BAKER BUILDING PRESERVATION:

Of bricks and bonding with the past. When it comes to downtown Monroe and historic preservation, there is a dynamic duo whose names rise to the top of every conversation

ARTICLE BY MARÉ BRENNAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTIN G MEYERS

When it comes to downtown Monroe and historic preservation, there is a dynamic duo whose names rise to the top of every conversation. Christie and Michael Echols are on the fast track to make a substantial and meaningful difference for all of us who call Monroe home. Finding new purposes and renewed life for old buildings in an all-out effort to revitalize our downtown is their higher calling. Lucky for Monroe, these movers and shakers are here for the long haul. Michael is Director of Business Development for Vantage Health Plan and a well-respected Monroe City Councilman and works to find properties to rehabilitate with his wife, architect and preservationist, Christie. Their companies, Echolstar Investments, Echo Design and Echo Build, are reshaping the way we view downtown Monroe and are ushering in a new paradigm.

Nowhere is this more evident than the Echols’ recently completed, newly renovated Baker Building at 211 DeSiard Street, so named as it used to be the home of Bakers shoe store. Christie designed the mixed use building to include two retail spaces at street level with four luxury one bedroom apartments located on the second floor. Christie noted that the building next door, which used to house the Kress Department Store, is next on the list for her company to renovate as a mixed-use facility with retail on the first floor and six apartments above. The Baker and Kress Buildings will be connected by a bridgeway and will share access to a rooftop deck. In addition, the couple announced their plans to open The Hotel Monroe, a full-service boutique hotel. The development will be part of The Tapestry Collection by Hilton franchise. The Hotel Monroe will combine the 1891-built Sugar Brothers Grocery and Opera House, which most people know as The Poolside Shop with the Southern Hardware building.

The enterprising Echols recently held an Open House and public viewing for the spaces. The open house, timed perfectly with the Downtown Gallery Crawl, saw the retail spaces become pop-up galleries for local artists Caroline Youngblood and Courtney Wetzel. Youngblood’s mesmerizing images of family life along the Ouachita and Wetzel’s glittering gold leaf woodcut images made perfect use of the minimalist chic interiors of the retail space. Exposed brick walls, concrete flooring and industrial chic finishes with built-in lighting and large windows are a blank canvas for retailers who are ready to bring their business downtown to a high traffic corner by Art Alley.

For the open house, Christie enlisted the help of four local designers and firms and paired them with four local home décor retailers to stage all four of the luxury one-bedroom apartments on the Baker Building’s second floor. The results were nothing short of spectacular, melding Christie’s architectural vision for the spaces with the designers’ interpretations of how modern living intersects with downtown history. Designers tasked included Taylor Bennett, Sherri Mowad, Myron Griffing of Space Interiors and design duo Brandi Brownlee Howard and Heather Land. Participating retailers were Woodstock Furniture, Sleepy Hollow, Walsworth & Co. and Material Things.

Christie explains that when Michael came to her with this project just a few short months ago, she knew the turnaround from disaster to move-in ready had to happen really quickly. “This is the first project that I was able to have full creative control,” says Christie of the design process. “I had no time to doubt myself. This project happened so fast that I would literally be drawing floor plans to hand to the framers.” That’s not to say that Christie didn’t slow down to hear what the building was trying to tell her. The architect’s vision for the building was influenced by the bones of the building and her time spent paying attention to the historic details. The building’s exposed brick, beams and skylights played well with the designer’s minimalist palette. Kitchens are positioned to take advantage of washes of natural light from original skylights or large paned windows. Echols designed apartment floor plans based on the positioning of windows that capture views of the city or the ability to retain unique architectural details like overhead beams or industrial skylights. Echols said she was glad to partner with TAAG’s Brian McGuire and Robert Ellis to produce construction documents for the project, keeping it on track and moving swiftly.

Throughout the apartments’ kitchens and baths, Christie utilized marble remnants found in the basement of the Vantage Building, where she also unearthed a brass 8-light chandelier that hangs in the apartment decorated by Space Interiors. The finishes, like mini-subway tiles, bead board, richly stained wood floors and molding, and classic oversized rectangular tiles, chosen by Christie for each apartment, keep the building grounded in its past while cultivating a forward-thinking aesthetic. Long, deep drawer storage abounds in each well-appointed kitchen, which features stainless steel appliances by Whirlpool. Every color and stain decision was hand-picked by Christie, who would bring each sample to the space to determine how it would look with the exposed brick. Walls and trim are painted Sherwin Williams’ Natural Tan, ceilings and bead board is Functional Gray, and the woodwork throughout is stained Bistro Walnut.

DESIGN BY SHERRI MOWAD | HOME FURNISHINGS FROM SLEEPY HOLLOW FURNITURE

Each apartment holds significant appeal to Christie as each has its own personality. “The apartments with alley facing windows are really special,” explains Christie. “At 5:00pm, the light in the two alley apartments becomes magical. There is no need for window treatments, and the spaces are very private.” Christie finds the apartment Sherri Mowad staged with furnishings from Sleepy Hollow to be one of her favorite places to linger. “This apartment with its exposed beams and cozy lighting appeals to the introvert in me. I spent time as much time as I could in the building, so that my design could respond to the building itself,” says Christie. Adds Sherri, an interior designer and realtor with Keller Williams who is known for working with clients in a wide range of personalities and budgets, “My design aesthetic for this apartment would be ‘romantic contemporary.’ I imagined designing for someone young and on the pulse of all things cool and hip and Jo Tiffany at Sleepy Hollow was super easy to work with and offers so many price points. I wanted the space to be clean and clutter free so that all the architectural details of the space would take light. The velvet chairs on either side of the window really helped pull the space together and their soft texture played off the brick wall behind them. I also love how Molly Engen’s paintings added depth and color to the space.”

