First steps in Cascade Saloon clean up completed days before Preservation Greensboro annual meeting

Project’s National Preservation Expert to Address Local Group on February 15

Preservation Greensboro Development Fund, Inc. and The Christman Company (Christman) are providing images illustrating the current raw nature of the interior of the building set to become the North Carolina home of Christman, parent company to Rentenbach Constructors Incorporated (Rentenbach.) They include various artifacts, found in clearing the space for renovations, which provide a unique glimpse into the past lives of the structure. A schematic rendering has also been furnished to roughly reflect one potential view of the finished project expected to be move-in ready by year’s end.

The former Cascade Saloon, located in Greensboro’s S. Elm Street Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, is planned for use as the regional offices of Rentenbach (in the process of transitioning to the Christman name), a North Carolina and Tennessee-based construction management and contracting firm which was acquired in 2013 by Christman, a 120+ year-old nationally-ranked commercial construction leader. The Cascade Saloon is considered a contributing structure within the Downtown Greensboro National Register Historic District (1980), and is recognized as a Guilford County Landmark Property by the Greensboro City Council (2007).

“We’re finally on track to salvage the ‘unsalvageable,’ as the project was once referenced by some,” said Benjamin Briggs, executive director for Preservation Greensboro, Inc. “Preservation Greensboro is truly excited to partner with the talented team that’s resuscitating and giving this functionally obsolete old building a new life as a modern office while respecting its historic character and significance in our local heritage.”

Among the artifact “finds” the building has yielded so far:
· Antique liquor bottles
· Wagon wheel
· Hand plow
· Old printing press supplies
· Books
· Dentist chair

“We are also pleased to be hosting Ron Staley, Christman senior vice president and national director of historic preservation, at Preservation Greensboro’s upcoming 51st annual meeting on February 15th at The Morehead Foundry,”
said Briggs. “He will be addressing attendees on the topic of ‘Community Reinvestment Through Historic Preservation,’ and highlighting several major preservation and redevelopment successes achieved by Christman’s nationally recognized historic preservation group. Any community members with an interest in this topic are welcome to attend. (For more information on the event, visit preservationgreensboro.org and click on the Events tab.)

“The clearing process to facilitate design finalization is helping us dramatically expose how much work there is to be done,” said Tim Gray, Rentenbach senior vice president. “Come second quarter, the project site will really be buzzing.” Future updates, including release of design plans and images, are anticipated for mid-spring.

The Christman Company, founded in 1894, has grown to become one of the country’s leading professional construction services firms, and is ranked at #102 on the Engineering News-Record ENR 400 list of top contractors nationally. In conjunction with its affiliates Christman Capital Development Company, Rentenbach Constructors Incorporated, Christman Constructors, Inc. and Christman Mid-Atlantic Constructors, the company’s award-winning services include construction management, general contracting, design/build, real estate development, facilities analysis and planning, and self-performed skilled trades. The company is currently managing nearly two billion dollars of projects in several key market sectors, including historic preservation and adaptive reuse, healthcare, educational (university and K-12), office, science and technology, power generation, and industrial. The company has offices throughout the southeast US, Midwest, and mid-Atlantic. For more information, visit www.christmanco.com.

Preservation Greensboro leverages a team of volunteer professionals and a revolving capital fund to acquire ownership interests in real property and craft preservation-friendly solutions for Greensboro’s most pressing dilemmas involving historic structures. One example beyond Cascade Saloon is the project underway at 919 Spring Garden Street in the College Hill Neighborhood to save the c. 1906 Angle House. Preservation Greensboro Development Fund, Inc. is an affiliate of Preservation Greensboro Incorporated (PGI) – the only citywide non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation. Since 1966, it has encouraged the conservation of Greensboro’s architectural history by preserving sites and has served as an advocate for historic preservation across Guilford County. Today, PGI is a dynamic and resourceful organization that contributes a key role in the growth of Greensboro’s economy. With such diverse initiatives as Architectural Salvage of Greensboro, the Blandwood Museum, the Preservation Greensboro Development Fund, informative meetings, seminars, and special events, PGI is a constant voice within the community towards revitalization, improved quality of life, and conservation of historic resources for future generations. For more information, visit www.preservationgreensboro.org.