Future Plans
New construction to put fresh face on historic Dunlap Building
Downtown home: Next-door project adds to historic rehabilitation
By Denis Paiste
New Hampshire Union Leader
Manchester- A decade after rehabbing the historic Dunlap Building at 967 Elm St. on the northeast corner at Amherst Street, Paul G. Smith is writing a new chapter in the growth of his Benefit Strategies business. Smith bought the building next door at 971 Elm St., tore it down and is putting up a new four-story brick, steel and wood structure that will connect to the existing 967 Elm St. property. “The purpose of this building is to give us capacity to grow and continue to grow,” said Paul G. Smith, chief executive officer of Benefit Strategies, LLC. "Benefit Strategies is one of those rare businesses that has benefitted from the recession as employers turned to it as a third-party administrator for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), COBRA and other employee benefits. A separate entity, Dunlap Building LLC, owns the property. We do not by any stretch of the imagination plan on using 100 percent of our new space immediately but it gives us a long-range plan to be able to stay downtown and have our offices here…on Elm Street,” Smith said.
Hiring
Benefit Strategies has about 73 full-time employees, including 18 in Rhode Island. The company added 15 to 16 jobs over the last year. Smith plans to expand Benefit Strategies onto the second and third floors of the new building; the fourth floor remains uncommitted. It will be built for potential office use but could be residential apartment for Smith. “The idea of living downtown has appealed to me, absolutely,” Smith said. Smith, 54, is a retired U.S. Navy Reserve Commander who serviced in the first Gulf War. He was deployed in November 1990 and returned home in April 1991 after Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; He served a total of 21 years in the Navy Reserve. The expansion downtown was welcomed by city officials.
Jay Minkarah, director of the Manchester Economic Development Office, said, “A project such as the one proposed meets multiple goals. It allows an important downtown business and an important Manchester business to expand within the city. Benefit Strategies has been a great asset to the city,” Minkarah said. “They are adding a number of jobs and that is, of course, the kind of thing we want to encourage. “The building itself also is an attractive design, done in a way to improve the appearance of Elm Street.” Minkarah also applauded plans to attract a retail tenant to the first floor. Manchester Economic Development Corp. is participating in the project through a $500,000 loan at 5 percent for 15 years. Terms include trying to privately refinance the loan after five years. Smith paid $250,000 to acquire the 971 Elm St. property and will invest $1 million new construction.
Design-build project
As he did for recent renovations at the Dunlap Building, Smith turned to Mark Carrier Construction Inc. for the new project. Steven J. Freeman, design and project manager for MCCI, said they first came up with a sketch for the project in December 2009. The design, which pays homage to the history of the building, complements the Dunlap building without copying it exactly. The new building will be four stories, while the one it adjoins is five. The design includes both a recessed entry on street level and a bump out on the upper floors that partly overhangs the sidewalk. The bump out – like a multistory bay window – will be clad in copper and offer views from inside up and down Elm Street. Copper is both relatively lightweight and easily shaped compared to other materials, Freeman said. The copper will age naturally, giving it a changing appearance over time. The rest of the building’s front will be brick. Construction is expected to be completed by April 1. The project will make use of up cycling, preserving a piece of history. “I went through the basement of this building to renovate the lobby over here and took a lot of material from the basement,” Freeman said of the Dunlap Building.
Original materials reused
Old office doors and a railing from the basement are incorporated into the design of Ate Doors Down, one of two restaurants on the first floor of the Benefit Strategies building. Similarly, upper floors feature old mirrors found in the building and signs from when the building serviced as a department store. Some mirrors date to the 1890s. The building dates to 1979 and was originally four stories. At some point it was rebuilt after a fire, and a fifth floor was added. An Easler’s “Petticoat Alley” sign was uncovered during 2009 renovations of the entrance way and lobby, still hangs in an upstairs hallway. A plaque next to the sign reads: “Petticoat Alley, Easler’s Clothing Store, occupied this building from the 1920s to 1979. This floor was dedicated to the women’s department as this original sign suggests.” An original hardwood floor, most likely maple, was refinished. Before tearing down 971 Elm St., Freeman said, he salvaged the second floor and part of the third floor, including millwork beams. The three-story structure dated to about 1909. “We’ve cut it all to size so it’s all standard sizes now. We think it’s Douglas fir.” Freeman also saved original cornice work which will be incorporated as a design element in the office area, he said. Windows will be cut through on upper floors to connect old and new buildings. The 967 Elm Street building, or Dunlap Building, is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Smith originally rehabbed the building with Dick Anagnost as the general contractor.
