A FRESH START
Owner renovating Main Street Souderton building constructed in 1868
When Dan Yocum tells people about the building on Main Street Souderton that he recently bought, they remember it from the time in the early 2000s when the front was painted bright yellow.
That’s only part of the history of the building at 144 N. Main St. that was constructed in 1868 and was one of the first buildings on Main Street Souderton, Yocum said.
“It was a single family residence at the time — a farmhouse, basically,” Yocum said.
“In 1923, it became a funeral home,” he said. “It was a funeral home till 1952, and then Dot’s Children’s Clothing Store moved in.”
From there, it was an optometrist’s office, then a tattoo parlor, he said.
For about the last decade, the building has been abandoned, Yocum said, and is one of the Main Street buildings on the block between Hillside Avenue and Green Street that at one time was slated to be demolished for a high-rise development. The buildings now have new owners, though, and, after having been abandoned or
underused, are being renovated and prepared for new use, he said.
“Souderton has 150 years of history and most of the buildings that you’re walking past are definitely worth more than being torn down,” said Yocum, a member of Souderton Borough Council and part of the leadership of the recently-formed Souderton-Telford Historical Society.
After buying the building in May, he has spent the past few months gutting it with the help of some friends, Yocum said. He plans to renovate
the building and live on the second floor, which will also have a loft area. The first floor, which is zoned for commercial use, will be rented out to a business.
“There is development on Main Street. It’s an exciting
time to invest in Souderton,” Yocum said.
“I did it because I believe Souderton is on a major upswing and is on the cusp of becoming the next place to be,” he said, “so I hope I can encourage others to do the same.”
Although the building was supposedly not being used in recent years, there were mattresses in it and other signs of squatters, he said. “There was evidence that there were people living here, but nobody living here legally or well,” Yocum said, “because there was no running water or lights.”
This is the first time he’s done a building restoration, Yocum said.
“It was really fun to tear apart the walls and find the architecture,” he said.
Some of those features include the windows, a door, original brick walls and some of the original floor boards, he said.
Along with gutting the building, he removed an addition on the back and a garage, Yocum said.
“That leaves room for ample parking,” Yocum said.
In addition to the building having its own parking area, there will be room for a small patio that could be used if a business such as a bar, distillery, brewery or restaurant moved into the first floor, he said.
“I bought the building because I want to help revitalize this block of Souderton, so I would like a tenant that will bring foot traffic to town, to Main Street,” he said.