Apartments in old Palm Beach factory officially open

Published 5:32 pm Saturday, October 8, 2016

Pumpkins and mums donned the steps at the entrance of the Goodall Apartments at 470 Stanford Ave. Friday to mark the grand opening of the building.

The 32-unit apartment building has been a long time coming. The structure was originally built in 1937 and was once home to the Palm Beach Suit Factory No. 4. It is now home to residential tenants, who began moving into the building in September. There are 10-12 residents living there now.

There are two handicapped-accessible apartments and one deaf-friendly apartment. The facility is touted as an affordable housing option for middle- and low-income families, with 28 two-bedroom options at $530 a month and four three-bedroom options at $600.

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“We are so proud to be part of the answer,” said Wayne Koehler, president of the National Housing Associates.

Visitors were invited to explore the apartments on Friday. Carolyn Hawkins, who worked in the factory from 1963 until its closure in 1985, was among those who took the tour.

“I’m so glad they’ve done something with it,” Hawkins said. “It’s beautiful.”

Other visitors included Deitrick Perrin and his daughter Anajah of Danville.

“We were just curious,” Perrin said. He had been inside the building before the apartments were put into place and said he was surprised at the work that had been done.

“It’s a big difference,” Perrin said.

The building will be managed by Winterwood Management, and Danville resident Cindy Young will be the building manager. She was recognized for her efforts during Friday’s event.

The Goodall Building is the only one of its kind below the Ohio River, said Jody Lassiter, CEO of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership, and it has been placed on the National Historic Trust.

“To give it new life by providing new homes to families and providing affordable homes to those families is exactly the kind of values that Danville and Boyle County cherishes,” he said.

Follow Kendra Peek on Twitter, @knpeek.