What's Going On At the S & W?

Opening Asheville’s food hall has definitely not been an easy process. Trying to do so in a one-of-a-kind historic, art deco treasure has not made it any easier. Throw a global pandemic in the mix, and you’ve got yourself a party 🙂 All along, it has felt like such important work to be able to bring this building back to life.

In January, we will be ready to announce our full line-up of food vendors, and to say we are excited is an understatement. These five operators alongside Highland Brewing are truly going to make this a must-stop location in downtown Asheville. From painting the ceiling gold the way it was originally to taking out the horrible black metal-framed walls and windows that had been installed sometime in the ’90s, we have been lovingly restoring and working really hard to make this a comfortable and beautiful space for the masses.

Today, the sidewalk expansion started, after years of working on permitting with the city to make this happen. When finished, we will have seating for 36 in the front, allowing visitors to enjoy the fresh air while they sip their beer and enjoy fresh, local food in this vibrant spot.

Much more to come in January! Stay tuned…and meanwhile, have a very happy new year.

Read More

F
T
M

Proud to Announce the Historic S & W Building to Open as a Food and Beverage Hall

Asheville’s iconic S&W Building will become a food hall focused on the best of local food and beer when it opens as The S&W Market. Ellington Realty Group project is revitalizing the building, located at 56 Patton Avenue, which will become home to a roster of top local restaurants curated by culinary consultant Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani Restaurant Group.

The S&W Market will also welcome Highland Brewing Company back to downtown, where their story began 25 years ago. Asheville’s original craft brewery will anchor the two-story space and feature a first-floor bar area and a mezzanine-level bar, tasting room and event space. Highland’s founder, Oscar Wong, said, “Highland was part of the rebirth of downtown Asheville back in the 90s along with many others – to return downtown and be part of the rebirth of this iconic building is nothing short of amazing.”

Upon entering the building, guests will be greeted with a sampling of flavorful dining options from four Asheville-based food stalls hand-selected for their crave-worthy offerings and ties to the city along with Highland Brewing’s main level bar.

On the mezzanine, an expanded lineup of Highland’s small-batch, sour, and barrel-aged beer offerings will be featured. The space will have seating for guests to enjoy a pint with their food and a view of the activity below or the city outside.

“I’ve never had an interest in opening a second taproom,” said Highland’s second-generation Family-Owner and President, Leah Wong Ashburn. “But this confluence was powerful. We are engaged in revitalizing a piece of Asheville’s history and working with an incredibly talented group of Asheville entrepreneurs who all believe in authenticity, family, and having fun with this project.”

The feeling is mutual. The S&W was purchased in 2017 by brothers Douglas and Kenneth Ellington, who are the great-nephews of the building’s noted architect Douglas Ellington.

“There is a great deal of meaning for us in this particular project,” says Douglas Ellington. “We’re honored to work alongside Meherwan and the wonderful team at Highland Brewing to create a welcoming space that will enhance our downtown community and revitalize a beautiful historic building that has provided fond memories for many in Asheville.”

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the revived S&W will serve as an homage to the property’s storied past, while also honoring its place within the Asheville community’s future. The S&W Building is a celebrated staple among the city’s buzzing downtown for its’ striking Art Deco style and intricate architectural details.

Much of the time-honored space will remain unchanged, including its familiar facade of wide arched windows and terra cotta panels, accented with richly colored green and blue tiles. A revamped interior will seek to evoke the same
energy of the bustling dining destination that many enjoyed growing up in Asheville and ample sidewalk seating will adorn the building’s front.

“With the culinary mecca that Asheville has become, we feel that a food hall focused on the best of local food and beer in the center of downtown will be a huge hit with both locals and out-of-town visitors,” says Burns Aldridge, managing broker of Ellington Realty Group. “Food halls have become incredibly popular in the past few years as the consumer demand for authentic healthier yet casual food options has grown. The S&W Market will offer counter service with delicious local food, just as the building was originally intended.”

Diana Bellgowan, Architect is leading the project with J & N Construction as contractor. Restaurateurs signed onto the project will be announced at a later date. For more information, call Ellington Realty Group at 828-575-1500.

Read More

F
T
M

Ponce City Market a Literal and Visual Feast

Ellington Realty Group had the opportunity to visit Ponce City Market in Atlanta yesterday, and how glad we are that we did. This project, in a former old massive Sears & Roebuck building, is a treat to discover. The first floor houses an incredible food hall, with a mix of restaurants and styles. Of course we ate at Chai Pani Group’s Botiwalla which did not disappoint. The upper floors are retail, with a very thoughtful mix in place of tenants, and residences. This place has a great feel to it and is worth the trip.

