Tech Painting Co. will move its Richmond outpost into the former Nicholson Sprinkler Corp. building at 3100 and 3104 W. Leigh St. in Scott’s Addition. (J. Elias O’Neal)
In a time when breweries, office tenants and apartment residents are the usual new arrivals at Scott’s Addition, one Northern Virginia-based company is looking to maintain an increasingly rare industrial use with its recently purchased piece of the neighborhood.
Tech Painting Co., which is based in Alexandria, is relocating its Richmond office to the Nicholson Sprinkler Corp. building at 3100 and 3104 W. Leigh St. around June 1.
An entity tied to Tech Painting President Scott Burr and business partner Ed Lash purchased the building in late February for $1.35 million.
The nearly 10,000-square-foot property, which sits on 0.3 acres at the corner of Summit Avenue and West Leigh Street, most recently was assessed by the city for about $800,000.
The deal is Lash and Burr’s first real estate investment in Richmond, Lash said. The group purchased the site from BJS Family Limited Partnership, which is controlled by certain family members of Nicholson Sprinkler owner Anthony Shultz.
Tech Painting provides interior and exterior painting services for residential and commercial properties. The firm also provides general contracting through its tech contracting division to government and commercial clients.
From its two offices in Richmond and Alexandria, its coverage area extends as far north as greater Baltimore and as far south as the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
Plans call for Tech Painting to move out of its local office at 409 E. Main St., into about 5,000 square feet of the Scott’s Addition building, Lash said.
“It’s a draw for employees because there is so much to do in the neighborhood, and it’s a great location for Tech Painting because they can get to several major roadways from this location,” Lash said of Scott’s Addition.
Prior to moving in, Lash said the company will conduct an extensive interior renovation that includes modernized office space, and a warehousing area for its paints and other materials. The remaining 5,000 square feet is being marketed for lease.
Lash added the group also is fielding inquiries from several companies in Northern Virginia looking to move some operations into Richmond.
“We’re open to options,” Lash said. “Given what’s going on in the neighborhood, we would love to see a creative office user. The site is half-office and half-warehouse, so it gives the potential user some flexibility.”
The group is searching for a general contractor for the project, Lash said. He could not provide an estimate for how much the firm plans to invest in the site.
Shultz said Nicholson Sprinkler has relocated into 7,000 square feet at 3609 Mayland Court in Henrico County, with plans to permanently vacate the Scott’s Addition location by the end of April.
Nicholson Sprinkler has been a fixture in metro Richmond since 1923, Shultz said. Following the post-World War II building boom in the region, the company, originally based in New Jersey, established a division at the Leigh Street site in the 1950s.
“At the time, it was one of the first businesses in the neighborhood,” Shultz said.
But as the neighborhood changed – specifically the cost per square foot and an influx of new residential and commercial users – staying put in the former warehousing and distribution hub no longer is advantageous for a tenant such as Nicholson Sprinkler.
“So much has changed in the past five to six years over there,” Shultz said. “I see a lot of other businesses like ours going elsewhere.”
Another recent deal in Scott’s Addition will bring modernized industrial space to the ever-evolving neighborhood. Spy Rock Real Estate purchased the former Signs Unlimited building at 1808 MacTavish St. for $1.5 million. It plans to renovate the building to accommodate a mix of commercial and light manufacturing space for a sole user or multiple tenants.
Tech Painting Co. will move its Richmond outpost into the former Nicholson Sprinkler Corp. building at 3100 and 3104 W. Leigh St. in Scott’s Addition. (J. Elias O’Neal)
In a time when breweries, office tenants and apartment residents are the usual new arrivals at Scott’s Addition, one Northern Virginia-based company is looking to maintain an increasingly rare industrial use with its recently purchased piece of the neighborhood.
Tech Painting Co., which is based in Alexandria, is relocating its Richmond office to the Nicholson Sprinkler Corp. building at 3100 and 3104 W. Leigh St. around June 1.
An entity tied to Tech Painting President Scott Burr and business partner Ed Lash purchased the building in late February for $1.35 million.
The nearly 10,000-square-foot property, which sits on 0.3 acres at the corner of Summit Avenue and West Leigh Street, most recently was assessed by the city for about $800,000.
The deal is Lash and Burr’s first real estate investment in Richmond, Lash said. The group purchased the site from BJS Family Limited Partnership, which is controlled by certain family members of Nicholson Sprinkler owner Anthony Shultz.
Tech Painting provides interior and exterior painting services for residential and commercial properties. The firm also provides general contracting through its tech contracting division to government and commercial clients.
From its two offices in Richmond and Alexandria, its coverage area extends as far north as greater Baltimore and as far south as the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
Plans call for Tech Painting to move out of its local office at 409 E. Main St., into about 5,000 square feet of the Scott’s Addition building, Lash said.
“It’s a draw for employees because there is so much to do in the neighborhood, and it’s a great location for Tech Painting because they can get to several major roadways from this location,” Lash said of Scott’s Addition.
Prior to moving in, Lash said the company will conduct an extensive interior renovation that includes modernized office space, and a warehousing area for its paints and other materials. The remaining 5,000 square feet is being marketed for lease.
Lash added the group also is fielding inquiries from several companies in Northern Virginia looking to move some operations into Richmond.
“We’re open to options,” Lash said. “Given what’s going on in the neighborhood, we would love to see a creative office user. The site is half-office and half-warehouse, so it gives the potential user some flexibility.”
The group is searching for a general contractor for the project, Lash said. He could not provide an estimate for how much the firm plans to invest in the site.
Shultz said Nicholson Sprinkler has relocated into 7,000 square feet at 3609 Mayland Court in Henrico County, with plans to permanently vacate the Scott’s Addition location by the end of April.
Nicholson Sprinkler has been a fixture in metro Richmond since 1923, Shultz said. Following the post-World War II building boom in the region, the company, originally based in New Jersey, established a division at the Leigh Street site in the 1950s.
“At the time, it was one of the first businesses in the neighborhood,” Shultz said.
But as the neighborhood changed – specifically the cost per square foot and an influx of new residential and commercial users – staying put in the former warehousing and distribution hub no longer is advantageous for a tenant such as Nicholson Sprinkler.
“So much has changed in the past five to six years over there,” Shultz said. “I see a lot of other businesses like ours going elsewhere.”
Another recent deal in Scott’s Addition will bring modernized industrial space to the ever-evolving neighborhood. Spy Rock Real Estate purchased the former Signs Unlimited building at 1808 MacTavish St. for $1.5 million. It plans to renovate the building to accommodate a mix of commercial and light manufacturing space for a sole user or multiple tenants.