The renovation of the historic Jones Building in downtown Canton has begun, with selective demolition started inside the three-story commercial property, and a new roofing system and renovations, on the outside.
The building will be redeveloped in two phases: a building envelope renovation and an operational renovation, officials said.
In the first phase, Garbutt Construction Co. is repairing and replacing masonry and windows, adding a historically accurate storefront and removing interior walls and some non-original floor systems.
The Jones Mercantile building opened in 1879 as a store carrying “everything from hardware to haberdasheries, food to furniture, and children’s toys to caskets,” according to the city. An addition with a second floor was built, with a third floor added by the 1920s; and an aluminum and stucco facade, in 1973.
Cherokee County acquired the building in the late 1980s for office space. Canton took ownership in January 2017 in an asset swap with the county and hired Lord Aeck Sargent architects to plan the renovation.
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