Eric Connor

econnor@greenvillenews.com

It’s difficult to describe the location of the “Keys Building” without showing a picture of it — but when you do see it, you realize how recognizable it is if you travel downtown Greenville with any regularity.

The dilapidated brick building’s most-visible presence is literally just feet away from the Church Street bridge, a dual billboard on top sitting level with the bridge’s guardrail.

From that vantage point, it might appear that there isn’t much potential — but on down under the bridge shows an entirely different story.

The Keys Building — built during World War II and vacant since 1973 — is on the verge of a complete overhaul after years of real estate offers that local investors either turned down because of a lack of buyers' vision or that fell through because an imaginative idea couldn’t work economically.

The owners of the building have held true to the conviction that the building wouldn’t be torn down, says Steve Navarro, a Greenville developer who partnered to buy the property more than 10 years ago.

Now, Navarro and his partner, Doug Harper, have entered into a development agreement with the city to renovate the building and its distinct segments, in exchange for the right to keep billboards atop the three-story tower along the bridge.

Their plans to renovate the outside of the building are scheduled to go before the city’s Design Review Board on Jan. 7.

"We have worked hard to redevelop this property with respect for the past and not succumb to the pressure and the offers to demolish the buildings in favor of another mid-rise concrete structure," Navarro said. "While we are not against such development, and rather, support it, we believe that there is a place for it and place for restoration. Those buildings that have character and history should be preserved as part of our heritage. Plus, it adds to the 'cool factor' of downtown."

The building — segmented into three parts — was once the home of Keys Printing, a family business that fourth-generation owner Ben Geer Keys told The Greenville News was started in 1869.

The business inhabited the building on 307 E. McBee Avenue that was built in 1940. Printing operations were moved — as so many downtown businesses at the time — to a more-expansive space out past Haywood Mall in 1973.

Part of the building was removed when Church Street was extended in the 1960s to provide a corridor for the growing commuter population.

Today, the view from East McBee Avenue is underwhelming, but inside, Navarro said, is a stunning throwback into old-style Greenville, with towering, barrel-vaulted ceilings inside. The three-story section has window openings on all sides and can offer a unique 360-degree view of the city's skyline.

Once renovations are complete — Navarro foresees six months of construction with hopes to begin in January — the property will be leased to multiple tenants who will likely fit a mix of retail and office.

There have been a handful of creative plans for the building over the years.

First was a vision for an independent movie theater, Navarro says, then a bowling alley.

The cost to renovate to make either a movie theater or a bowling alley doable was simply to steep, he says.

The latest plans to house a music venue suffered the same limitations, he says.

The pair are hoping for a similar outcome to another rustic piece of property they bought and redeveloped in the West End: the old Claussen's Bakery along the railroad tracks near Greenville High School.

As with the Keys Building, Navarro says the bakery building was bought with an eye toward an ideal development opportunity in the future.

Now, the bakery building is home to the architecture firm that designed it — McMillian Pazdan Smith Architecure, also tasked with the new vision for the Keys Building — and the Upstate Craft Beer Co., a brewpub that will make its own beers and allow homebrewers to use the system.

"That's the beauty of being able to be patient," Navarro says.

Developers have long awaited the prosperity of Main Street to emanate to neighboring blocks, but only recently has it happened, he says. In fact, he says, demand for office and retail space has just now moved from Main Street, and the realization of McBee Station didn't provide the pedestrian traffic initially expected.

The construction of Erwin Penland's EP360 building, thought, in concert with a city parking garage and landscaping improvements under the bridge have provided a spark for the Keys Building just two blocks from Main Street.

The section of the building along East McBee closest to Main Street would provide 2,400 square feet of space, a building next to it 8,000 square feet.

The three-story structure rising next to the bridge has 2,200 square feet per floor.

The development agreement with the city comes with the assurance that the developers retain the right to have a dual-faced billboard atop the three-story segment, a prime viewing point for advertising for the past 60 years.

Last month, the City Council voted to approve the agreement, which stipulates that the property must be renovated and not destroyed.

"The city of Greenville is committed to the redevelopment of properties located on side streets in downtown Greenville in order to facilitate the outward growth of the city center," the development agreement states.

The agreement also allows for the right to keep billboard advertising, but with an upgrade that will replace the current static billboards with a digital presentation.

The digital billboards would be required to reserve half of its displays for public service messages and to reduce the overall size by 37 percent, according to the agreement.

The billboards were erected before the city enacted regulations that would have disallowed them, creating a situation where the property owners wouldn't be able to replace the outdated billboards if they were to be removed.

The billboards are a necessary revenue source to fund the building renovations, Navarro says.

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