Submitted The 2014 Islander is one of the models open for viewing during LeeCorp's open house.

LeeCorp Homes will host a grand opening of the new 2014 Jacobsen Home models on Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at their model center at 20251 U.S. 41 S. in Estero. The event will also celebrate LeeCorp Homes 31st year in business. The company has been family owned and operated since 1983. LeeCorp Homes is Floridas largest outlet of manufactured homes.

The six new 2014 Jacobsen Home models will be open for viewing, displaying the newest choices in colors and options. Two previous years models will also be on display.

These furnished two-and three-bedroom double-wide and single-wide manufactured home models range from 864 to 1,400 square feet and are built by Jacobsen Homes of Safety Harbor, Fla. These homes are priced starting in the mid-$50,000s.

Savings will be available up to $20,000 on community models, plus factory direct pricing on custom ordered new homes. In addition, LeeCorp Homes will offer a model clearance sale of the remaining previous years Jacobsen models, as well as model clearance sales at two other communities where LeeCorp Homes offers homes Tall Oaks of Naples and Country Lakes in Fort Myers.

Model interior features include cathedral ceilings; custom painted textured drywall; 18-inch ceramic tile floors; stainless steel GE appliances; maple, chestnut and rustic alder wood cabinetry; wood laminate floors; garden tubs and full ceramic tile showers; and factory built porches, as well as other options.

LeeCorp Homes also offers complete exterior packages including car ports, screen rooms and sheds. Pricing includes installation on customers improved home site, water hookups, central A/C, skirting and steps. Turn-Key packages are available.

Jacobsen Homes, a top-rated custom manufactured homebuilder located in Safety Harbor, Fla., has been building manufactured homes since 1959.

LeeCorp Homes is on the east side of U.S. 41 in Estero, one mile north of Corkscrew Road, and three miles south of Alico Road at 20251 U.S. 41 S. Online at leecorphomes.com.

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Six new models open for viewing during LeeCorp's open house

AZTEC Area businesses that helped build Aztec's first national chain hotel are still waiting to be paid.

Located at the south end of downtown Aztec near the intersection of Pepsi Way and U.S. Highway 550, the Aztec Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham opened its doors in early October. While the hotel now offers 70 rooms, a pool, a hot tub and free Wi-Fi, subcontractors are still out in the cold.

"We did quite a bit of work on the project, but have not been paid yet," said Clint Freeman, co-owner of Sun Glass of Farmington. "It makes us strapped, but we're blessed to have a lot of good customers."

In operation since 1952, Sun Glass installed doors, bathroom hardware and mirrors for the hotel. Like the other subcontractors hired to work on the hotel, Sun Glass was contracted by CMI, a privately held company based in Dunedin, Fla.

Jeff Jaeger, president of San Juan Insulation and Drywall in Durango, has yet to see payment for installing the hotel's insulation, drywall and acoustic ceilings.

"It's a substantial amount. Not that there's a good time of year, but especially around the holidays, this represents a hardship," Jaeger said. "We've covered payroll, paid our vendors, but we need to be paid."

Jaeger said he has filed a lien against the hotel for unpaid work and was contacted by an attorney representing the hotel.

That lawyer is Patricia Simpson, a Farmington attorney who is handling the payment negotiations.

"Wyndham and the Microtel and the developer have met all their obligations," Simpson said on Friday. "There are methods in place to notify the subs and we are proceeding to get them paid. It's a very sensitive legal issue. It's being handled as quickly as we can."

Messages left with CMI seeking comment were not answered as of late Friday.

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Aztec motel subcontractors still waiting for payment

home section Interior Design Housekeeping Entertaining Home Improvement Gardening & Plants Landscaping eHow Home & Garden Building & Remodeling Walls Drywall Installation Instructions

Kevin McDermott

Kevin McDermott is a professional newspaper journalist and landlord. He was born in Chicago and graduated Eastern Illinois University with a degree in journalism. He currently covers regional politics for a Midwestern newspaper. McDermott writes about home improvement for various websites.

Modern drywall materials make installing a wall far easier than it was in the days of plaster and lath. Drywall generally comes in 4x8 sheets, which is designed so it will always end up centered on standard wall studs that are 16 inches apart. It comes in many thicknesses. If you're drywalling over an existing wall (and marking the studs with a stud finder), use 1/4-inch thickness, but for bare stud installation, go with 1/2 or 5/8 inches. You'll need a helper to hold the drywall in place while you install it.

