Project News
Lt. Governor Visits Hill Block Project
Pictured in front of Hill Block Project: Justin & Diana Hill w/Iowa Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, Jessie Brewer of J&S Design and Construction, and Tammy Roberts of City of Bloomfield.
Goodhill Wins Preservation Award
Goodhill Company took home the award for “Preservation at Its Best” for the adaptive reuse total renovation of the 1957 Fenton Building at the Preserve Iowa Summit. The award recognized the Goodhill team, led by Justin Hill (who oversaw the project), for excellence in preservation for the commercial building. Jessie Brewer (J&S Design and Construction), General Contractor for the project, was also on hand to accept the award.
“Projects of this magnitude cannot be accomplished, no matter the dollars invested or vision at hand, without a team of hard working experts surrounding it. We are blessed with the best!”, commented Hill.
Hill Block Project Facade Unveiled
BLOOMFIELD, IA - The Goodhill team along with their General Contractor, J&S Construction and Design, were thrilled to recently unveil the “new” facade for the historic triple storefront referred to as the Hill Block. Countless hours of planning, design, and labor have been poured into the project to completely rebuild two of the facades after they were deemed unsafe and unstable prior to Goodhill’s involvement in the project. With a historic lithograph from the Civil War period as their guide, architects and engineers crafted a plan to use historic material to bring the building back to it’s original glory.
Hill Block Receives a $300,000 IEDA Grant for
Six Upper-Story Apartments
Conceptual Rendering of the Hill Block Lofts
BLOOMFIELD, IA - The City of Bloomfield has been awarded a $300,000 Downtown Housing Grant (DHG) from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) for the Hill Block Lofts, three contiguous buildings located on the west side of the Bloomfield Square. The grant funds are part of a special round of $20 million in financial assistance for projects supporting local downtown revitalization through new and renovated housing opportunities in communities under 30,000 population to stimulate downtown development.
Mary Wells, Project, Grants & Programs Administrator for Goodhill Company, worked with Brad Grefe, Senior Planner at Area 15 Regional Planning Commission (RPC) on the application. The Downtown Housing Grant was the second successful partnership between RPC and the Goodhill team on the Hill Block rehabilitation.
"This project will be a showpiece of the Main Street Approach™ toward property rehabilitation and what can occur when you have good property ownership, City engagement, and involved local leadership. The downtown lofts will help fill a much-needed housing gap in Davis County, setting the standard for others to follow," said Wells.
These funds will be used to renovate the underutilized second-story spaces at 112/113/114 S. Madison Street and are part of a multi-phase project; the Hill Block total project estimated cost is $1.7 million. Goodhill Company, which owns the three historic buildings, will contribute the matching investment. The upper story project will not require any additional City funding.
The goal is to complete the facade improvements, apartments, and commercial space ‘white boxing’ by spring 2023. This project aims to demonstrate high-quality downtown development with attention to detail. Goodhill Company has been intentional in its partnerships to create a process for others to emulate.
Goodhill Company understands the importance of offering attractive, functional, and community-based places. This downtown housing project in the Bloomfield Main Street district will be transformative for the City of Bloomfield and Davis County.
To learn more about this specific grant, you can visit https://www.iowaeda.com/downtown-resource-center/downtown-housing-grant/
To learn more about Area 15 Regional Planning Commission, visit https://www.area15rpc.com/
Adaptive Reuse Preservation Efforts Give New Life to
Mid-century Building in
Bloomfield, Iowa
BLOOMFIELD, IA - The Fall of 2021 brought a completion to a much talked-about, year-long construction project in Bloomfield, Iowa. Goodhill Company oversaw the project at 202 North Madison Street, creating an office space to house the headquarters of three companies. The Fenton is being touted as “a model for what preservation can and should be”, involving creative, inclusive, and sustainable reuse of a community treasure into local job creation, bringing life and vitality to a once vacant space. The visionary behind this project is developer, Justin Hill.
Hill is managing partner for Goodhill Company which was formed to take on projects that are often overlooked by other real estate developers. After much consideration, Goodhill selected the first project, The Fenton (previously known as the Fenton Medical Building) in the Bloomfield Main Street district. This Mid-century building has a long history within the Bloomfield and Davis County community, evoking many memories to residents and patients of the clinic; it is referred to as “iconic” by many locals.
The Fenton sat vacant for several years following the closing of the Fenton Medical Building until purchased in 2020 by Goodhill Company for renovations. Goodhill Company has a deep commitment to giving back to the community and wanted to preserve as many of the historical characteristics of the space as possible. One of the benefits to being a Main Street community is the design assistance received from Main Street Iowa/IEDA to come up with the concepts of exterior changes and interior space usage.
Main Lobby of the Fenton (Fall 2021)
No detail was left untouched or considered too small to matter. Goodhill’s contractor, J & S Residential Remodeling, repurposed the original, round check-in counter & nurses’ station into a beautiful coffee bar on one side and a printer/office supply station on the other, saving much of the original wood detail and matching the existing where new was required. 1950s airport replica art on display gives the sense of stepping back in time, all while utilizing the high-level technological capabilities made available from the local telecom and other area service providers, which allow the building’s inhabitants to maintain a competitive edge for business innovation. The Fenton project is an outstanding example of historic preservation, where the developers are leading by example of what good design and historic building ownership involve.
The ability to develop solid and lasting partnerships led Goodhill to the next project, The Hill Block. This set of historical buildings were at risk of collapse when the City of Bloomfield took possession of 113 S Madison in 2018 and 112 S Madison in 2019, stabilizing them until a suitable developer could be found. Goodhill Company understood the significant development opportunity for the community of Bloomfield to transform this block of historic, at-risk structures into three new businesses and six much-needed upper story housing units. This restoration will return to service more than 10,000 square feet of commercial and residential space to the community. The businesses planned for the spaces will provide 20+ jobs, many paying at/or above regional standards.
Hill Block Project Concept Drawings by Main Street Iowa
“We were very honored that our recent Bloomfield Main Street application was an award recipient of the Main Street Iowa Challenge Grant of $100,000, helping make this million-dollar project happen,” stated Hill. This was the fifth successful Challenge Grant the Bloomfield Main Street organization has been awarded, leveraging more than $750,000 in private investment downtown. The funds will go toward a new roof for all three buildings and assist with rehabilitating the interior commercial spaces. Goodhill Company has prioritized the use of as many local contractors as possible to keep the money in the local economy. They also connected with Area 15 RPC for grant writing and Bloomfield Main Street for design assistance to make this project a reality.
Whether it is transforming neglected historic properties into new, vibrant, and relevant spaces, or developing new construction with an eye toward long-term planning and sustainability, forging strong and lasting partnerships with local organizations and municipalities is a core value that makes Goodhill projects stand out above the rest. Hill states, “We can’t wait to see you downtown!”