“When I purchased the building, there was not really anything much other than that outer shell,” Yerkes says. “So we came up with a plan to bring it back to life, basically.”
The space needed a lot of work before it became the comfortable office space it is today.
The project would entail removing everything from the building itself and reinforcing its original foundation. The key, Yerkes says, was to improve the space while maintaining its unique qualities.
Traces of past businesses in the space can be seen throughout the offices today, with vintage signs and brick walls from its time as a World War II-era car repair shop and a hardware store.
While repairing damaged pipework and interior walls, Yerkes kept as much of the original structure as possible. The exterior had deteriorated after years of harsh weather and much of it, including the roof, was replaced.
The foundation presented challenges for Yerkes and his team of workers, needing extensive reconstruction and new support beams.
“We added these steel bars around the building that go through the brick wall and attach the roof system to the brick building,” Yerkes says.
The flooring, on the other hand, is original hardwood from the building’s construction a century ago.
Renovating the building uncovered some of its secrets, such as this relic of its days as a car repair shop.
To achieve the open-floor office space, Yerkes’ team took down many of the interior walls, exposing the original masonry and brick details.
“Everything in the building inside is new, and … it’s a wonderful old brick building,” says Yerkes. “And during the renovation, we exposed on the wall an indoor sign that said ‘Moser’s Garage’ inside the building, so that was kind of neat.”
Since 2016, the building on Broadway has been used as a space for offices and business group meetings.
Amber Phipps is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
