Historic renovations require ample dose of tenacity, cash

FORT COLLINS — This city˜s downtown has an impressive collection of renovated old buildings which seem to have arisen from their own ashes much like a Phoenix.But unlike the mythical bird, these buildings weren˜t resurrected by mysticism or alchemy. Most rose again as a labor of love, that risky deed which tends to feed the soul more than the pocketbook, at least over the short haul.Old Town Square is a prime example.
Consisting of eight buildings occupying 120,000 square feet, Old Town Square was conceived by developer Gene Mitchell in the late 1970s "when the economy was good," and completed…