Built in 1905 as an enormous single family residence, this classic Avenues mansion was converted into 6 large units at some point over the past 100 years.

My aim when taking on these projects is not to \"remodel\" these old buildings but to restore them. This may seem like the same thing to a layman but if you have ever sunk your teeth into a 100 yr old building, you understand the difference. (And if you have been looking at apartments in the Aves for very long you will definitely SEE the difference in these units.)

Restoration involves stripping off years of cheap, ill conceived & trendy \"updates\", poorly done repairs (\"handy man\" specials), pulling off the old doors, moulding & hardware, stripping off the many, many coats of paint & flooring--the tacky finishes du jour that have been grafted onto the building over the years, upgrading the infrastructure (plumbing, electrical, HVAC)--then put the old doors, fixtures, moulding, and hardware back on.

Invariably some of the original fixtures have been damaged or lost. So that takes me to places like Georges Architectural Salvage to track down replacement doors, knobs, and fixtures.

As you can imagine, this process takes a LOT of time and energy--and of course, plenty of cash money. But the end result is the essence of what makes these old buildings so much more liveable than most of what\'s been built after the 1940s: original hardwood floors from old growth forests, tall ceilings, big windows with the original art glass, subway tile & mosaic floors, cast iron fixtures, claw tubs. In a word: Vintage.

Another great feature of this building is the original wrap-around front porch--great for chilling out and watching the world go by, studying, surfing the web, or just practicing your bongos or guitar (as a former tenant, Josh, was fond of doing).

There is also plenty of extra storage space in the basement for bikes, kayaks, ski & snowboard stuff, camping gear, suitcases, boxes, seasonal items, or that ugly lamp that you just cannot seem to part with. (Each tenant gets their own dedicated area in the basement and we have never run out of space--it is a BIG basement.)

For the eco friendly tenant the city bus stops right out in front for easy access to the U of U, TRAX, the hospitals, and downtown SLC. And we have a pretty comprehensive recycling center set up on site--including bins for paper, plastic, & glass.

I have also installed a high speed internet connection in the building for the tenants to share (Ethernet & WiFi)--which saves everyone about $50/month--which is nice. We can all use a little extra coin in the pocket these days!

When I see what else is out there for rent in the Aves it kind of makes me sad. So many landlords buy these great old buildings and \"remodel\" the history and charm right out of them. They end up looking like the latest Home Depot displays. But the sad reality is that it is easier, faster, and a lot cheaper to go to Home Depot and buy junk fixtures & plastic \"laminate\" floors than it is to spend a month on your hands and knees stripping off paint, and scraping and sanding on the orignal hardwood floors. But man, once you get through the four layers of linoleum and tar paper, and you smell that virgin fir that was hand felled and hand milled by the Pioneers... and a big drop of sweat slips off your brow and hits the floor and soaks in and you know it is gonna be there for another 100 years... man, that\'s something.

(Project Resources)
- Jean Flesher Construction - (801) 259-1364
- LeDel Pace Plumbing (801) 589-5822
- Renovation Innovation
- Daltile & American Olean
- Kingdon Sheet Metal
- ICI Dulux Paints
- Georges Architectural Salvage

So, click on any thumbnail below to see the full sized pic and shoot me an email if you like what you see.

avesmansion@medusaproperties.com

3RD AVE @ N ST
SLC, UT 84103
(map)