I was in Jackson this week, meeting with Duckworth Realty, and got to visit a cool restoration project that their company did nearly 15 years ago, the Electric 308 Building. The restoration was well done on this circa 1930s building. Among other things, they brought back its original façade and the period wood windows, in the process converting the floor plates to a combination of retail & dining, office, apartments, and a stand-out rooftop terrace. The building has proven to be a downtown favorite.
What probably impressed me the most was the entrance, the lobby and the elevator cabs, which were part of the negotiations with the National Park Service. (With any successful historic redevelopment, there are a lot of negotiations.)
We have faced some of the same challenges that Duckworth did. NPS’s love of windows and a few other dozen hot topics come to mind.
It seems that the key to success with Electric 308 and generally downtown revitalization project we have worked on of recent is finding the right “mix” for the mixed use. If you find yourself in Jackson a visit to the Electric 308 will be well worth your time.
