Historically known as the Head Brothers Bank Block, the City View on State building dates back to 1871, and is the oldest building in downtown Jefferson. The 6,000 square foot building has seen many commercial uses. The second floor was converted to apartments in 1949. The City of Jefferson acquired the building in 2016, when it was near collapse. The City stabilized the building, replaced storefronts and windows, and begin interior build-out.
A community developer partnered with a business owner of to purchase the building. The business owner agreed to finish build-out of the remaining commercial space and the developer coordinated the subsequent rehabilitation of the second story.
City View on State in Jefferson is the culmination of years of effort to preserve a corner building of Jefferson’s historic downtown square. Over several years – and efforts of multiple organizations and individuals – this project attracted multiple businesses to Jefferson and brought new upper story housing downtown.
This $1.5 million project used federal and state historic tax credits and government loans and grants to leverage nearly $98,000 in private investment. This historic rehabilitation is an example for other rural communities to show the potential economic impact that comes from preserving our state’s rural historic buildings.
