Tax Credit Program Highlight: 109 S. Ave. C

History

The modest building at 109 S. Ave C rests in the heart of the Elgin Commercial Historic District, which encompasses the mercantile center built around the Houston and Texas Central (H&TC) Railroad during the late nineteenth-century. The district represents the city’s early commercial interests as local cotton producers, bankers, and lumber industrialists flocked to the railroad to quickly ship their goods. Built in 1900 at the height of this boom, 109 S. Ave. C originally housed a saloon then later a grocery and general store. The building served as a nightclub through the latter part of the twentieth century, then sat vacant for the last decade before rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation Project

The shuttered former nightclub had deteriorated to a point of extreme disrepair. It required removal and replacement of the entire roof structure and floor structure, and stabilization of the exterior brick walls. All new compatible wood windows, doors, and storefronts were installed where the originals were long gone or else deteriorated beyond repair. Once the building was stabilized and dried in, the space was divided up to create a mixed-use property. The front portion provides a small office commercial space, and the remainder houses a series of three new apartments. The state and federal tax credit programs have been instrumental in facilitating a series of small rehabilitation projects like these in downtown Elgin, which have brought residential apartments and additional economic activity to the city.