Dick Bruhn Building has a new lease on life

SALINAS, Calif. (KION)- UPDATE ON FEB. 15, 2023 AT 5:43 PM- It has been seven years since the Dick Bruhn building burned down.

What once was a building filled with smoke is now a building with a face lift.

Taylor Farms bought the building in late 2020 and turned into 300 Main Street. The ag company turned the building into a mixed use development project which includes 19 apartments and retail space on the ground floor.

We checked in with Salinas Councilman and Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce President Steve McShane on the building. He said most of the apartments are in the process of being rented out.

McShane told KION that they are working on getting businesses to rent out the retail space.

Dick Bruhn building renovation to reportedly include 19 residential, 5 retail units

UPDATE 02/04/21 5:30 a.m. Salinas City Councilman Steve McShane expects the renovations of the Dick Bruhn building to take about 14 months from today.

In a Facebook post, he said "In twenty years I have not seen progress in Downtown Salinas like I have seen in the last three or four."

McShane says 277 trusses will arrive at the old building in downtown Salinas next week on Thursday for the roof to be built.

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) The Dick Bruhn building in Oldtown Salinas is under new ownership and expected to undergo renovations.

The building burned down in a 2016 fire, and the remains have been empty ever since.

According to Kevin Dayton, the government affairs director at Salinas City Center, the building will include 19 residential units, up to five retail units and an atrium when renovations are finished.

Dayton said only six or seven of the building's more than 70 steel beams need to be replaced due to heat damage of the fire, and only about 10% of the timber frame needs to be replaced.

Taylor Fresh Foods bought the building from the previous owners earlier this month.

A blight ordinance passed in March 2019 allowed the City of Salinas to seek receivership of the building last year after they said the previous owners did not begin repairing the damage from the fire. A court sided with the city and declared the building a safety issue.

After that, Dayton said the owners had to decide whether to fight with the city or sell the building.