In every downtown rehabilitation, buildings located on side streets are often viewed as a challenge. In Warrensburg our side streets have been viewed as neglected as private and public investment is poured into our “major streets”. For over a decade, the property at 109 and 111 West Culton Street was only utilizing the upstairs as downtown living while the street level remained vacant. Culton Street itself had only one small bar which remained open and all the other buildings were vacant and had fallen into disrepair.
At the end of 2022 Quarry City Properties, owned by Jason Elkins and Connor Harrington purchased the buildings located at 109 and 111 West Culton. This partnership began a massive renovation project which would ultimately renovate the entire structure and combine the two addresses into one cohesive property. As forward thinking business partners they had researched and secured a destination business for the space. After many big dreaming conversations and tours, they were able to tailor-fit the project hand in hand with the new business owners. This partnership set the foundation for the rehabilitation and restoration project as many phases were communicated to make the dream become a reality.
The vacant building needed extensive work on both the interior and exterior. Every part of this building needed some type of help in order to bring this property back as it had been neglected and never interested in rehabilitation or development prior to Quarry City Properties. Bringing this building back to life included remodeling the upstairs apartments as well as investing in the property on the street front which had been ignored and undesirable.
Work began in January of 2023 with the entire property gutted down to the original tin ceilings and brick walls. These two properties were once seen as two buildings which had many differences in what historic details remained and could be uncovered during the demolition and rehabilitation preparation. The dedicated group worked months on demolition from years of neglect and deferred maintenance. Many days of clearing out truckloads of debris from uncovered new discoveries and unforeseen projects. After many discoveries, the building needed new concrete floors poured as the original ones had failed
Connor and Jason are known as passionate preservationists from previous projects and or the historic downtown structures in the Warrensburg community. As partners, they wanted to make sure all the renovations reflected and highlighted the original historic details and charm of the buildings.
As the project developed, new windows, doors, and pass-throughs were put into place along with a historic fire door to create a speakeasy in the back of the building. Metal support beams were exposed and stripped from years of paint. During the process of preparing the floors an underground storage area was discovered. This 6-foot wide 6 6-foot deep area provided a peek into the former use of this building. The discovery led the developers and new business owners to contact the local historical society to have them help identify what the space could have been used for in the past life of the property. Museum glass and special lighting are in the future to highlight this historic cistern in the future but for current uses, they have been preserved.
Many steps were taken in the development of this property to retain as much of the original charm and character. The original tin ceilings were a priority and are still intact in the building located at 109 Culton. The ceiling was restored to its original beauty making an amazing addition to the property. Jason and Connor were able to source other historic tin to fill in any gaps and had additional materials used in one of the upstairs apartment renovations.
Jason and Connor were dedicated to making sure that the entire structure was up to date and put additional work into much-needed updates to the two apartments above the property. Although these apartments were rented in the past the new updates and changes have increased the value of these spaces and now they are beautiful contributions to the upper-story housing downtown. Additionally, the roof was completely repaired with materials consistent with the standards set forth by the Secretary of Interior’s Standards including preserving the original metal downspouts on the front facade. While all the stars aligned in 109, the property of 111 W Culton was a different story. There were no tin ceilings left to salvage so the original beams were exposed to add interest and a historic feel to the space. There was also considerable work done on the bricks on the property. Luckily this is a specialty of business owners and developers, Connor and Jason. Many hours were spent repointing, repairing, and replacing brick throughout both of the buildings. The original brick was exposed in multiple locations throughout the property. There were also large sections of the interior walls which had to have the stucco removed then repairs were made. Afterwards, patching was needed and a newer stucco duplicated the original strength, color, and texture as the original.
The property at 109 and 111 Culton now houses Magnolia Mercantile. The mercantile is a destination business in our community that houses a speakeasy and an adult soda bar. Both the speakeasy and adult soda bar are a tribute to the buildings historic in the space. There are multiple vendors including Pendelton, women’s clothing, hand-turned bowls, handmade jewelry, and many other local and original artists around the Warrensburg area. The space has an adult cocktail and soda bar that features a large bi-fold window to allow customers to have the feel of sitting outside. Magnolia Mercantile now attracts visitors and contributes to the economic growth of the community. Since the completion of the building in the fall of 2023 all the remaining properties including the small bar, on this street have sold and there are multiple plans for future development. This project serves as a shining example of how historic preservation and adaptive building improvements can create a harmonious blend of the past and present, while also fostering a thriving commercial environment.