Old town charm

The Moffitt Lofts have set a new standard for living and design in historic downtown Louisville.

The two side-by-side buildings in the 600 block of Main Street offer retail and office space on the main level, with loft residences on the upper. A new concept for downtown Louisville when they were completed at the end of 2005, the project has been fully occupied since.

Developed by Hammerwell Inc. and designed by Arch11, both of Boulder, the Moffitt Lofts offer a concept that, while popular in larger cities, was foreign to Louisville at the time.

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“It was challenging at first because it was a new concept with mixed use,´ said Richard Sands, president of Hammerwell. “The planning department didn’t like the first rendering because they thought it was over-scaled. We split it into two buildings so there was less impact.”

They also used brick, stucco and bright colors rather than industrial materials for the exterior.

“It stretched the limits of the town with having living space over commercial space,” Sands said.

The buildings are not excessively large — the one to the south has 2,172 square feet of commercial space on the main level, with two lofts above that are just over 1,000 square feet apiece. The north building has a similar footprint, with slightly larger lofts above.

“I rarely build a home over 3,000 square feet,” Sands said.

Instead, he focuses on style with substance.

“There are a lot of open spaces, and we borrowed visually from the adjoining spaces,” he said. “In one of the smaller spaces, we have two walls that move. I’m not going to cut up space with walls. You can even define space with windows.”

Sands said he makes the most out of smaller spaces with “very discrete use of walls, windows and ceiling height.”

Indeed, Jim and Bernadine Brumfield live in one of the lofts and “literally fell in love with this project,” Bernadine said.

“We have our open space, but also can close off spaces when we need privacy,” Jim added.

Once the first loft sold back in the mid-2000s, the other three sold quickly in succession. And, none have changed hands since.

“It’s interesting that in a market that turns over a bit, not one has sold again,” Sands said of the loft niche.

There have been two owners who moved out of state but retained ownership of their lofts and lease them to tenants. One was a University of Colorado women’s basketball assistant coach, and the other owns one of the commercial businesses downstairs. Both likely will return at some point to live in the Moffitt Lofts again, Sands said.

“I get feedback from the tenants, and they seem quite proud that they are in this space,” Sands added.

“Life here is wonderful,” owner Bernadine Brumfield said. “It’s absolutely wonderful to live over a business”

Jim added that the couple could walk or bike everywhere they want to go. And the balcony provides perfect viewing space for all that downtown Louisville has to offer, including parades, Street Faire, the farmer’s market and much more.

The commercial tenants include a consulting firm, an optometrist and a hair salon.

“Louisville keeps appearing in magazines as a great place to live,” Sands said. “Its downtown is cutting edge and has a hipness to it.”

Sands said he went to Louisville for the first time in 1997, after moving from California to Boulder the prior year.

“Louisville struck me as a nifty little bird that was on the verge of something really good,” he recalled. “It had a quaintness that seemed like it could become very interesting.”

Indeed, as the downtown area has evolved, the Moffitt project could have spurred another potential commercial and loft project a few blocks to the north.

“There is another retail, office and loft project on the drawing board in the 900 block of Main,´ said Mark Zaremba, president of the Louisville Downtown Business Association. “I believe it was inspired by the Moffitt Lofts.”

Zaremba said the Moffitt project has added a great deal to the downtown ambiance.

“Downtown Louisville is a quantified space, ” he said. “The project helped upgrade the southwest corner of downtown.”

Sands said that for him, the thought of becoming involved in another loft project is tempting. Some other developers who are interested in a joint venture have approached him.

“I’ve looked at a couple of properties, but I’m not doing anything right now,” Sands said.

As for the Brumfields, they have no intention of leaving their loft lifestyle or downtown Louisville.

Indeed, Bernadine said one of the best features is living across from the famed Blue Parrot Restaurant and the aromas that waft across their balcony.

“We know when they are starting the marinara,” she said.