Crossroads Developer Nate Accardo Tackles New Project

By Kevin Collison

Nate Accardo, one of the Crossroads’ pioneer developers, is renovating a 90 year-old building at 108 W. 19th St. and plans to market it for office tenants, hopefully creative individuals and firms.

The former owner of Custom Color, a photography processing and production company, began renovating properties in the Crossroads area in the 1960s. He was an early proponent of rebranding the area as the Crossroads Arts District.

Major projects included the 1819 Baltimore condo development, the renovation of the building housing Sullivan Higdon & Sink at 2000 Central and eventually, the renovation of his Custom Color building at 300 W. 19th Terr. into a mental health facility for Truman Medical Center.

Now, he’s purchased a two-story building at 108 W. 19th St. and plans to add a 3,500 square-foot penthouse, bringing the space to about 21,000 square feet. The estimated cost of the project is $2.5 million.

The building at 108 W. 19th St. was completed in 1927. (Image from Newmark Grubb Zimmer)

The 1927 building was used early on by commercial photographers and was built with concrete pillars and floors.

“I’m taking it dow to the core, cleaning it up and adding new windows, HVAC, electrical and other improvements,” Accardo said.

The penthouse floor will include a 750 square-foot patio that he said will have great views of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Work already is underway and completion is expected next spring. Accardo said parking for the building will be at space he controls at 19th and Central streets.

John Hoefer of Newmark Grubb Zimmer is the broker representing the project.

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