A development group wants to turn part of a former Greensburg landmark into apartments for college students.
Chiropractors Shannon Smith and Brian Smith, who are brothers, their wives and others plan on putting up to 17 apartments in the former Royer's on South Main Street.
“We're looking at developing the upper floors for student housing,” Shannon Smith said. “We want to ... help the city grow. I think it'll be a pinnacle for the city.”
Marcams Management LLC, the property management group involving the Smiths, has several different options it is considering for the apartments and is finalizing plans, Smith said.
Two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments probably will be created to house up to 50 students, Smith said.
Earlier this month, Greensburg's Historic and Architectural Review Board approved the addition of more than 20 windows to the section of the building facing Main Street.
Royer's opened as a family shoe store in 1914, then expanded and moved to South Main Street in 1923 after Arthur Smith took over management from founder Frank Royer, according to “A Bicentennial History of the City of Greensburg” by the late Robert Van Atta of Greensburg. Over the years, the store added clothing to its merchandise.
In 1964, the store announced plans for a store at the defunct Greengate Mall in Hempfield, where Royer's was one of the first stores opened there in 1965, according to the history book.
“The downtown store was closed in 1979 when the company was purchased by Lang's Fashions of Washington, Pa.,” it adds.
The four-story structure spans nearly 34,500 square feet on a .20-acre parcel.
Marcams purchased the building for $525,000 in 2005 and made various renovations, according to a ruling issued in a 2011 tax appeal case.
The property has an assessed value of $163,200, according to Westmoreland County tax records.
Smith said he has been working with the city in an attempt to set aside parking spots for tenants, possibly using city garages.
Smith, whose practice is in Penn Hills, lives in Hempfield and owns other properties in Greensburg.
The building's design makes development into apartments ideal, he said.
“It's an open floor plan ... and tends to lend itself for easy construction,” Smith said.
Project architect Joel Cluskey, with RSH Architects in Scott, could not be reached for comment.
No immediate changes are planned for the first floor, where businesses already are in operation, Smith said.
Plans are to start construction on the apartments early this summer, he said.
“It's a very amazing place that we think will be good for the city,” Smith said.
Barbara Ciampini, Greensburg city planner, applauded the student housing construction.
For more than a decade, city officials have been pushing for more development of student lodging in the downtown area.
“The city is very excited to have the students in our downtown to bring back life after 5 p.m., to bring back a young population to our demographic,” Ciampini said.
Smith said several people have shared their memories of Royer's upon discovering he is an owner of the building.
“I always hear about Christmas times and shopping sprees and family outings at the store, so it's a lot of nostalgia,” he said.
Bob Stiles is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-6622 or bstiles@tribweb.com.
