Photo courtesy of Kent Smith Photography
Harrison has been in real estate for 19 years and opened The Harrison Co. in 2016.
Nicole Harrison isn’t a fan of traditional office space. As the broker and owner of The Harrison Co. Real Estate Group, her goal is to have a space that reflects her business style, which is a little unconventional but always professional.
The Harrison Co. Real Estate Group’s first office, located in downtown Powell, was a triple-sided glass garage door building; a space she enjoyed, but there was no opportunity to own the building on the horizon.
So, when a 110-year-old church in Uptown Westerville came on the market, she jumped at the chance to own a piece of history.
“I wasn’t necessarily anticipating a move, it’s just when you have a property like this come on the market, it just doesn’t happen very often,” says Harrison.
After walking through the building, it was apparent that there were some deferred maintenance and work needed to bring the church back to life.
Even though the renovation was going to be an undertaking, Harrison ended up going to contract August 2017 and closed on the building November of the same year.
“I was meant to own this church building and be its caretaker,” says Harrison. “I am honored at the privilege. It’s on Home Street, how much more fitting could it be for a real estate office?”
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After closing on the property, Harrison then spent the next 10 months renovating the former church and one-time lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows.
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“The goal of the renovation was to preserve as much as possible and keep the integrity of the building with the materials we chose to be in the same era and of the same quality,” says Harrison. “So, ultimately, the original windows we didn’t touch other than cleaning them. At some point, we’ll have plans to have Franklin Art Glass to have them restored, but that’s a pretty significant cost.” Photo courtesy of New Horizon Media Group.
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“We ripped out an old kitchen that had previously stood where the church alter was,” Harrison says. “It had hidden one of the really pretty stained-glass windows that was in the back of the building that I don’t think most people saw for a good 20 years because of the way the ceiling had been done for the old kitchen.” Photo courtesy of New Horizon Media Group.
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Photo courtesy of Nicole Harrison.
Weighing in at approximately 300 pounds, the original cast-iron bell still rests in the bell tower and is fully functional.
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An Amish wood-working company created the replica front doors and Franklin Art Glass installed the glass. Photo courtesy of New Horizon Media Group.
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Nathan Collins is a managing editor. Feedback welcome at ncollins@cityscenemediagroup.com.
