Frank Bader House exterior nearly complete, interior space available for lease

For nearly a year, Niwot residents and regular visitors have been watching the progress of the restoration of the Frank Bader Home at 210 Franklin Street. The property is currently in the process of being redeveloped by Nassar Development, a company known for other historically focused restorations.

The latest update from the company's founder, David Nassar, confirms what many can see with their eyes-that progress on the exterior is nearly complete. "Once the exteriors are completely finished, we'll landscape the front, put it all back and make it look pretty, improve it with new irrigation, make it something nice to walk and drive by," Nassar said.

Nassar also explained that, in completing the exterior work on the building, it has been fully extended to reach the property next to it to the east, and that this was part of the approved plan. "That's how zero-setback buildings work. It connects to it, but there's no access from one building to the other. There's no doorway, no setback."

One large piece of work that has not been started is work on building out the interior spaces, which was previously expected to include a restaurant. While an eatery is still not out of the question at this time, it is also no longer the only option being considered. Instead, Nassar is open to proposals from a variety of types of businesses that might be interested in the historic location. "We don't have a user picked out. We're going to see who is interested in leasing it and we'll evaluate each application that comes in. There's already a sign out that the space is available."

Nassar said the new tenant won't necessarily be a restaurant but would be evaluated based on what the tenant might contribute to the community. He's looking for a unique, fun business that suits the personality of the building. Once that tenant is selected, work on the interior would commence so it can better suit the building's ultimate use.

Other work that will wait for a bit longer to begin is the development of the commons building, which will be located where the Colterra Restaurant was previously located. This stage of the work, which is planned to include a series of residences, will begin later in 2024 or perhaps, even in the first quarter of 2025.

In the meantime, it appears that once the landscaping and outside work is finished, things at the site might move into a quieter period, at least temporarily, until a tenant for the historic house is found.