The Grove Building

The iconic Grove Building anchors the revitalized historic district in downtown Loudon, Tennessee. Originally built in 1922 to house the Loudon post office, the Italianate-style building once featured a boutique hotel on the upper floors. But over the years, the hotel was turned into cheap apartments and the place began to decay. By the late 1990s, it was entirely vacant.

“The Grove is the most prominent building in Loudon aside from the courthouse,” says Rick Dover, general manager of Dover Signature Properties. “So having it sit there empty with the windows broken out was a drag on the whole community.”

Dover acquired the 14,000-square-foot property in 2006 and began restoration work immediately. “We gutted it back to the structure and rebuilt it,” Dover says. “We added new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work, created three lofts on the second floor, and preserved the original exterior with a new mansard roof.”

In addition to the residential lofts upstairs, the Grove Building now houses commercial space on the ground floor, which is filled to capacity with a barber shop, a law office, a consignment store, and a wine shop.