Re:purpose Development has been awarded a $771,263 state Community Revitalization Grant to begin work on restoration of the Hoffman-Hart building on 122 East Broadway in downtown Centralia.
Mindy-Kuhl Cooney, Founding Principal, says it was emotional to get the call after pouring so much into the project. They first purchased the 24,000 square feet iconic, historically significant 102-year-old building from the city through a request for proposal process in 2022.
Managing Principal Shannon Cooney says there is a lot of work to do starting with removal of decades of hazardous environmental contaminates like mold, asbestos, lead-based paint and pigeon feces.
“It will definitely be a start to additional fundraising that we’ll need to do,” Cooney said. “The Hart Building has been vacant for quite some time, so it has some pretty significant remediation that needs to take place first. Between the remediation and the need to attach an elevator to be able to utilize all three floors, I think the money will primarily be spent in those two areas.”
Cooney says there are some preliminary plans on how they would like to use the building.
“Not everything is completely settled yet, but the idea is that the first floor will be retail and possibly food and beverage space,” Cooney said. “There is a kitchen in the back, and we had planned some version of a commissary kitchen where food trucks and other small startup food concepts can get going and have a forum to be able to sell, as well as other entrepreneurial kiosk types on the first floor. The third floor will be a ballroom for 300-person capacity events. The second floor has nine offices spaced out that are either going to be offices and a gallery or potentially residential and a gallery.”
Cooney says they will be historically preserving original finishes, including stunning terrazzo floors wood-trimmed windows, ornate beams and cornices, and salvageable wood floors.
The goal is to begin work late this year or early 2026.
Cooney says the renovation will fit with their current renovation of the Winery Block project just down the street. The $2.2-million project includes a restaurant space, five second floor, loft style apartments, an elevator, expanded wine bar, wine cellar, and outdoor public green space-music event venue. Completion is expected next year.
Cooney hopes the two projects will inspire young, creative people who think they have to leave Centralia for the glamour of the big city life that Centralia is a real option for living a creative, ambitious, full life at a much more attractive cost of living.
