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Greenville Business Magazine

Elements West Apartments: Demolition Begins at Former Cotton Warehouse

Jun 18, 2018 05:45PM ● By Chris Haire

Elements West | Renderings by Atelier Architecture, John Tennison

Four years ago, a group of Greenville developers announced they were going to transform the historic E.W. Montgomery Cotton Warehouse into luxury apartments. Unfortunately, a series of setbacks -- including a fire -- slowed down the project.

"It’s been some work to get to this point, but we’re there," says Nick Gilley, president of Base 360, which is the general contractor renovating the site. Elements West Sponsor is the developer.  Gilley's father Jerry is the manager of the development entity.

On May 24, Base 360 dropped an Instagram post noting that demolition work had begun on Elements West, located at 806 Green Ave., the site of the E.W. Montgomery Cotton Warehouse. Added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 2012, the site recently served as Section 8 housing.
Originally constructed in 1928 by the Harbo Furniture Manufacturing Company, the site featured four bays before three additions were made in 1933 as part of its re-purposing as a cotton warehouse, according to the property's National Historic Register application.

Clerestory windows and a skylight were added in 1933, allowing workers to inspect cotton from around the area before it was put on market.

At the time, the E.W. Montgomery Company was one of the nation's largest cotton brokerages and including trading offices in Europe and Egypt, the application notes. 
According to Nick Gilley,K, everything inside the derelict cotton warehouse is being torn out, but the exterior of the historic building will remain the same. 

"In two weeks, we’ll be full force with a big showing here on the ground with all of our contractors," Gilley says. "It’s a 13-month schedule from start to finish."

Gilley says that the sales office should be open in an estimated eight months and there will be four months of pre-leasing before Elements West is complete.

And with luxury apartment prices coming in at $850 for 1 bed/1 bath, $1,150 for 2 bed/2 bath, and $1,450 for 3 bed/ 2 bath, Elements West is cheaper, Gilley adds, then other similar rehab projects, which typically run from $1,200 for a 1 bed/1 bed to the high $2,000s for larger spaces.

The rear of Elements West | Atelier Architecture and John Tennison
Once finished, Elements West will offer a pool and a club room, the site of the old cotton grading room. The club room will feature free wi-fi, a bar area, an attached theater, and natural lighting. 

Located just under a mile from Fluor Field, Elements West was able to achieve their rates because they were able to receive tax credits since they were redeveloping a historic building, Gilley says.

The architects are Atelier Architecture and John Tennison out of Tampa, Fla.

Base 360 currently serves as the general contractor on the Gather GVL site, a 12-unit food hall near Fluor Field. Four Oaks Property Group is the developer and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture is the architect.