In 2021, Bosshardt Realty’s owner, Aaron Bosshardt, located and purchased 20 South Main Street, an iconic two-story building that had been the only space to survive a terrible fire that ravaged Downtown Gainesville in the early 20th century. Over the years, the corner building had been home to many Gainesville businesses, but it had been neglected for some time and was in derelict physical shape. The Bosshardt Executive Team understood that bringing the building back to life would be a huge job, but they also knew it had the potential to become a unique gathering place for agents, customers, and the community. 

Renovating 20 South Main wasn’t just about installing new electrical and new flooring; it was an opportunity to rethink what a real estate office could be. As an independent brokerage, Bosshardt has the flexibility to design multi-purpose spaces to fit the communities we serve. We enlisted the help of local contractor and began work on the first-floor space, which will eventually be leased to a coffee shop and bakery, and the second-floor, which would serve as Bosshardt Realty’s office.

For design, our team sought the sweet spot between a fresh, modern office and maintaining as much of the building’s historical elements and materials as possible. Clean, bright white walls create a bold contrast against the original ornately carved wood trim, which was painted glossy black. The chosen furniture and aesthetic layers chic modern office design with curated vintage pieces. We developed collages of historic Gainesville pictures and added tasteful branding throughout to reinforce a positive office culture and a sense of community. Diverse work areas and a lounge resembling a residential living room bring a comfortable feel to the office and provide ergonomic seating choices. The entire office has been designed to maximize workspace use to support all types of community events. The office also maintains private space and conference rooms for focused or confidential work.

The most important element of this office in concept and in practice was to drive engagement with the Gainesville community. One of our first tasks after opening our doors was to engage a local street art curator to help us create a mural on an exterior wall with high visibility. The theme of the wall was “community” and well-known street artist Jeks designed and painted an amazing and inspirational mural of the late, great Bo Diddley.