March 28, 2024

Second-Story Tour offers a look a various-stage restorations

Six buildings show attendees what can be done with 70,000 unused square feet

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Sixty-one tickets were sold for for a unique event held Saturday in downtown Newton, intended to showcase some of the unused indoor space in buildings in or near the courthouse square.

The Second-Story Tour was a fundraiser, sponsored by Newton Main Street, that allowed local residents to tour the upper floors of six properties.

Newton Main Street Executive Director Andrew Bassman said expectations were uncertain not only about how many of the $20 tickets for the tour would be sold, but how well the event and the idea of developing second-floor space would be received by the community.

"Any time you start a new event, you are a bit unsure of how it will be received," Bassman said. "I can honestly say the turnout on went above and beyond my expectations. Thanks to everybody who attended, to building owners who opened their doors to the public, and to those who donated their time to pull the event together. It truly was a community effort."

After a few Introductory remarks at the Capitol II Theatre, groups formed to make it more practical to give tours. One property viewed is the home of Ron Forbes. His son, Gary Forbes, and Gary's wife, Susan, were on hand to explain some of the details and challenges of developing the second floor of the building, including the kitchen skylight.

Another property on Saturday's tour houses Kitchen Concepts, and co-owner Marilyn Terlouw allowed the upstairs-only home she shares with her husband, Randy, to be shown. The couple lives upstairs from the business they run, and Terlouw talked about how she and Randy decided how to use the narrow, 12.5-foot-wide space that they call home.

Another property — located upstairs from Koenen Chiropractic, on the northwest corner of the square — is in the midst of a full renovation on the second floor. Jason Lauterbach gave a brief tour, explaining the challenges and spatial limitations of what will likely be a one-bedroom apartment. Newton Development Specialist Craig Armstrong, who accompanied one of the tour groups, said the building was built close to the year 1900. He also said there is about 70,000 square feet of unused upper-floor space in downtown Newton, and getting young adults to live downtown is a huge key to the city's development plans.

Rita Reinheimer gave an informative and detailed background on the building at 111 W. Second St. N., which is home to Bridgehouse Coffee on the first floor. The second floor is currently separated into a front apartment, which is occupied by a tenant, and a rear apartment with a hallway bathroom, and seems to be not as far along in renovations as the Koenen Chiropractic building.

The structure, built in 1875, has been modified a few times, Reinheimer said, and a large part of the building was added later. That means major changes to the back half — such as a rear entrance that would avoid Bridgehouse Coffee's drive-thru area — are possible without jeopardizing federal funding that requires an historical structure remain unchanged.

The tour also included a very "un-renovated" space — the second floor of a building owned by Stan Clement, located on West Second Street South, south of the square. The 1,500-square-foot space, an office-style interior, appears mostly unmodified from when the last tenant moved out.

The goal of the tour was to promote upper-floor residential development in the downtown area.

Newton Mayor Mike Hansen, who took the tour, said the Terlouw and Forbes homes showed how second-floor residential space in smaller buildings can still have many of the features of a large single-family house.

"We really saw, on the tour, how nice a lot of our upper-story spaces downtown can be," Hansen said. "Being inside those homes, you wouldn't know you were above a store or a business. We see how these can be just like any other homes around town."

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com