DESIGN BY MYRON GRIFFING AND JAMES OSBORNE | HOME FURNISHINGS FROM WALSWORTH & CO.

The stairs leading to the apartments are new to the building, and the entry door to the 2nd story foyer was placed where a window had been. Exterior brick was repointed, and Brooke Foy with Arrow Public Art has been commissioned to paint a mural on the side of the building that faces Art Alley. The inspiration for that mural was a photograph of Christie’s “Pappy’s Mama, Janie Priscilla,” who had lived on DeSiard Street.

Christie credits her Echo Build project manager, Ryan Alford, with keeping everyone’s eyes on the goal. “Ryan is a problem solver and is so supportive of fulfilling the vision. He says, ‘Yes!’ then figures out a creative way to make it happen.”

“When I first started, I learned I had to be authentic and be myself to earn the respect of our subs and workers. Now they call me “BossLady,” laughs Christie of the bonds she’s made on the job site.

Coordinating the Open House and designer showcase was Jennifer Lord, who brought in lead designer Myron Griffing and his project director James Osborne from Space Design in Shreveport. Myron chose home furnishings sourced from West Monroe’s Walsworth and Co. A large painting by Vanicka Terhune, titled “Silent Majority” set a moody, edgier tone for this apartment. Myron points to a tall floor lamp with spiky embellishments that provides lighting beside a velvet modified Chesterfield/Tuxedo sofa in a smoky gray hue. “Everything is cozy and warm, but we’ve added an element of intrigue.” The painted wrought iron bed is placed on angle in order to capture the best views of the adjacent park and the city.

DESIGN BY TAYLOR BENNETT | HOME FURNISHINGS FROM WOODSTOCK FURNITURE REVIVAL

Local designing guy Taylor Bennett partnered with his “absolute favorite store,” Woodstock Furniture Revival, to fulfill his creative vision for the apartment. “I fell in love with this space the first time Christie walked me through,” says Taylor. “I understood immediately what she was trying to preserve with the brick walls, soaring ceilings and natural light. Giant paned, 2 over 2 windows flood the apartment with natural light. I really wanted to combine Southern Living with downtown Monroe for a home that would be modern and refined version of a distinctly Southern interior.” Art throughout the apartment was sourced from Caroline Youngblood and Woodstock.

Explains Taylor, “I love the raw linen texture of the Woodstock upholstered furniture. The couch was the first thing I chose for the space. In the bedroom, I added layers and layers of linens from Pom Pom Bedding, sourced at Woodstock as well.”

Taylor placed a rolling bench in an alcove between the enormous walk-in closet and the bathroom. Stacked washers and dryers in each apartment add to the convenience of Baker Building living. In the bathroom, an antique clawfoot tub and shower with modern fittings, bridges the gap between old and new. A burlap shower curtain chosen by Taylor accents the rusticity of the space. The classic oversized rectangular tile is laid in a herringbone pattern on the floor; bead board stained a rich brown climbs ¾ of the way up the wall. The hood vent in the kitchen and corner cabinetry were an on-site design decision made by Christie and her team.

DESIGN BY BRANDI BROWNLEE HOWARD AND HEATHER LAND | HOME FURNISHINGS FROM MATERIAL THINGS

In the apartment staged by the designers Brandi Brownlee Howard and Heather Land, Christie says the team put their hearts and personal artifacts into creating a love story within the space. Says Brandi, “While Heather and I have collaborated on smaller projects like parties and small events for friends, this was our first ‘design gig’ to do together. It was magical to get to work with one of your best friends on something of this magnitude.” Brandi, who is known for her Modern Boho style aesthetic, says her love of travel and penchant for a collected and layered space informed their decisions when decorating the Baker Building apartment. “We could not have been paired with a more appropriate vendor for our design aesthetic. Joyce from Material Things was such a joy to work with and was so very accommodating. Her pieces were kind of like the jewelry on top of an already exquisite body of art! The industrial kitchen island from Material Things was certainly a key piece for us, because the living and kitchen area was one big open concept; we needed something that kind of set the boundary and gave some separation for the kitchen, but was also not too obtrusive. The island was the perfect piece for that!

Adds Brandi, “I cannot say enough how much thought, blood, sweat and tears the Echols put into this project, specifically Christie! I knew immediately that we were on the same design page, when she toured us around that first day! I almost wept when I heard how hard she fought to preserve and restore the original character and patina of the building! She just did it right- from the fixtures and hardware to working with the unique architectural elements that were original to the building. It would have been so easy for her to slap some sheet rock up, paint it beige and call it a day, but she didn’t do that at all. Just another reason why I love her and the vision she had for this building! Again, it’s why I feel it turned out so special!”

When asked about rescuing and repurposing historic buildings, Christie adds, “I get very emotionally attached to these old buildings in the process. When we are working with historic tax credits to restore properties, there are always a lot of rules. But doing this kind of work also lets us be pioneers. When we first started renovating buildings downtown, it was ‘crickets.’ Now there is so much interest,” adds Christie. To schedule your tour of the remaining Baker Building apartments and see if downtown living is for you, call Michael Echols at 318.366.730. For retail spaces, call Jason Thomas at 318.884.4121. To find out about downtown projects, follow livedowntownmonroe on Facebook.