Dowtown retail store being turned into luxury condos

Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 19, 2006

NATCHEZ &8212; Once a train depot, then retail stores, an area downtown is morphing into condos of a different breed, part-owner Bruce Lewis said Monday.

Still in the construction process, the eventual maximum 17 condos are sold empty, and buyers can furbish the inside the way they like, Lewis said. They can make the space a three-bedroom condo or a one-bedroom, depending on what they want. That way, he said, people can make it their own.

&8220;It&8217;s a unique piece of property, too,&8221; Lewis said. &8220;It&8217;s a historic property. A little bit different for those who like things different.&8221;

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The condos, averaging about $100 per square foot, are being built as they are sold, he said. He hasn&8217;t completed the deeds, yet, but he either has construction underway or contracts for four so far.

&8220;I have a lot of people interested, I just don&8217;t count them until I get the money.&8221;

Right now, Lewis said they have finished tearing out old hardware and are waiting for the contractor to start rebuilding it.

Once the initial building, holding 10 condos, is completed another will be constructed in the nearby gravel lot. That will hold five condos, and two will be built on the dock.

The end result will be a gated parking lot and complex, complete with courtyard.

Lewis said he still has people wander into the construction area looking for the old shops, so gates are a good idea.