A developer who’s bought and renovated a number of buildings in downtown Ellijay and Blue Ridge sees big things for the big red building at 45 South Main Street.
Bo Chance, of Blue Ridge, purchased the two-floor downtown Ellijay building late last year. He’s recently been busy gutting the interior of the dilapidated building listed on county records as built in 1940.
“It’s too good to tear down, which would be a loss for the city. But it needs everything, starting from the roof on down,” Chance said.
The two-story structure has been vacant for many years, and there’s extensive interior damage that will have to be addressed, Chance noted.
“I had a commercial roofer (come in), and we took four layers off the roof. They think that they went down to the original roof. I’ve got a 50-year roof on it right now, and we’re dried in,” he added.
For its future use, Chance has plans for the building that have worked for others he owns, including some in Fannin County. The downstairs will be divided into two retail spaces, and the upstairs will house several small offices. An elevator may be put in, too, he noted.
“I have two buildings in Blue Ridge where I’ve done offices where retail was not really appropriate. They’re full and we’ve got people looking,” he said.
Chance wants to bring the building’s exterior back to what it probably would have looked like decades ago with new storefronts, windows and awnings on the section facing South Main Street. That could mean the tall block arches that cover both floors on the outside, which were put in by architect Jack Frye, will come down, Chance noted.
“In the ‘70s, they took away the storefronts and put these block arches in, which was like ‘Star Wars’ for Ellijay. It was a more modern design then,” he said. “The old storefronts were there. They’ve just been deleted, and I’m going to restore those.”
Chance said he’s working with the city’s Historic Preservation Commission in planning the renovations.
“I’m glad they’re there. They will serve and protect the town, and I’m excited to follow their lead,” he added. “I love hearing all the history behind (these old) buildings.”
The 82-year-old building does have a lot of history in downtown Ellijay. It’s previously housed offices, including that of real estate agents Bob and Melinda Hadden for several years, as well as an array of retail tenants including a hair salon, a soap shop and an auto parts store, along with apartments up top.
Tony Whitaker remembers that a grocery store run by his grandfather, Cecil Whitaker, and partner, Hollis Bradford, was the first business to operate there. He still has fond memories of the family store from his childhood.
“The total first floor at that time was the grocery store, and there were apartments upstairs. They had these big scales, and I remember watching my granddad — everybody just called him ‘Dad’ — weigh stuff for people on those scales,” Whitaker said.
“My granddad was a great butcher and probably had the best meat in town at that time. He had a walk-in cooler behind his meat counter, and Swift Company of Atlanta would bring half sides of beef in there and hang them on the hooks,” he remembered.
The building renovation will not be an overnight project for Chance, but he has high hopes for the finished space that will eventually take shape.
“Once you turn the corner down there at Ace Hardware, this is really the first thing you see. It stands out, but not in a great way. It’s been really underappreciated,” Chance said.
“It won’t be a straight line to the finish. I wanted to do the demo so we can access what we have, then I’ll bring an architect in. We’ll look at things, and he’ll do some drawings. I’ll have to submit those to the city for approval, and then we’ll be off to the races.”