The Franklin executive office suites opens in Greenville’s East Park Historic District
February 29, 2024
The Franklin, a 3,517-square-foot redevelopment project by Franklin Real Estate Development, has opened at 107 E. Park Avenue in downtown Greenville’s East Park Historic District.
Designed as executive office space, The Franklin features 12 offices ranging from 90 to 225 square feet, a shared break area and a shared conference room. Walls and floors of the 107-year-old structure have been acoustically insulated to reduce sound transmission and improve energy efficiency. Leases include utilities, fiber-optic internet service, access to printers and copiers, cleaning services and parking.
Built as a private residence in 1917, The Franklin was converted into office space several years ago. The graceful two-story, columned structure across from Greenville’s McPherson Park is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Franklin is the second historic redevelopment project undertaken by Greenville Developer and Broker Kurt Wallenborn in the past year. Prosper, a 7,000-square-foot office redevelopment project, opened in February 2023 at 832 Wade Hampton Boulevard in the former McBride Office Supply store.
Projects like The Franklin and Prosper fuel Wallenborn’s passion for adaptive reuse projects and historic preservation. Both projects received historic tax credits, with Prosper’s addition to the National Register of Historic Places expected this spring.
“The Franklin is a great example of what can be done with old buildings,” Wallenborn said. “These structures are built better than any new construction. The wood is so solid, so tight. This is like a custom house from one hundred years ago. It can’t be replicated today.”
Wallenborn has preserved the structure’s original heart of pine floors, and its original double hung casement windows were removed and restored by Kelvin Eichinger, then reinstalled.
“Layers and layers of paint were removed, and window weights restored so that all of the windows now open and function properly,” Wallenborn said.
The Franklin engineering, design and building partners include SHLTR Architects, Bluewater Civil Design, Studio Main, Creative Builders, Amy Emery Interior Design, Ivey Communications and Design the Experience. Equity in the project was raised from 33 individual investors through Greenville crowdfunding company Vicinity Capital, with additional financing by United Community Bank.
For leasing information, contact Gary Kirby at KDS Commercial Properties, (864) 242-4200.
ABOUT FRANKLIN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT
Franklin Real Estate Development (FRED) is a development, consulting and brokerage firm founded by Kurt Wallenborn, MRED.
A native of Virginia, Wallenborn holds a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) degree from Clemson University. His experience includes developing more than $130 million of new stores, fuel centers and store remodels for The Kroger Company and managing solar farm development, acquisitions and joint ventures for Dominion Energy. Prior to establishing FRED, Wallenborn coordinated development projects across the country for Greenville-based Centennial American Properties.
For more information, visit franklinredev.com.
