BUILDING BLOCKS: Garver Feed Mill restoration

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Project name: Garver Feed Mill restoration

Address: 109 S. Fair Oak St., Madison

Cost: The project’s first phase, which consists of the restoration work, is expected to cost about $12 million. The second phase, which calls for the construction of 50 lodging units, will run between $12 million and $18 million.

Size: The building will have roughly 60,000 square feet of space.

Start date: December 2017

Estimated completion date: The restoration work is expected to finish in spring 2019. Following that, the lodging units are to be installed on-site and will be ready for use by the summer.

Developer: Baum Revision LLC, Chicago

General Contractor: Bachmann Construction Co., Madison

Lead Architect: SmithGroupJJR, Detroit, is leading the design team

Significance to the region: The storied landmark in Madison sat vacant for years before local officials reached out to the developer in 2013 with a request to preserve the structure. Although the restoration work officially began in early December, Bachmann Construction got a head-start last summer.

The contractor replaced and repaired several 2-foot-by-2-foot expanses of the building’s interior wall using a dozen different mortars so historic-preservation officers could select the mock-up that best matched the existing brick.

This winter, crews plan to replace the roof and add interior structures, including columns, floor joists and floor decking. In the spring, the contractor will start building artisan food-production spaces of various sizes on the first floor, as well as offices, a gallery and other retail space on the second floor. A mezzanine and catwalk will also be installed around the inside of the main atrium, which will have a cafe, restaurant and flexible “pop-up” vendor spaces that can be moved to accommodate events both large and small. Once the restoration work is finished in the spring, crews will shift their attention to the installation of 50 tiny homes, which will be operated as a hotel on the five-acre site.

Project Challenge: Delays of the project’s closing date meant that the restoration work could not start until the winter. This winter’s cold weather means crews will have to pay extra attention to certain aspects of the projects. They will have, for instance, to ensure the mortar is actually curing and not just freezing.