The Willman Building at 215 and 217 N. Main St. took a total of about 2.5 years to complete. The 219 N. Main St. address is also being rehabilitated because the lower level expands from 215 N. Main St. to 219 N. Main St.
The building held somewhat of a “soft launch” in April, but the building is “not quite open yet” because of running into some “minor hiccups,” Rutan said.
The building will have a hybrid co-working and business incubator on the first floor called WillWork, with residential space in the upper two floors called Willman Lofts.
There will be nine lofts, including one studio, four one-bedrooms and four two-bedrooms, with one fully outfitted Airbnb, Rutan said. It will also include a rooftop deck over the back section of the 215 building that will be co-working accessible space, a new four-stop elevator, additional storage in the basement and a small café area.
The co-working space will allow individuals or businesses to join as members, and it will also offer daily or weekly memberships.
Three of the nine lofts have been rented so far.
“There has been tons of interest. Quite a few people are ready to sign a lease. However, first floor is furthest from being done, so we’re holding off on this,” Rutan said.
The 215 property, a two-story commercial building, and the 217 property, a three-story commercial building, originally were two separate retail spaces, and the first floor was connected to each building in the 1950s.
Built in 1885, the building previously housed Willman Furniture, which closed in late summer of 2022 after being open for 87 years.
The property was purchased by Jamon Sellman through an LLC called Willman Sellman Improvements LLC in February 2023, according to Doug Crabill, Urbana’s community development manager.
A groundbreaking was held in December 2023, and a lot of work has been completed since then. This includes framing, putting up drywall, painting the space, installation of an elevator, demolishing the old storefront and installing the new one and more.
The properties received funding through the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program to help a private developer rehabilitate the historic buildings.
The total budget for the project is $2.9 million, with a $499,998 tax credit to owner and developer Jamon Sellman for rehabilitation of the buildings, as well as an $800,000 grant from JobsOhio’s Vibrant Community Program, that is almost exclusively for co-work space development.
However, the 219 address is not part of the tax credit and involves Sellman’s own funding.
The grand opening with JobsOhio and other agencies will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 12.
For more information on the WillWork space, sign up for the newsletter at mailchi.mp/havencolumbus/willwork-urbana. For more information on the project and lofts, visit sellmanent.com/willman or visit the “Sellman Enterprises LLC” Facebook page.
About the Author
