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Historic building for sale
Carla Bayron reports
LAKELAND, Fla. - You could own a part of Lakeland's rich history. Thom Downs' Antiques, a 102-year-old building in downtown is currently up for sale, for the first time in 65 years.
Owner Thom Downs and his father bought the century-old building in the early 1960s.
"A lot of these (pieces of furniture) have come from Europe and castles and families over there that they have had for more than 100 years, and they live in this building here today," said Augie Schmidt, Senior Advisor and Listing Agent for SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler.
Before becoming an antique store, the building used to be a Ford Model-T dealership which brought the first automobiles to the Central Florida market. And there are still touches of that era lingering around, such as the original hardwood floors, interior brick, and steel 1 beam construction.
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"They were bringing cars from the bottom floor to the top floor so for the next user, there still is a fully functioning freight elevator for whatever their intended use is," said Schmidt.
Downs is now selling the property and it has been on the market for around three months.
The property is on the historic registry so there are limitations on the exterior and for the use because of zoning. The building could be turned into retail, residential, a restaurant, or mixed-use space, or even a medical use space.
"This building means a lot to downtown because of its proximity as its entryway to the downtown market so the next use we do keep in mind that preserves the historic nature of this building and also makes an impact for the local Lakeland community."
The building truly is one of a kind and comes with the opportunity to share Lakeland's past with its future.
It's on sale for $2.95 million dollars.