TheBurg

46 | theburgnews.com | 11.19 A brick archway leads to three rear 1900s-era warehouses full of memories and treasures. e name on a green sign outside fits perfectly: Building Character. Its interior is a cool, open refuge, oozing character and interest. Visualize cement floors, exposed beam ceilings, steel piping and brick walls. Breathe in cinnamon and spice and a scent I fondly refer to as "grandma's attic." Building Character opened on Oct. 5, 2007. Once garages designed by Cassius Emlen Urban—a prolific architect who designed many beautiful old buildings in downtown Lancaster— the building remains in most of its original state. ough it's believed Urban produced over 273 drafts and 25 architectural styles, he devised a simple, red-brick row of one-story garages in the 300-block of N. Queen Street. Some residents might remember it as a historic warehouse, the former Lancaster Storage Co. e current business owner, Marty Hulse, explained that when Lancaster Storage left, the then-owner wanted to raze it and put in parking. Fortunately for all you antique lovers, art admirers and Etsy shoppers, Lancaster City Historical Commission stepped in and voted to keep the structure. Eklund Development took over, transforming the building into its current retail space while keeping much of the original integrity. Hulse intended Building Character as an architectural salvage shop. He rescued moldings and windows and cabinets from old homes and buildings then refurbished them for sale. "A lot of things were coming down in Lancaster," said Hulse. "To me, it was a social mission to keep those things out of landfills." got bored Hulse is a collector of things he remembers and loves and is a self-dubbed "word nerd." As a kid, he started a neighborhood newspaper named the Lafayette Gazette, "because I lived on Lafayette Street." Headlines were set on his Fisher-Price Press, which he still owns. "I collected magazine ads from Swatch," he said. "I have a Swatch watch collection and still wear one every day." After graduating from Temple University, Hulse got a job reporting for the Delaware State News. Returning to PA, he became features copy editor for the York Daily Record. He eventually moved up to features senior editor for Lancaster Newspapers. In 2009, he shifted full-time to Building Character. An artist browsed the salvage store one day and approached Hulse, asking if he'd be willing to rent out space. "e architectural pieces weren't selling, and demand grew for consignment," he said. Currently, 70-plus vendors rent three warehouses throughout 10,000 square feet. "It's a co-op, but it's not all antiques," Hulse said. "at comes from my lack of attention browsing other antique shops—I got bored." chaRacteR counts You never know what you'll find at this quirky Lancaster co-op. bY cAthY JordAn

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