TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
Thompson and local contractor Jason Eppinette. “We had looked at a few new buildings, but this just has so much character, and we wanted to bring that out,” Josh said. “Jason Eppinette did a great job of doing that for us.” The layout of the bottom floor stayed the same, primarily receiving new finishes such as paint and flooring. The exterior underwent a complete facelift, and the upstairs, which had previously been used as storage, was also transformed. Outside, the 1990s facade was removed, exposing the original brick exterior and three large second-story windows. They added a stucco coating to the walls leading to the front entrance, stained beadboard to the ceiling, and sleek lighting for emphasis. The exterior brick was painted a dark gray to differentiate the building from its neighbors while hiding damage left from the faux facade and highlighting the historical elements of the structure. Another element indicative of many of the original downtown buildings, they also worked their business name into the stained concrete just outside the entrance. Upstairs, construction started with removing every non-load-bearing interior wall. It is clear that importance was placed on maintaining the historical integrity of every element of the space. For starters, they chose to expose the old brick and embrace each one’s uniqueness. They were also able to restore the original hardwood floors without having to outsource any new planks by strategically pulling wood from areas where the hardwoods would be covered with cabinetry or where another type of flooring was needed for the purpose of that particular space and using those boards to replace damaged pieces. Eppinette was able to cleverly conceal unsightly mechanical pieces with period-looking cabinetry and molding details. The floor plan design allowed for a hallway leading to a large, new conference room with offices along one side and a library, complete with a library ladder, down the other side. They have since filled the bookcases with law books, some of which date over 300 years. “This is the set that I inherited,” Eric explained. “This book is from 1842, and you can see the reporter was Albert Pike. In another book, we found a note from 1898.” Even though information is gathered
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LIFE & STYLE
LIFE & STYLE
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