Determine from the layout of the room how to lay out your drywall. If your ceiling isn't higher than 8 feet, then you should install the 4x8 sheets vertically. If the ceiling is higher than 8 feet, which is most typical, then install it horizontally. For horizontal installation, start with the bottom row, making sure the top edge of the drywall is level, even if that means slightly raising one side or another off the floor. (The floor trim will cover it.) When you install the top row, stagger the joints so they don't form four-way intersections with the bottom row. In all cases, the edges of the drywall need to land in the center of the width of the stud, so the next piece can land on the other half.

Mount the sheets with a screwgun and drywall screws every six inches on the edges of the sheets and every foot in the middle. Use your level to draw guidelines on the drywall showing where the studs are behind it for the middle screws. Make sure to sink the heads slightly below the surface of the drywall. Make any necessary cuts at the edges of the wall, rather than in the middle. To cut the drywall, set a T-square on your mark, score it on one side with a drywall knife, snap it at the line, and cut through the paper at the back side. To cut around outlets or corner cuts for windows and doorways, use a drywall handsaw.

Lay mesh drywall tape over all the seams, and spread a narrow line of drywall compound over them. Cover them completely. Spread a little compound over the nail holes as well. For the corners, spread compound along both sides, press your corner bead into place, and then put another layer of compound over it. When the compound dries, sand it by hand with standard drywall sandpaper. (Wear a particle mask.) Spread a second layer of compound over all the joints, making it wider but thinner than the first. Sand it when it dries, and then apply your final compound layer, wider and thinner than the other two. Sand it lightly at the end.

Drywall (also commonly referred to as "gypsum board") is a modern adaptation of the traditional plaster wall finish that has been used...

Walls provide structural definition to interior spaces. Kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and living spaces are all delineated by walls. Drywall walls are constructed...

Sheetrock or Gyproc or drywall are all the same product. Consisting of a central core made primarily of gypsum covered with heavy...

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Drywall Installation Instructions | eHow - eHow | How to ...

By Submitted Article on December 24, 2013.

Lethbridge Aerie leads project to provide new roof for Raymond family

SUBMITTED BY THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES, AERIE 2100, LETHBRIDGE

In our hectic, fast-paced world, people often have precious little time or energy left over to look out for their neighbours and to help those in need.

But there are those who still find time to do good deeds for others. This is evidenced by the generosity of the Aerie 2100 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lethbridge.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles was formed in 1898 by a group of six theatre owners in Seattle, Wash., who got together to help settle a labour dispute. It has since evolved into an organization with 1,700 chapters, each dedicated to working within their communities to do good where it is needed.

Lethbridge Aerie president Dave Gulash, who lives in Raymond, recently noticed that his neighbour, Irene Loder, was facing a catastrophic situation, without sufficient means to repair her home, which was at risk of being condemned. Her failing roof had been leaking for the past couple of years and mould was beginning to spread through the insulation in the ceiling, behind the walls, on much of the drywall in a couple of rooms, and the wall and ceiling framing.

There were gaping holes in the ceiling where mouldy insulation was hanging down from places where the ceiling tiles had broken and fallen into the house because of the weight of the sodden insulation. It was a terrible mess, and if it was not corrected, Mrs. Loder, her son Glen Theriault and her two grandchildren, Amber and Gavan, were in a bleak situation, without an affordable place in which to live.

Gulash secured approval from the members of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 2100 Lethbridge to provide $5,500 in funding to repair or replace the roof, remove all the damaged and moldy drywall, remove damaged flooring (including carpeting), install new insulation and drywall, install a new furnace, and ensure that Mrs. Loder, her son and grandchildren would not be going into the winter of 2012-2013 without a place to live, other than the garage and the old pick-up camper on stands in the back yard.

In order to maximize use of the funds donated to the project by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Gulash needed to secure volunteers to provide the skilled labour needed to complete this significant project. He co-ordinated his efforts with James Graham, a member of the Raymond 2nd Ward, a local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bishop Jim Steed put out a request for volunteers, and a team of local tradesmen and weekend warriors, headed up by local builder and developer Dennis Jensen, provided muscle, brains, equipment, many man-hours, and a lot of goodwill to complete the project.

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Eagles soar to help those in need

home section Interior Design Housekeeping Entertaining Home Improvement Gardening & Plants Landscaping eHow Home & Garden Building & Remodeling Walls Fire Rated Drywall Installation

Glenda Taylor

Glenda Taylor is a full-time writer with work featured in national and international publications. Taylor, a residential contractor, specializes in new construction and remodeling writing. She is also the category manager for eHow Nows expert Handyman channel. Taylor's formal education includes marketing and a bachelor's degree in journalism.

