CARTERVILLE, IL (WSIL) � Developer Jennifer Spence has a passion to help improve her hometown. So, she took on her biggest project three years ago when she purchased the property at 131 South Division Street in Carterville.
“It [the building] was in disrepair, and it was an eye soar in town, and I knew it needed to be saved,� said Spence.
Her goal is to turn an eyesore into a property Carterville and ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Illinois can embrace.
“I have a love for historic preservation,� said Spence. “I have a passion for this. You'll find me down here on nights and weekends often.�
Spence is from Carterville but up until about 10 years ago she spent 20 years living in Nashville, TN.
“I would come home and just be sad,� she recalls.
After renovating two other properties in the Carterville downtown area, Spence decided her next challenge would be the 4600-square feet building in downtown Carterville.
“It was originally Montgomery’s place,� Spence noted. “It’s painted on the side of the building, and that was a tavern back in the day with a monkey with a pump organ and a tin cup that would go up to the city well to drive up business.�
Her drive and passion are on display throughout the building as Spence is responsible for much of the remodeling as possible.
“There’s something satisfying about tearing down a wall and seeing a sight that nobody else can see and making it beautiful,� she says.
To the best of her knowledge, Spence says the building was built in the early 1900s and featured several businesses throughout the years.
“It’s a massive building in a lot of ways but there are three distinct areas. There’s a lot of build-outs geared toward a food and beverage tenant, particularly coffee if that works out.�
Spence also admits she wasn’t fully aware of the investment it would be, but as she looks at what's been accomplished these last three years, she has no regrets.
“When you’re doing something like this, it’s like eating an elephant, one bite at a time,� Spence said. “You just navigate through that and focus on the wins.�
But Spence knows her work is paying off to make Carterville a better place to live and more appealing to visitors.
I look back now at the before pictures and think, ‘Wow, look what we did,’� said Spence. “That’s satisfying, and I think the community appreciates it.�
