A former brick factory building in downtown Sellersville is being converted to a three-story property with the first floor becoming commercial space and the upper floors as apartment units.
The building, which once housed the Otto Eisenlohr Brothers Cigar Factory and was built in 1892, will be transformed into what will now be called Maple Lofts. It will have 10 luxury apartments and 3,800 square-feet of retail space on the first floor. Maple Lofts is currently under construction and will be ready by the third or fourth quarter of this year, said
Stephen Barth of Barth Consulting Group.
The transformation of the building is part of Sellersville Borough Council’s vision to rebrand downtown, he added. Maple Lofts is among several new businesses in the area, including
The Next Chapter Bookstore,
Bucks County Rare Coin and Precious Metals and
Bebe & Pops Thriving Hive.
"The restoration of Maple Lofts, a significant building in Sellersville’s downtown, is exciting
news on any day,” said Barth in a press release. "Repurposing this old brick factory building into an upscale, mixed-use complex ... is remarkable.”
Sellersville Borough Council President Lois Dobson said in a press release that the "conversion of the old factory building next to the Sellersville Theater is emblematic of how people are reimagining Sellersville’s historic architecture.”
The Sellersville Theater has 300 annual performances that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the downtown area. The first floor Maple Lofts may include an eatery, brewery or tasting room, which will complement the theater.
The factory was once the second largest independent cigar manufacturer in the country, according to a press release. Some of the previous occupants include the Poultry Item newspaper, the Dudley Baseball factory, and most recently
Raymond C. Rumpf and Son, a well-known national fly fishing supply company, which moved to Lansdale.
Developers also partnered with Village Centre Properties, Penn Builders, and Artefact Architects, to preserve the building, so it will maintain the original historic Cigar Factory appearance, Barth added. Barth Consulting is also contracted by Lansdale Borough for its revitalization efforts.