Regular drywall panels are made from gypsum particles that do not burn easily. However, your local fire code may require the installation of special fire-rated drywall in some areas. Also called Type X drywall, these panels are 5/8-inch thick and contain a percentage of moisture and glass fibers that slow a fire's progress. Most public buildings and businesses require minimum fire-rating standards. You may also have to install a fire-rated wall between your house and an attached garage.

Cut fire-rated drywall panels to fit from the center of one stud to the center of another stud. The panels come in 4-foot widths and 8-, 10- and 12-foot lengths.

Install the panels horizontally, starting at the top corner of a wall and working across the top of the wall, and then installing the lower panels. Two, 4-foot wide panels, when installed horizontally, will cover a standard 8-foot high wall.

Use Type S drywall screws and insert one screw approximately every 12 inches into the studs beneath the panel.

Stagger the joints of your drywall panels on the opposite side of a fire-rated interior wall. For example, if two drywall panels meet on a particular stud on one side of the wall, panels installed on the opposite side of the same wall must meet on a different stud.

Tape out the joints between fire-rated panels with fire-blocking drywall tape and fireproof taping compound, where required. Some fire codes allow you to use regular taping compound and fiberglass mesh tape.

Install a double layer of fire-rated drywall for additional fire protection. Again, this is determined by local fire code, but if you're required to install a double layer on one side of the wall, stagger the drywall joints on the second layer so they meet on different studs.

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Submitted The 2014 Tarpon manufactured home is open for viewing at LeeCorp Homes model center in Estero.

The 2014 Tarpon manufactured home model is now open for viewing at LeeCorp Homes model center in Estero.

Built by Jacobsen Homes of Safety Harbor, Fla., the 24-by-40-foot double-wide manufactured home features two bedrooms and two baths with 960 square feet under air. The Tarpon also includes a factory built porch with rails and a composite deck.

The models kitchen features a counter height island and stainless steel GE appliances including a smooth top electric range, side-by-side refrigerator with ice and water in the door, dishwasher, garbage disposal and above range microwave oven. Other kitchen appointments include full tile backsplash under counters, a pot and pan drawer stack and a two-door pantry.

Interior features include a built-in glass door china hutch in the dining room, 6-inch thermal pane sliding glass doors in the dining room and living room, linen closets in both baths, and built-in closet drawers with mirror doors in the master bedroom.

The Tarpon also includes custom painted textured drywall, wood look vinyl flooring throughout, thermal pane windows with mullions and upgraded insulation.

The Tarpon is priced in the low $90,000s plus sales tax. The price does include delivery and installation on mobile home lot or private property, and central air conditioning.

LeeCorp Homes model center is at 20251 U.S. 41 S. Models on premises are open Monday through Saturday. Online at leecorpinc.com.

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Tarpon model open at LeeCorp center

A main floor family room is the equivalent of finding the Holy Grail when house shopping. Who wouldnt love a home with room for the whole family to sprawl out in casual comfort? The problem is that most older homes in the inner city werent built with family rooms as part of the plan. My clients had opposing viewpoints on whether to stay local or hit the highway in search of a home with enough open area. In the end, they settled on a 1960s-era ranch style home that boasted privacy, lots of space, and a giant main floor family room oozing with vintage character - but in dire need of a major makeover.

Sarah Richardson: How to peel back the old-timey look

Strip it

If your home is stuck in a bygone decade, the only solution to achieving contemporary style is likely somewhat drastic. You dont need to tear down walls, but you may need to peel back a few layers of decorative enhancements to arrive at a simple and streamlined base for moving forward. We ripped up broadloom, tore off trim, unloaded an old wood stove, and ripped out a cartload of stained oak. Suddenly, this split-level space looked more like a sleek, light-filled studio than a retro rumpus room, and its underlying strengths were revealed.

Smooth it

One of our greatest obstacles in this house was an overabundance of stucco. Were not just talking stippled ceilings here, my friends, but stucco everywhere! Ive said this before and Ill say it again : I hate stucco on any interior surface. I spend too much time getting rid of cheap stucco finishes. So how do I suggest you smooth out your stucco? The most economical approach Ive found so far is to skim coat with plaster. Its painstaking and its dusty, but it costs less than putting up new drywall. It wasnt me spending days smoothing out all the bumps, sanding, and dealing with the mess, but one thing I do know is that having an envelope of smooth walls makes a huge difference to the room.

