TAYLOR PROJECT BRINGS OPPORTUNITIES TO SALINAS
SALINAS >> Downtown Salinas' own Phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes story has turned another page with the recent opening of housing units in an historic building, while the mixeduse site's retail space could become home to up to five businesses.
The Taylor Farms-owned building at 300 Main Street has been brought back to life from the burned-out shell of the former Dick Bruhn clothing store, culminating in more downtown living and commerce opportunities in Oldtown Salinas.
Taylor Farms Vice President of Business Development Steve Ish said the vision for the building in the landscape of the 100-to-300 block of Main Street is “to revitalize downtown and get foot traffic by creating an exciting place people want to come to.”
The newly-renovated building has 19 residential rental units on the second and third floors — nine of which are already spoken for — and 6,200 square feet of retail space on the first floor.
“Four tenants have already moved in,” he said.
Businesses being considered for the street-level space include a steakhouse, a bakery, an ice cream shop and other retail, said Ish.
300 Main Street has a footprint of 19,200 square feet, and three levels for a total of 57,200 square feet.
The building was originally constructed in 1925 as the headquarters of the Salinas Valley agribusiness sector, housing the Farmers Mercantile Exchange. It would later become a Montgomery Ward store and then home to Dick Bruhn, which occupied the space for 57 years until bankruptcy closed it in 2007. Fire gutted the empty building in February 2016, leaving only the exterior walls intact.
In October 2020, Bruce Taylor's Taylor Fresh Foods bought the iconic brick building for $2.15 million, and within two years has transformed the charred skeleton into one of the most anticipated revitalizations in downtown Salinas' rejuvenation effort.
Apartments in 300 Main include two-bedroom, twobath units that are 1,291 to 1,459 square feet; two-bedroom, one-bath units that are 1,114 to 1,155 square feet; one-bedroom, one-bath units that are 817 to 980 square feet; and flats with an open floor plan and one bath with 778 to 857 square feet of space.
Prices range from $2,500 to $3,500 per month plus utilities. Each unit includes a tankless, natural gas water heater; a stackable electric clothes washer and gas dryer; a remote-controlled electric fireplace heater; forced-air heating and air conditioning; an electric refrigerator/freezer; a microwave; a dishwasher; a gas stove and an oven. Other amenities include a gym and a secure on-site parking garage.
300 Main Street possesses design elements that echo those of the Taylor Farms headquarters building two blocks to the north in the 100 block of Oldtown Salinas. That building, on the former site of the Cominos Hotel — which was badly damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and subsequently removed — has been lauded as a beautiful addition to the historic street and was modeled after architecture found in New Orleans.
Ish explained that Bruce and Linda Taylor were in New Orleans for a Produce Marketing Association show some time ago when they found a building they really liked. That building helped influence the design of the current Taylor Farms headquarters building.
“The bricks actually came
from Louisiana,” he said.
The Taylors' vision spilled onto the look and feel of the refurbished 300 Main Street building. The exterior of 300 Main mostly stays true to the original design of the building, keeping the ornate crown around the top, the tall, arch-framed windows and brick facade, while the interior of the structure's new design has an openair courtyard grounded on the second floor with trees rising past the third-floor. The residences on both upper floors open onto the courtyard and are framed by wrought iron railing and supports, creating a gallery much like those seen in and around the French Quarter in New Orleans.
The structure compliments the newly-renovated bank building across the street that houses 50 studio apartments and a restaurant/bar which capitalizes on the Art Deco design of the original structure.
Taylor, who was born and raised in the Salinas Valley, has said that by putting his four-story headquarters — with its patios, courtyards and open space that works to create a sense of community — in downtown Salinas, he hoped to spur other economic activity and revitalize his hometown.
“We saw 300 Main as one of the focal points for downtown revitalization,” said Ish.
The resurgence of Oldtown Salinas comes in part from the Salinas Downtown Vibrancy Plan which was approved by the City Council in 2015 to preserve the city's connection to history while creating a mix of residences, businesses, civic institutions, recreation, and culture in a safe and vibrant environment.
Ish said that working with Taylor and being involved in the revitalization of downtown Salinas has brought about his own sentimental memories of his connection to Oldtown.
“I have a lot of family ties to downtown Salinas beginning with my grandfather's hardware store on the 300 block in 1929,” he said. “We hope to continue to bring life into downtown and provide spaces for people to live, work and shop around the downtown area.”
Another Taylor project is the refurbishing and renovation of another structure built in the Art Deco style at 344 Main St., which will house Heirloom Pizza's second location slated to open in March 2023.