Talk of the Town - Whitley County

A Mad Anthony's in the works? Maybe...but there's more to the story

(Talk of the Town photos by Jennifer Zartman Romano) Above, from left, business partners Jason Conrad, Tim Hearld, Jim Farber and Gary Rider have tapped into their construction skills and business acumen to transform the former McGregor Building to a new center of business opportunity. Below, painters give a fresh coat of paint to the the building, one of several changes that can be seen from the exterior. Much more is happening inside. Beneath, one of several offices for small businesses is nearing completion on the second floor. At bottom, a third floor room, formerly used by the Masons years ago, is being transformed into one of two reception hall spaces in the building.

By Jennifer Zartman Romano

Rumors have been circulating about a well-known regional chain of restaurants locating it's newest venue in the former McGregor Building in downtown Columbia City. While the rumor may prove true at some point in the future, there's truly a whole lot more to the story worth talking about.
Building owners Tim Hearld, Jim Farber, Gary Rider and Jason Conrad have been busy almost non-stop since purchasing the building early this past winter. In addition to having a passion for finding a 21st century purpose for the downtown landmark building they now call the Van Buren Building, at the southwest corner of Van Buren and Line Streets, the four have a lot in common that will suit them well for all they have in store. Three of the four were classmates at Columbia City Joint High School, two are cousins, all enjoy motorcycles and all four are related to each other in one way or another. Additionally, all four specialize in a different area of construction. Conrad's specialty is concrete. Rider, an electrician, is the owner of Rider Electric. Farber specializes in plumbling, heating and cooling -- and owns Flow-Tech.
Hearld specializes in commercial construction and is the owner of Synergid Construction, a company with a strong focus on green building practices.
To address what most people have been talking about since the four took ownership of the building -- indeed, they have been in talks with the owners of the Mad Anthony Brewing Company, a popular, locally-owned chain of restaurants and microbreweries in northeast Indiana.
"The rumors about Mad Anthony's have been out there for awhile now," laughed Hearld. "We did talk to them and they're still talking to us. We don't have anything else on that yet."
They're also exploring other options for the first floor of the three-story, 18,000 square foot building that has been a business anchor in downtown Columbia City for over a hundred years.
"We're trying to find a restaurant for that space," Rider said. "That's our highest priority and what we feel would be best for Columbia City."
"We'll build to suit," added Conrad.
"Right now, we're working on our state permits and getting the building from the 1900s to now," Hearld said of the tedious work underway within the building to bring it from it's turn of the century building code to meet present day needs. "Everything with the state may take awhile," he added, but said he hopes to see much of the work inside the building completed within the next year -- or sooner on the first floor based on the needs of potential tenants.
"On the first floor, we're really hoping for a restaurant," said Farber. Second and third floor plans will call for reception facilities, catering space and offices for up to three small businesses.
The first small business has already committed to the second story's north end. Chad Moore, photographer and owner of CMoore's Photography, will be opening a full-service photography studio there, hoping to move into the space as soon as early June. The close proximity to reception and special event space will prove ideal for Moore whose business has been growing steadily for the past couple of years.
Renovation work has been ongoing to transform larger spaces within the Van Buren building, the former meeting spaces of the Masons, back to their grandeur. When completed, the reception hall facilities on the second and third floor may accommodate as many as 500 guests -- creating ideal settings for business meetings, luncheons, wedding receptions and more. The four would like to see the facilities remain open to any caterer who would like to use the space, providing more options for those interested in renting the space for their own events.
Additionally, warming kitchens, restrooms and storage spaces will be available adjacent to the reception rooms. One of the two halls features a stage and soaring arched windows overlooking downtown Columbia City. Both feature original hardwood floors.
Soon, a limited use elevator will be installed to make the building handicap accessible on all three floors.
"We've already had a lot of people asking about having their events here," Hearld said. "There's definitely a lot of interest in that," added Conrad.
For weeks, large dumpsters remained near the north entrance of the building where workers hauled loads of material from the building. Hearld said that since renovations began, 160 cubic yards of garbage have been removed. "Fifty tons of steel and copper have been removed and recycled," Hearld said.
A lot has left the building, but even more has been added -- new drywall, walls have been added and subtracted, new electrical, lead pipes have been replaced and new plumbing and heating has been installed, tapping each of the men for their particular type of construction expertise.
"I don't think anyone could afford to do it all if they had to have it done," Farber said.
Of course with Hearld's background, the building has an environmentally friendly edge too. New, energy efficient windows will be installed in the next week to aid efficiency, bamboo flooring is being installed in one of the offices, existing doors and wood are being retrofitted for reuse in various spaces in the building. They are also looking into several special programs that help fund energy improvements through the USDA and other sources.
So while they're bringing the building up to date and making it energy efficient in the process, they're also committed to keeping it's historic look and feel.
"We are trying to keep the original look as much as possible," Hearld said, pointing to rounded corners on drywall surfaces that mimic the old plaster that can still be seen around windows on the third floor, time-worn wooden floors that will be refinished, interior transoms and windows that remain intact and other beautiful features that will only be enhanced as restoration continues.
While the lion's share of work has happened within the 114-year-old building, evidence of the men's work can be seen outside as well. For the past several weeks crews have been painting trim work to coordinate precisely with the neighboring Grant Building. New window installation, including the revealing of beautiful arched windows on the third floor, will begin by Wednesday of this week.
The men voiced gratitude to the Downtown Facade Grant Committee for approving $10,000 in facade grants to improve the north and east sides of the building.
"It really takes programs like that to make this work," Hearld said. "There are also grants and low interest loans out there once you start digging around."
The men have also been in talks with the Columbia City Redevelopment Commission and hope to take advantage of the newly created Revolving Loan Program. If approved, they would be the first business to utilize the funds in the commission's coffers.
"We've just got to continue working on our direction," Farber said. "And continue finding funds," Rider added.
They're also hoping to continue talking with businesses and individuals who might be interested in moving their enterprises within the building. Anyone interested in pursuing space rental options within the building should contact Tim Hearld at 327-3614.