Not every old building should come down. Pencor has rebuilt 112-year-old structures from the inside, brought them to current code, and positioned them for another century of use without sacrificing the character that made them worth keeping.
Historic renovation requires a contractor who understands that the exterior character, the original materials, and the features that make the building worth saving aren’t negotiable. We’ve managed that balance on buildings over a century old, working alongside architects of record and multiple stakeholders to deliver finished spaces that respect the original structure and perform the way modern occupancy requires.
Tell us what the property is, how old it is, and what you need it to become. We’ll tell you what preservation requires, what code compliance involves, and what the renovation will realistically take.
Every historic renovation carries different constraints, different funding requirements, and different preservation standards. Here are two projects where the building’s history was as important as its future.
The Danzig Motel, one of the only African-American-owned motels in Atlanta, sat abandoned for over 20 years before City of Refuge partnered with Pencor on a $2 million renovation. The result was The 345, a 31-unit three-floor affordable housing community serving veterans, men in recovery, and young adults on Atlanta’s Westside.
The Costa Building is a $7.1 million rehabilitation of a 15,000-square-foot, 112-year-old concrete structure for Athens Clarke County, funded through Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. The project delivered white-box office fit-out and a 2,500-square-foot addition while maintaining the exterior character of a building in the heart of downtown Athens.
Case Study
Athens Clarke County needed a 112-year-old concrete structure rehabilitated for modern commercial use without altering the historic exterior of a building at the center of downtown Athens. The project was publicly funded through Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, carried multiple stakeholder approval requirements, and demanded a construction approach that could work through challenges in a structure that had never been built to modern standards.
What is adaptive reuse and how does it differ from standard historic renovation?
Adaptive reuse converts a historic building from its original purpose to a new one while preserving its architectural character. Pencor has delivered adaptive reuse projects across Northern Georgia.
Does Pencor work with historic preservation authorities during a renovation project?
Yes. Historic renovation work on designated properties involves coordination with local, state, and sometimes federal preservation authorities, and we manage those relationships as part of the project scope.
Can Pencor handle historic renovation projects that use public or Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funding?
Yes. The Costa Building is a publicly funded historic renovation for Athens Clarke County, financed through a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax allocation, and Pencor understands the approval layers, procurement requirements, and documentation that public funding requires.
How does Pencor protect a building’s historic character during a major interior renovation?
We work with the architect of record before construction begins to define which elements of the historic fabric must be preserved, then build the construction sequence around protecting them. On the 112-year-old Athens project, that meant fully rebuilding the interior while maintaining the exterior character and material integrity Athens Clarke County required.
