Spaulding Lofts

Project Details

Historic Spaulding Buildings Now Home to Trendy New Loft Apartments

In west downtown Grinnell, Iowa, a historic former horse-drawn buggy plant has been transformed into 77 stylish apartments. The Spaulding Manufacturing Company started making carriages in 1876, and then began producing automobiles and bicycles. The building was later used for many purposes over the century. The buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 2012, part of the factory became home to the Iowa Transportation Museum, and shortly thereafter, the remaining two empty buildings were converted into one- and two-bedroom apartments, now called the Spaulding Lofts.

Replicating the historic look of the facade proved challenging. Because of crumbling brick and steel lintels that were settling, the whole building had to be re-bricked and new lintels put in. Steel columns were placed between each window for reinforcement. The construction team had to brace the steel windows while the whole façade was redone. The Winco team studied the historic look of the building and provided its 3250 Steel Replica windows to recreate the original look of the facade. The result is a beautifully bricked facade with the look of historic windows.