Some downtown commuters might have recently overlooked the former Futer Bros. Jewelers store in York.

While the 158-year-old commercial landmark remains on one corner of Continental Square, the color of the building has shifted from bright white to dark red.

This weekend, workers with Maryland-based Bristol Construction Co. tore down the property's metal siding to expose archaic brick peppered with concrete blocks that obstruct many of the façade's windows.

CR Property Group, the developer of the project, has started to demolish the inside of the three-story building, including its cavernous basement.

Tom Berle, who is working with CR Property Group, said the developer has not decided how the building might be used but intends

Scott Sweitzer of Scott's Power Washing and Lawn Service in York salvages a sign from the former Futer Bros. Jewelers building in York. The signs will be restored and might be used inside the renovated building. (Daily Record/Sunday News - Paul Kuehnel)
to grow the structure to seven stories, returning the exterior property to its 1850 appearance.

"We needed to uncover the interior and the exterior to see what we had and to see what we were working with," he said. "We are working with the city to find the best use for the building."

Matt Jackson, the city's economic development director, said he believes that the best use for the renovated building would be office space. Businesses that require high visibility such as engineering, design, law, accounting and real estate firms would be well-suited for that building, he said.

Still, the building appears to need much work before any commercial tenants could call it home.

Monday, each floor of the building was littered with demolition debris -- a clean-up job that Scott Sweitzer's power-washing and lawn-service company in York plans to tackle by Friday.

Aside from the utter darkness pierced by the thin illuminated blades that emanated from flashlights, the basement appears to be a maze of storage shelves, exposed brick walls and unhinged light fixtures that hang from the ceiling.

Save for a kitchen island surrounded by a sea of demolition debris, a pool table and a toilet that rested on its side, the upper floors didn't resemble the living quarters that once filled the space.

Matt Gurczynski, owner of Bristol Construction, said the awning that surrounds most of the building will come down and, eventually, the brick will cleaned and repaired.

"Keeping the integrity of the building isn't hard," he said. "But it is costly."

THE WORK

The owners of the former Futer Bros. Jewelers store in York plan to renovate the 158-year-old building while retaining its historical appearance.

Among the planned renovations:

--- Removal of the metal siding to expose red brick

--- Growing the building to seven stories

--- Removing the outside awning that wraps around the front of the building

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York Town Square: Landmark Futer Bros. building in new hands