THOM 13 | Fall / Winter 2019

catalyst
When old buildings are kept
alive by dutiful, creative and
diligent owners, the experience
one has there can be pure
magic. Spencer, as it turned
out, had big dreams for every
single inch of our new project
on South Broad Street.
Spencer didn’t know right
away that he wanted to build
apartments in the space
upstairs. But he knew he would
do something. “I can’t just let
it sit there, collecting dust,”
he would say to me across
the dinner table, dreaming
about the building’s future.
Eventually, our conversations
turned to downtown living.
Spencer had some background
knowledge going into this
adventure.
A born entrepreneur, he’d spent
countless hours researching
city planning, sense-ofplace
initiatives and historic
preservation. So he already
knew the facts: Utilizing unused
upper floors ultimately betters
the community, drives dollars
to the downtown and turns
the area into an 18-hour street
instead of an eight-hour street.
For every dollar that is spent on
historic preservation, five are
returned to the local economy.
It’s not much of a leap to see
why city planners get behind
entrepreneurs who are willing to
make these sorts of investments.
By creating downtown housing,
our community is helping build
a downtown where people can
live, work and play.
“Investing in upper-story
development of our historic
downtown buildings and
increasing downtown living
provides opportunity for
our community to grow and
encourages a more walkable
and bikeable city,” says
Thomasville’s Main Street
and business-development
director, April Norton. “Our
footprint is surrounded by
beautiful plantations, so for
Thomasville to grow, it is vital
that we continue to encourage
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