- April 24, 2024
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Even though he no longer owns the historic Ormond Beach Fire Station, 160 E. Granada Blvd., Greg Snell speaks fondly of the 1937 building that he spent $500,000 restoring in 2007. He moved his law office there in January 2008.
“It was in bad shape and I brought it back to the original standards,” Snell said recently. He had the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places and won an award for “adaptive use” from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.
Those concerned with local landmarks will be glad to know the buyer is someone who looks forward to maintaining the structure.
“It’s a gem of the community,” said Rochele Cannon, president and owner of Physicians Resource LLC. “We’re going to let it shine.”
Snell operated a law firm in the building until 2014, when he accepted a position with an international law firm that has an office in Orlando. He said he still has clients in Volusia County and ties to the community.
He tried to sell the building for two years, and then decided to turn it over to the bank to avoid the costs of owning the building.
“It was not a case of being upside down with the mortgage,” he said. “It made sense from a business perspective.”
Physicians Resource bought the building from SunTrust Bank for $800,000. It had been listed for $880,000. The seller was represented by Bob Rand, Coldwell Banker Commercial Benchmark, of Ormond Beach, and the buyer was represented by Michael Bretzel, Keller Williams Florida Partners LLC.
“We’re going to let it shine.”
ROCHELE CANNON, owner, Physicians Resource LLC
Rand said there is a lot of value in a historic building
“It can be really good for your business,” he said. “Some people recognize the value in historic structures.”
Snell enjoyed having offices in the restored building, where he had social events such as art shows and parties.
“We provided an opportunity for the community to come in and see the building,” he said.
It is well-known to Ormond Beach residents, having served as a fire station, police station, hurricane shelter, courtroom, Civil Defense observation post and voting precinct.
Snell said residents would relate stories, such as being brought to the police station and having their parents called, after some typical teen mischief. They would also comment that they were afraid the building would be lost.
He restored the building to provide a nice place to work, and also provide an image of quality for his business.
“It took a lot of work,” he said. He said ceiling tiles were falling in and some remodeling had been done by firefighters themselves.
He restored the floor plan close to the original and replaced doors, baseboards and other items with similar, original styles. The only thing not replaced, he said, was the windows, except he replaced those in the big bay walls.
Cannon said some mold has developed recently on the outside wall and she plans to have that pressure washed.
She’s going to install period-correct crown molding and remove carpeting to show the wood stairs. The building has many authentic touches, such as the jail cell keys still hanging on the wall, and Cannon plans to keep them. The original brick walls and coquina are showing in places and Cannon said they may expose even more.
“I always liked the character of the building,” she said. “It has its own story. So much character and history. To be a part of that is just fabulous.”
Cannon needs room to expand and is relocating her business from 1024 N. U.S. 1. The company provides management and consulting services for medical offices, including billing and negotiating with insurance companies.
“We’re one-stop shopping,” she said.
There are currently 14 employees, including Cannon, and seven more will start in April because they just took on two large clients. They will move into the building in May.
Mayor Ed Kelley said the city was interested in purchasing the building at one time, but it’s good the building is providing a place for an Ormond Beach company to grow.
“That’s good for economic development,” he said.
In workshops last year, City Commissioners discussed the possibility of buying the building, but believed the asking price was too high.
But the mayor is happy that the building remains on the tax rolls and the new owners have stated that the meeting room will be available to the community.
“We will all be winners,” he said. “This way it will be good for everyone.”