Unify it

Among the challenges with this homes original space was the multi-level plan, the sloped roof lines, and the combination of materials. Somehow, you have to overcome the design discord and make all these distinct elements work together. In this case, the answer was gallons and gallons of white paint. Suddenly the brick walls brightened, the ceilings soared, the views to the garden became more engaging, and the whole room began to read as one light, bright, contemporary cocoon. A little harmony goes a long way.

Contemporize it

My clients expressed two different design briefs: one wanted institutional modern while the other wanted mid-century warmth. My job was to marry these two agendas and the solution rested on two elements with big impact: floors and glass railings. Six hundred square feet of engineered oak floor with a limed stain introduced the natural beauty of wood grain while still maintaining the stark monochromatic palette that would deliver the minimalist look. The raised dining platform offered its own set of challenges in terms of sightline and flow between living and dining areas. A custom glass-railing system allowed the dining room to float: in the space. While the templating and installation of the railing is custom, the railings, connectors, post and base moulding are all stock components that can be mixed and matched for best results. The choice of floor and railing were a bit of a splurge, but getting the fundamentals right is the key to success.

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Sarah Richardson: Big ideas for a big room

Dieter Roth. Bjrn Roth atHauser & Wirth It featured the late Dieter Roths collaborators, his son, Bjrn, and grandsons, Oddur and Einar, casting busts of their forebear in chocolate; a full-scale bar, prepared Roth-style for the artists use during installation and then opened to inspection, if not use, by the public during the show; and half a dozen of Roths supernatural transformations of the materials of his life into art. But the show probably remains most memorable for The Floor I and The Floor II, two 19-by-40-foot sections of wooden floor pulled out of Roths studio in Mosfellsbaer, Iceland, and tipped up on their sides to display at once the artists breakneck ambition and the colossal scale of a new gallery sited in the former Roxy Disco.

Allyson Vieira: Cortge atLaurel Gitlen Gallery With a no-holds-barred, unremittingly material wrestling match between sculptor Allyson Vieira and grand abstractions like time, history, industry and geometry, the clincher was a series of dramatic post and lintel structures, each composed of a raw steel I-beam sitting on two square columns screwed together from 128 horizontal squares of drywall. The lintel, with its ominously perfect machine-made edges and potential energy, seemed as final as death, but the posts, whose corners Ms. Vieira chopped off to form them into rough caryatids and expose layers of white dust, brown stains, protruding screws and bits of yellow paper, overcame its weight the same way we do that of deathwith unquestioning endurance.

Sverre Bjertnes: If You Really Loved Me You Would Be Able to Admit That Youre Ashamed of Me atWhite Columns Billed as Mr. Bjertness American solo gallery debut, this show was simultaneously, and crucially, a project identification by Bjarne Melgaard, who painted the walls in bright pop geometries and surrounded Mr. Bjertnes romantic oil studies of his girlfriend, Hanna Maria, with a flea markets worth of miscellaneous objects on which the late Robert Loughlin had painted a totemic male profile borrowed from Tom of Finland, ceramic ware by Mr. Bjertnes mother, Randi Koren Bjertnes, on which Mr. Bjertnes had painted Hanna Marias face, and a video noninterview starring Messrs. Bjertnes and Melgaard, as well as writer Alissa Bennett. The result achieved the patent, if messily unfathomable, coherence of a human character, dissolving a mixed bag of discrete pieces into a single, successful show and proving that honesty and full disclosure are hardly the same as transparency.

Yael Bartana: And Europe Will Be Stunned atPetzel Gallery Like the long iron nail that, in some apocryphal stories, the Roman centurions had intended to drive into Jesus heart, Yael Bartanas videos Mary Koszmary (Nightmares) (2007), Mur I Wieza (Wall and Tower) (2009) and Zamach (Assasination) (2011)collectively forming the trilogy after which the show was namedpenetrated into the bloody, topsy-turvy emptiness at the heart of the 20th-century Jewish experience in Europe and nationalism generally. With the powerful colors and head-on shots of early fascist or communist propaganda films, Ms. Bartana documented a barely fictional world in which a red-kerchiefed activist calls for 3.3 millions Jews to return to Poland; a group of sunburnt kibbutzniks build themselves a stockade in Warsaw that, architecturally, could be either a West Bank settlement stockade or a death camp; and real-life critics and survivors at her semi-fictional activists fictional funeral spar over the prospects of the diaspora.

