Condo units to replace Joel store
A Kirtland Cutter building that housed the Joel Inc. specialty store for nearly 40 years may soon become urban condos.
Some of the same partners behind the Morgan Lofts project, at 315 W. Riverside, say they plan to convert the former warehouse-turned-specialty store into condos with ground-floor retail space and underground parking.
The project could transform the classic structure at 165 S. Post into as many as 18 condominium units, said Ron Wells, a Spokane architect and developer and one of the partners in the project.
“It’s a great building,” said Wells, who is currently working with his staff on architectural drawings for the site. Construction could begin sometime in early spring.
Ron and Julie Wells, Bill Main Jr., his wife Sarah Leverett-Main, and family member Brian Main recently purchased the 100-plus year-old building from the Ferris family for an undisclosed price.
Wells said the group plans to name the development after longtime Spokane businessman Joel Ferris II. Ferris purchased the building in 1967 and renovated it to house his specialty store, Joel Inc. The store sold fine giftware, furniture and artwork for a total of 55 years, first on West Sprague Avenue and then in the Post Street location.
When the store closed last summer it was run by Ferris’ son, Joel Ferris Jr.
“He was just an extraordinary man,” Wells said of the Joel’s founder. “He was always on the cutting edge of design and art.”
The building has high ceilings and interior red brick work — features the group hopes to incorporate into the residential units.
“We’re going to keep the integrity of the building,” Leverett-Main said. “There’s only one Joel building.”
Dorian Studios Inc. owns the adjacent suite, but the Joel Inc. portion of the building includes more than 30,000 square feet of developable space. The condos would be built to suit, so buyers could choose the size of their unit, Leverett-Main said.
The developers plan to adapt the building’s basement for underground parking.
Similar to the Morgan Lofts, the project revitalizes a unique urban building. Also, both complexes are being developed on a floor-by-floor basis as units sell.
Morgan Lofts has a total of 31 units that cost between $239,000 and $554,500 and includes an additional investor, Sullivan Homes.
Leverett-Main said condos in the West Riverside building are selling at a healthy pace.