20 apartments proposed for former Olympic Trophy building on Main Street
WORCESTER — Plans have been submitted to the city to convert the former longtime home of family-owned trophy and sporting goods business Olympic Trophy at 204 Main St. into a mixed-use property with 20 apartment units.
Washington D.C. and Worcester developers The Menkiti Group submitted a definitive site plan to the Planning Board. According to the submission, floors two through four of the 14,396-square-foot building will be renovated to become 20 apartment units.
The building, formally known as the Kane Building, was built in 1926 by Kane Enterprises, which included Kane Furniture Co. The Freedman brothers, owners of Olympic Trophy, eventually acquired the building and moved their business into the building in the early 1960s.
Then & Now: 204 Main St., Worcester
The Kane Building was sold to The Menkiti Group in 2018 after being in the possession of the Freedman family for nearly 60 years.
The Menkiti Group got the go-ahead in 2019 to remove the building's modern aluminum facade and restore its original appearance.
According to the project's impact statement, renovations will include a "historically faithful" recreation of the stone façade. The building has been approved for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Of the 20 planned units, two will be designated as affordable in anticipation of the city's new inclusionary zoning ordinance, and one will be designed as an accessible unit, according to the site plan.
Following renovations, the building will have 11,498 square feet of retail space. Garden Fresh Courthouse Café, a popular stop for people who have business at the Worcester District Courthouse, will remain on the first floor of the building while The Menkiti Group plans to fill the remaining vacant space with retail.
According to the proposal's impact statement, 11 off-street parking spaces are proposed for the building.
The Menkiti Group is also planning to reconstruct the front sidewalk to comply with accessibility standards and to reconstruct the parking lot.
The Kane Building proposal is the latest step The Menkiti Group has taken in downtown Worcester. The developer converted the Chatham Lofts, a 24-unit luxury apartment building at 6 Chatham St.
It also submitted one of the top two bids for the Denholm Building, 484-500 Main St. The Menkiti Group is proposing to redevelop the property by building adjoined 10-story and 11-story buildings with 233 market-rate and affordable apartments and approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial space along Main Street.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 20 apartments proposed for former Olympic Trophy building on Main Street
