Salem’s newest apartment building was created from a vacant church.
Purcell Properties completed the project over the past year.
Whitney Purcell says the idea came from Stacey Russell at Somer Real Estate who first approached them about purchasing the vacant church building at 515 East McMackin. At first, she said it sounded like a crazy idea, but upon further thought, they decided to give it a try and The Villas@515 slowly became reality.
“We purchased the church for $71,000 and we put about $300,000 into it in supplies and labors. We used all local vendors and suppliers for the project. We had a lot of fun and managed to make 4 really nice apartments for people to reside.”
Purcell says she had some great hopes for the building, and the end product is even better.
Purcell Properties has been involved in a number of apartment building projects and Purcell says there is a need for more.
“There is a huge need here. We still have a waiting list of 60-75 people at any given time looking for a place to rent.”
Salem Mayor Nic Farley was among a large crowd in attendance to welcome the complex.
“I think this is absolutely one of the pieces. There are going to be a lot of pieces to this puzzle but this is an important first step and no one around does it better than Purcell Properties. And it’s really stunning to see what they’ve done, investing in Salem, using local businesses. It’s really quite the accomplishment for them.”
The Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting to mark the completion of the project.
Key Purcell Capital employees who helped make the project possible. Left to right: Harold Griffin, Walter Gallia, Whitney Purcell, Katie Thompson, and Terry Purcell. Photo by Brue Kropp.
One of the kitchens of the four new apartments. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
One of the unique bathrooms of the Villas@515. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
The outside of the new four-unit apartment building created inside a former church at 515 East McMackin. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
