Indiana Landmarks sells historic Greensfelder Building

6/2/2011

Restoration of the Greensfelder Building will help boost the growing revitalization movement in downtown Logansport. (See more restoration photos on Flickr.)

After a years-long effort to save it, Logansport’s historic Greensfelder Building is slated for new use. On June 2, Indiana Landmarks announced the sale of the building to Marie Jaquith, an author from California who plans to open a new independent bookstore and café.

“Saving and repurposing the Greensfelder building has been an eight-year journey, taken with our partners Logan’s Landing, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and the City of Logansport, ” says Todd Zeiger, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Northern Regional Office and manager of the Greensfelder Project. “This project demonstrates how historic preservation and economic development work hand in hand in a community’s revitalization,” Zeiger noted.

“We are extremely pleased that the long history that the Greensfelder building has played in the community will continue now as a new attraction in the downtown area,” says Mayor Mike Fincher. “This shows Logansport is growing as a place to open a new downtown business,” Fincher added.

“We celebrate the creation of a sixth new downtown business resulting from the RECAP Partnership in the past two years. The repurposing of a half dozen historic buildings in Logansport’s National Register District helps us build on our heritage through economic development initiatives,” said Mark Hartman, president of Logan’s Landing. “We are proud of the new energy in downtown Logansport,” Hartman added.

When completed this fall, Some Kind of Wonderful will join an adjacent Indiana Landmarks project – the People’s Winery in the formerly endangered People’s Bank building. Other new businesses that have been created from the RECAP Partnership include Jason’s Toy and Hobby Store, Savannah Vintage, J. Gillum Photography, and Body Works Yoga Studio, all in the downtown National Register District.

Efforts to save the Greensfelder building began in 2003 when the front corner of the building collapsed. Rescuing the building offered an opportunity to restore a landmark and create economic development in the downtown. Indiana Landmarks accepted the donation of the building, made repairs and began marketing it for a new use. The building later required significant structural work when the facade began to fail in 2005. Indiana Landmarks completely renovated the exterior in 2009. Interior renovation is expected to be completed by October 2011. Renovations are expected to invest another $75,000 into the building.

Funding for the project has come from Indiana Landmarks’ Endangered Places Loan Fund, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s RECAP Program, and the City of Logansport Façade Grant program.

For more information, contact Todd Zeiger, Director of Indiana Landmarks’ Northern Regional Office, 574-232-4534, 800-450-4534, tziger@indianalandmarks.org or Becky Harris, Director of Logan’s Landing, 574-722-9345, lldirector@loganslanding.com.