302 BROADWAY
2022 RESALES ARE SETTING SF PRICE RECORDS DOWNTOWN OCALA
‘A COMBINATION OF INDUSTRIAL & CONTEMPORARY’
Repurposed former 1964 FL Telephone Corp. building into luxury lofts, 2016.
Excerpt from OCALA / MARION COUNTY CEP RELOCATION & BUSINESS GUIDE, 2018:
One of the most unique projects in Ocala in recent years was the conversion of the old telephone building into trendy downtown lofts.
Repurposing the 302 BROADWAY building took a lot of mind and matter. With all building systems needing replacement except for the bones, razing the building was considered, but ultimately redeveloping the four-story structure prevailed.
"The building's great bones made the building primed for redevelopment," explains project developer Holland Drake. "Being a former utility building, its structural elements are stouter than the typical multi-residential unit buildings. These structural elements were perfect to construct residential condos featuring industrial interior design."
Something like an old cigar factory in Charleston converted into residential condos was inspiration to Sandy McBride and Holland Drake to repurpose the former Florida Telephone Corp. building, originally constructed in 1964. The big picture was how this project would spark Ocala's Downtown revitalization, like that of larger cities where rundown industrial/warehouse districts have been converted to bustling urban cores.
When work began, the building was stripped down to the floor decks, roof deck, and the structural elements holding those decks in the air. Once the demolition and asbestos abatement phase was over, the structure looked like a parking garage.
But a great deal of thought went into the conversion of the building. For instance, there were three phases of structural engineering. Many fantastic design ideas were rethought to bring the project within the financial plan.
This project began the current wave of multi-residential projects to Downtown Ocala. The design of the building’s luxury lofts/event venue is a blended combination of industrial and contemporary.
“Now after all the years of planning and constructing,” Drake says, “it’s great to see residents coming into 302 Broadway and other positive development happening in Downtown Ocala.”