2021 Award of Merit: Salisbury

112-114 E. Innes St. Project Barnhardt Jewelers & Lofts on Innes

2021 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality

Best Adaptive Reuse Project

112 Innes Street in downtown Salisbury, constructed in 1885, is two-story, rectangular brick building with a single-story rear addition. The height, scale, and building materials are typical of many of the commercial buildings and despite modifications to the storefront, the upper facade has retained a significant degree of architectural integrity. The building previously had a saloon in the front and a billiards hall in the back, and was later used for storage.

114 Innes Street was constructed between 1931 and 1950 and replaced the first structure on that property that dated back to around 1890. The earliest use was a barber shop.

The two buildings were rehabilitated in 2020 and are now home to Barnhardt Jewelers, located at 112 Innes Street, and the Lofts on Innes, located at 114 Innes Street, with two new apartments overlooking downtown. Much of the architectural character of the buildings was retained in the rehabilitation, including the wood floors and the pressed tin ceilings. The storefront of 112 (pronounced one twelve) East Innes Street was rebuilt.

Local professionals, including The Bogle Firm Architecture, Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit consultant, LMY, Inc., and Central Piedmont Builders worked on the building rehabilitation project that was completed in December 2020. The

$1 million adaptive reuse project was funded by Josh and Debbie Barnhardt, $106,000 in grants from the City of Salisbury, including a Downtown Revitalization Grant for the interior rehabilitation, and an Innes Street grant for the facades, landscaping, driveways, and parking lots. The owners also used the historic tax credit program.

The rehabilitation project created five jobs, provided two additional market-rate housing units in downtown Salisbury, and added 2,350 square feet of occupied space that was previously vacant. Salisbury’s 2020 Downtown Master Plan contains six dynamic goals, and this project supports two of them: the first, “A Place of Business,” attracting and providing new jobs and investment; and the second, “A Place to Live,” - a lively urban residential district with retail, dining, and other amenities working together to serve downtown’s growing population.

The project has played a pivotal role in the overall growth and redevelopment of East Innes Street. Since the opening of Barnhardt Jewelers and the residential lofts, a retail business has opened next door, and work on additional buildings is planned or underway.