Read More

F
T
M

The stories behind commercial real estate

On the surface, it may seem that commercial real estate is just about the numbers: how much money a person can make off an investment over a long period of time. And that is part of the story. But commercial real estate, especially in a place like Asheville, is as rich and diverse as it’s people.  It’s the small restaurant that was started by someone with no formal cooking experience and big dreams who now has a line out the door every day. It’s the art gallery that brought an old dilapidated building on an empty corner back from ruin and filled with buyers. It’s the former run-down old skating rink that’s now a popular barbecue restaurant written up all around the world. And it’s the former auto shop that two women with a food truck knew would make an amazing spot for a beer garden.

Every time we work with someone, we get to know and be a part of their story and that is, by far, the best part of this business. There is money to make, and return on investments to worry about, and interest rates and CAM fees. But it’s so much more than that. It’s about being a part of a community, one building, and one story at a time. What’s your story? We would be honored to be a part of it.

Read More

F
T
M

A Peek Into Asheville History

Fabulous time Saturday at the Preservation Society gala, with a trip beginning in the 1870s at Fernihurst Mansion atop Vernon Hill. We then continued on to the 1920s, when we visited the Mediterranean mansion Chiles House in Kenilworth. We ended with founding father-inspired New Gunston Hall in Biltmore Forest. All just exemplary places that we felt lucky to get to see.

The fantastic live music and cocktails by The Times at S&W were icing on the cake. Asheville has such a rich and interesting history, and we are proud to be a part of helping to preserve that.

Read More

F
T
M

Chai Pani Owners Expanding Their Indian Street Food Empire

One of the very best parts of our job is working with the innovative, driven and deeply interesting clients that we work with. One of the  best examples of those is long-time Ellington Realty Group clients Meherwan and Molly Irani of the famed Asheville restaurant Chai Pani.

Eater Atlanta published last week:

Chai Pani and Botiwalla chef-owner Meherwan Irani is expanding his Indian street food mini empire. Irani has confirmed he is opening three more metro Atlanta Botiwalla locations in the next year, and as many as eight to ten more locations over the next five years throughout the southeast. Irani’s future plans could include as many as 50 Botiwallas.

Read More:

https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/4/19/17256006/botiwalla-chai-pani-meherwan-irani-expansion?mc_cid=f8587aeb39&mc_eid=%5bUNIQID

Read More

F
T
M

The National Register of Historic Places on Douglas Ellington's Asheville Landmarks

The Asheville City Building is a colorful, massive and eclectic Art Deco masterpiece. Douglas D. Ellington, an architect who came to Asheville in the mid-1920s, designed the eight-story building, which was completed in 1928.

Originally proposed as part of a joint City-County Plaza development, the City Hall represents the progressive aspirations of the city in the 1920s.

For more, go to:   https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/asheville/cit.htm

 

 

Read More

F
T
M

What's Coming to the S & W?

S&W Artisanal, an eatery, bar and ‘authentic Greek market’ is set to open in the S&W Cafeteria building at 56 Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville, in early December.
Douglas and Kenneth Ellington, the great-nephews of architect Douglas Ellington who designed the S & W, and partners in Ellington Realty Group, are  also partners in the S & W Artisinal.
“We’re thrilled to bring a local business into such an important piece of Asheville’s architectural history,” said Douglas Ellington in the release. “S&W Artisanal will be an eatery and market open during the day, at night and on weekends. It will breathe life into a treasured Asheville building.”
Read More

F
T
M

The Preservation Society 2nd Annual Gala

Ellington Realty Group was proud to be one of the lead sponsors of the 2nd Annual Gala of the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County on Saturday night. What an incredible night, filled with beautiful architecture, lively music, good food and drink, and great people. The evening started at the YMI Cultural Center in downtown Asheville, and then guests traveled by trolley to the Sondley House in Haw Creek (pictured here) and historic Zealandia Castle. The evening ended with champagne and dessert atop the Biltmore building downtown. Funds raised support the mission of this important foundation: Through preserving and promoting the unique historic resources of our region, we work to sustain the heritage and the sense of place that is Asheville and Buncombe County. To learn more about the Preservation Society, go to psabc.org.

Read More

F
T
M