Alice Mackler: Sculpture, Painting, Drawing atKerry Schuss Its always wonderful to be reminded how much art happens outside the art worlds notice. Theres no particular reason why Alice Macklers brash, pop paintings from the late 1960s couldnt have ended up in MoMA instead of on the walls of her first New York solo show in 2013. But mainly it was wonderful to inhabit the 10 small ceramic figures, all untitled and made in the last three years, in which Ms. Mackler transformed intuitive improvisation into deeply insightful, extravagantly ridiculous, brightly colored caricatures. A pear-shaped figure as brown as a Japanese bowl caught with his mouth open, or a voluminous dowager in a wobbly purple dress with a hat like a roosters comb, was pure pleasure.

Carol Bove: RA, or Why Isan Orange Like a Bell? atMaccarone Walking the line between mysticism and madnessits a narrow linethis ostensibly centerless show concealed a distinctly linear progress, from an earthly plane of beautiful but unspooled archival materials to a mountaintop of concrete and brass geometries, and finally a heaven displayed in two powder-coated white steel sculptures, Solar Feminine and Hieroglyph, each a long cylinder bent into deceptively simple curves.

John Houck: A Historyof Graph Paper atOn Stellar Rays John Houcks photographs of childhood mementosa beaded, blue medallion given to him on the Lakota reservation where he was born, a set of drawing tools given to him by friends of his mothercould have played as an inquisition into the nature of identity, but it was most impressive as a defiant display of the powers of analog photography. Shooting and reshooting still lifes on life-size prints of earlier iterations of the same tableaux, Mr. Houck built up confusing, complex and layered but strangely flat images that look like exactly what they are.

William Kentridge atMarian Goodman Gallery That the piece was so suffused with mortality and the spirits futile cry against the decaying limits of its flesh while Mr. Kentridge, who drew himself strolling, staring thoughtfully at his feet and striding right over chairs placed in his way, distinctly resembles my own bald, Jewish father probably biased me a little, but Id still argue that the artists seven-minute video Second-hand Reading was not only the highlight of this show but one of the highlights of the year.

Hair and Skin atDerek Eller This summer group show, organized by the gallerys associate director, Isaac Lyles, and comprised of strong work by Hans Bellmer, Louise Bourgeois, Gnter Brus, Borden Capalino, David Dupuis, Daniel Gordon, Aneta Grzeszykowska, Kineko Ivic, Lionel Maunz, Maria Petschnig, Chloe Piene, Adam Putnam, Aura Rosenberg, Davina Semo, Bobbi Woods and Rona Yefman, provided gorily substantial and substantially gory proof that a mere few centuries of science and perspectival art have hardly broken the surface of what these rapturous prisons we find ourselves in have to saynot to mention secrete.

Minty atFoxy Production Paintings, video and sculpture by Nicholas Buffon, Ben Horns, Megan Marrin, Cassie Raihl and Matt Savitsky were delicately stacked by the gallerys associate director, Ebony L. Haynes, into a camp card house of mirrors. (Its as simple as the title: Mr. Savitsky performs a drag character named Minty after a band that performance artist Leigh Bowery used to have.) The body here was a site of social conflict, an anchor of personal identity, a code to be mastered and conveyed, and a fuzzy glow created by overlapping societal roleseverything but a straightforward fact.

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The Most Memorable Gallery Shows of 2013

SCHAUMBURG, IL -- ITW, the inventor of the original blue concrete screw, continues to innovate with the addition of three Large Diameter Tapcon Concrete Screw Anchors that are faster to install and perform better than sleeve and wedge anchors, which translates to an increase in contractor productivity and profitability.

These new Made In The USA Large Diameter Tapcon Anchors are available in 1/2" x 6", 3/8" x 3", 3/8" x 4", 5/16" x 2" and 5/16 x 3" sizes, and their innovative technology means easier, faster and more secure (see "Proof in the Testing" below) anchoring into concrete, block and brick in a wide variety of residential, commercial and industrial applications.

The new Tapcon anchors feature Advanced Threadform Technology which translates into 30 percent lower installation torque, and 20 percent more holding power. Large Diameter Tapcon Anchors are 50 percent faster to install as they do not require assembling, driving, tightening and torqueing. Simply drill the hole and drive the Tapcon Anchor. Large Diameter Tapcon Anchors feature an induction hardened tip that is engineered to cut into concrete and brick, and increases pullout strength.

