It is hard for me as someone who has spent so many years in the commercial real estate industry to think that any community, large or small, would not change over time. Economic growth fluctuates, the needs of a society change, and Mother Nature might from time to time show us who is boss.
Something that has not significantly changed in the downtown since 1953 is the 2-story, 9,600 square foot office/retail building at 250 S. Washington Ave.
Now, a lot has changed around this building over the years since the current owner Douglas Hemple LTD purchased it in 1997. Large new structures and parking decks nearly completely surround this building. It’s hard to believe that even back in the mid-1990s, this location was not considered to be in the downtown area by most.
Currently, the building is occupied by Farmers Insurance, Elegance Salon, Rick Motta Barber, and Walsh-Long and Company, among others.
Rick Motta, who some know as one of the original founders of the Last Fling, has been a mainstay in Naperville for years. Motta is helping the Naperville Jaycees celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Last Fling as Grand Marshal of the Labor Day parade this year.
Walsh-Long is owned, in part, by one of the owners of 250 S. Washington, Marion Douglas-Hempel. Her firm, the only female-owned distribution business in the petroleum equipment industry, has been in Naperville since 1991.
Marion said she “loves the energy of Naperville and the planning that has gone into making it a destination.”
So the next time you are traveling downtown near 250 S. Washington Ave, stop, and take in the simple, yet elegant design.
Enjoy it and all that Naperville has to offer whenever possible.
