Built in 1917, the building was first home to the Sweeney Automobile and Tractor School. The school was the life work of E.J. Sweeney, an entrepreneur who built the school to capitalize on the rising need for automobile repair and vocational training. Hoping to set his school apart from the utilitarian garages of other automobile repair schools, Sweeney commissioned the building as a prestigious, iconic addition to downtown.

The building went on to host a number of other tenants, but had been vacant for years and was facing foreclosure when we purchased it. As we planned our historic rehabilitation, we split the building in half: five floors of market-rate residential apartments and five floors of commercial property. The apartments boast modern finishes and high ceilings, while the commercial spaces attract a wide variety of tenants seeking a central location downtown.