"Contractors will appreciate our new Tapcon Anchors for their ease of installation," said Laszlo Hullam, National Marketing Manager for Tapcon. "Traditional anchors have many steps. First they have to be assembled, then you drill the hole, clean the hole, then pound the anchor in with a hammer and then tightened or torque down with a wrench. With Tapcon Anchors, it's a simple two step installation: you drill then drive the Tapcon Anchor with an impact driver, that's it. And with more contactors using cordless impact drivers, the reduced torque requirement will increase tool and battery life, adding to jobsite productivity."

Another Key Feature: These new Tapcon Anchors are cracked and seismic approved with 2012 building code compliance, as per ICC-ES ESR-2202, providing a level of assurance contractors appreciate when the Building Inspector arrives. In addition, Tapcon offers the only 5/16" diameter seismic approved anchor on the market today. (Note: the 5/16" x 3" Tapcon Anchor is the perfect anchor for installation of windows or doors into concrete or masonry where codes require cracked and seismic approval).

Other Tapcon Anchor features that make this the "go to" anchor for professional contractors include: --Close-to-edge and close-to-anchor placement - unlike wedge and sleeve anchors, Tapcon Anchors have no expansion or outward pressure so they can be placed closer in proximity to an edge or other Tapcon Anchors. --Easy removal by simply unscrewing the anchor - traditional anchors cannot be removed. --Finished head - for a uniform profile and aesthetic appeal. --Blue Climaseal coating - provides corrosion protection for outside applications. --Recommended for use in ACQ pressure-treated lumber.

Proof in the Testing In comparative mechanical anchor testing done by the ITW Red Head Testing Laboratory, under International Accreditation Service listing TL-440, the ultimate tension load for the 3/8" Tapcon Anchor was 10 percent higher than a wedge anchor and 28 percent higher than a sleeve anchor. The ultimate shear load for the 3/8" Tapcon Anchor was 46 percent higher than a wedge anchor and 129 percent higher than a sleeve anchor. The comparative testing of the 1/2" Tapcon Anchor demonstrated that the ultimate tension load of the anchor was equal to a wedge anchor and 22 percent higher than a sleeve anchor. Upon review of the ultimate shear testing the 1/2" Tapcon Anchor was 53 percent higher than a wedge anchor and 89 percent higher than a sleeve anchor. With the new larger diameter sizes, Tapcon Anchors are now available in a full range of diameters, including 3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8" and 1/2". All Tapcon Anchors are now available at Home Centers, Lumber Yards, Distributors and Industrial Supply Houses. For more information on Tapcon Anchors and the new Tapcon Large Diameter Anchors you can call 877-ITW-Brands. Buildex Tapcon is a product of ITW Brands, offering a broad range of professional-grade anchoring and fastening products for almost any application. Their products include drywall anchoring systems (E-Z Ancor), concrete anchoring systems (Tapcon, Red Head, Ramset), cement board screws (Rock-On) , Backer-On), and self-drilling screws (Teks). For more information, visit http://www.tapcon.com

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Tapcon Unveils New Large Diameter Concrete Screw Anchors

Century-old building will open soon with new renovations

BY ABIGAIL MEIER | DECEMBER 17, 2013 5:00 AM

As half of the drywall peels away from the inside of the Grossix Building, the material beneath exposes almost a century of historical structural value of the downtown Iowa City establishment.

Community members admired the nearly completed renovations on Monday as officials announced the coming of a retail store to that space. Tailgate, a vintage-style clothing line, will enter the bottom floor in February 2014. The second and third floors, which are nearing completion, will be remodeled into apartments.

The view from the top and the design of the building vitalizes the Iowa City area, said Vera Gross, the owner of the Grossix Building, 30 S. Clinton St. A lot of this area was used for storage, but now you have two really great places to bring to Iowa City and bringing more people to the downtown area.

Iowa native Todd Snyder created Tailgate in his fathers basement in 1997, and he has partnered with national brands such as Nordstroms, American Eagle, and Urban Outfitters. An official with the Downtown District said there an increasing need for a business such as Tailgate in the area.

There is a high demand for retail downtown, said Nancy Bird, downtown district executive director. [Gross] took her time in finding a tenant who can service the community as well as the students.

Gross family has owned the 1860 building for the past 28 years. In 1985, her mother opened Gilda Imports a furniture, glass, china store in the building. In the past three years, the building has been empty.

The renovation is the sixth of eight projects the Downtown District has supported to restore the structural value of the buildings.

A Downtown District initiative called Iowa City Building Change Program, which began last spring, has supplied Gross with $43,629 for the installation of a sprinkler system and improvements to the buildings faade. The total cost of the renovation is $700,000.

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Century-old building will open soon with new renovations