LAKELAND – When Scott Kontny invested in 719 E. Palmetto Street, he talked with a retired Lakeland police officer who happened to be strolling by the old building and told him that years earlier a car had driven through a wall of the structure while he was on duty.

Sure enough, as Kontny peeled off years of previous renovations within the commercial interior, there was a tell-tale patch of brick and mortar that had been repaired with concrete, providing him with further evidence of the story’s veracity.

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Emily Foster, with Lakeland’s historic preservation department, loves such tales.

“It is interesting to look through buildings and see the scars,” she said about the history of buildings. About Kontny's and his team's building renovations, Foster said, “We want to see those buildings restored and contributing back to the character of the community.”

The building, which was built in 1925, was known for years as the headquarters for Lakeland Rubber Stamp Co. It was operated from 1968 to 2015 by James C. Bronson and Douglas Bronson, state records show.

Kontny also found records showing a dance studio and an addition onto the building’s original two units for a barbershop, which was added in the 1950s and bore the damaged wall. His research also uncovered the place once hosted a neighborhood grocery store.

The addition gave the building’s left side an asymmetrical look along its original brick step parapet façade. The property is nestled within a neighborhood dominated by Mediterranean revival architecture and bungalows, Foster explained.

Since the purchase in August 2020, Kontny, 47, and his partner Ryan Smith, who works at the roofing company, K.L. Smith Inc., secured one definite tenant: a yoga studio, but there are not plans for a pizza shop.

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Although Google Maps still shows it hanging, the Marcos Pizza “coming soon” banner is no longer draped behind the storefront windows as the interior renovations progress. A buildout for the restaurant chain was eventually scrapped by the previous owners, Kontny said.

The current project, listed as 3CP, LLC in county records, will be a shell for retail buildouts, which will allow the property to tie into existing water and sewer utilities - unlike restaurants, which require more costly hookups.

Foster noted that 3CP’s building permit application cleared staff level approvals. It did not contain a plan for a commercial kitchen, which would have undergone additional scrutiny by city building inspectors.

In city records, the new owners' permit includes plans for exterior gooseneck-style lights, and snow white and black paint colors for the outside walls and trim, respectively. The new windows will feature transoms.

Kontny met Smith in 2006 through prior real estate deals. Kontny and his wife are both in the real estate business, he said, explaining how the project came together.

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Kontny wanted to move his title company, Trustloan Mortgage Inc., into a space he owns. He started the business in the early-2000s and currently leases space downtown. While he looked in the urban core to buy, those searches never materialized and he now believes that was a blessing due to the parking situation.

“It all began with the title company but I think there is a lot more interest in other things that would help the community than another office,” Kontny said.

He has also talked with an ice cream business as a potential tenant and a few other interested business owners who would meet the neighborhood residents' desire for walkable retail places.

The 5,000-square-foot building is located in the East Palmetto Street commercial area of the South Lake Morton Historic District and it is across the street diagonally from Lakeland Public Library and Polk Museum of Art.

In 1987, the District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A neighborhood association within the District had updated its strategic plan in April 2019 with a resident survey, which showed they wanted enhancements to the pedestrian experience. Those include filling in gaps where sidewalks are missing or widening the existing concrete walkways, relocating overhead utility wires and poles to alleyways, and planting trees.

The historic brick retail space at 719 E. Palmetto Street came with 18 parking spaces within two contiguous lots that form an L-shape, surrounding the Mister Fish business on the corner, which Kontny said used to be a service station.

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He was grateful for the input from the city, including 3CP’s interactions with the historic preservation department. Another of 3CP’s restorations to the property included removing the shingled mansard-style 1970s-era awning and exposing the façade's rectangle inlayed business sign.

The electrical wiring was also replaced and a new low-sloping flat roof has been installed behind the brick parapets.

This week, the building received its fresh glass storefront as efforts to tighten the interior from the rain are nearly finished, following Covid-19-related delay to the installation of the new fenestration.

“This will move a lot faster now that we have the glass,” said Kontny, adding he expects new tenants to move in by May.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Historic Lakeland Palmetto Street building to get renovations, new tenants