Condominiums coming to west edge of Bloomfield

Work is expected to begin in November on renovating an 84-year-old three-story brick building - located on the west edge of Bloomfield - into an upscale condominium unit.

The building - constructed in 1922 - once housed a thriving woolen mill business and in later years a hardware and building supply store.

The new complex will be known as "Woolery on Main" and will feature 16-19 condo units of varying sizes and floor configurations, according to new property owner Ethan D. Fernhaber, of Ames, Iowa.

Fernhaber owns and operates EDF Investments, which also owns duplexes near the swimming pool and an apartment building on West Mechanic Street in Bloomfield. He purchased the property from the Malcolm Conder Trust and the Beverly Reed Trust.

The deal was closed Tuesday.

Renovation work on the West Main Street building should be completed and ready for occupancy in mid-summer 2007.

"The building itself has character and I really think that Greene County in general and Bloomfield in specific has the potential to operate a condominium complex. You are looking at less than 20 units. I think as the population gets a little bit older, not everybody wants to keep up with yard and the maintenance of a house. We're going to have an elevator (where a parking garage will be located) all the way up to the top floor. As people get a little bit older and want a little more convenient life-style, they might opt in for a condominium like this," he explained.

Fernhaber said the building contains about 29,000 square feet of space - including the basement and he estimated that the individual condo units will average about 1,000 square feet each and will come in one, two or three bedroom floor plans.

"There is enough space in the building to make nice size basic units for everybody. I'm not going to try and pack them in there real tight," he said. "We'll probably let the building tell us what will work the best."

The interior of the building will undergo a complete remodel.

Fernhaber said the brick exterior will undergo washing and possibly tuck pointing. Around the building will be extensive landscape work done to make the property attractive and make a welcome first impression to those entering the town from the west, he said.

"The whole property will be improved. There will be parking in the basement and there will be an asphalt drive from State Road 54 all the way to a rear entrance to the basement. We're kicking around the idea of maybe a roof-top deck or maybe some patios off the back of the building.


Fernhaber, a licensed real estate agent, is very familiar with the Greene County area. He sold property in the county and lived in Bloomington for about four years while his wife attended Indiana University doing graduate work for her doctorate degree in entrepreneurship. She is now a teaching faculty member at Iowa State University in Ames.

He presently owns property in 10 Indiana counties.

The woolen mill closed down operations in the mid-1960s and was operated as Bloomfield Sales by Toad Groomer and his family for about three decades before closing about a year ago.

During its heyday as a wool mill, the building was home to a lively operation that made oval woven wool rugs and wool blankets that were distributed to United States military personnel, according to Linda Sharp, historian and president of the Greene County Historical Society.