Andrew and Katherine Sartorius were wide-eyed upon entering the old Exchange Bank on downtown High Street Sunday, as part of the annual "Hidden Spaces, Secret Places" tour.
The gutted 2,000-square-foot space is rough, but they could tell that it could be restored into something nice.
"We really like the loft area up there, and being able to overlook the lower area," Katherine said.
"It has a lot of potential," Andrew added.
The couple recently moved to Jefferson City and chose to live downtown. They said they like that downtown property owners are renovating many of the spaces for loft apartments and other uses.
Jay Seaver, who owns the building with his wife, Debbie, said the space is for lease, and he envisions it being either office space or a retail establishment. He's been in talks with a couple of interested parties.
The Seavers remodeled the upstairs into a modern loft apartment, where they live.
The building started as the original Exchange Bank in the 1860s, with two stately concrete columns on each side of the business. The corner area where one of the bank's two vaults were located is sectioned off, and still can be seen.
In the 1930s or '40s, it turned into a retail dress shop, then became commercial offices in the '60s.
That was one of 11 locations on the tour, which was expected to draw several hundred people. The tour isn't intended to be a moneymaker - the $5 fee goes toward expenses, mostly the trolley that shuttled people between locations.
Randy Allen, chairman of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce, staffed the old Shryack-Hirst Grocery Co. at 520 E. State St.
The long, open building features dusty wood floors, concrete walls with windows that are mostly boarded up. The basement still serves as storage for everything from old appliances to cars. The basement and main level have ceilings that appear to be at least 20 feet high.
The history of the building is sketchy - an 1890 map doesn't show it, but a 1910 map does. The structure, near the old Missouri State Penitentiary, is believed to have started when the prison industries were forced to leave the inside of the prison.
It started as a multiple-floor broom factory, operated by inmates. The stories were damaged, perhaps by fire, and left as one level, plus a basement.
Until about five years ago, it operated as Shryack-Hirst, a wholesaler that sold tobacco, as well as paper plates, cups and other goods.
The building is owned by Steve Rollins, who also owns Coleman Appliance.
The Chamber and Downtown Business Association sponsor the event, which has drawn a good crowd since it started in 2008. The Historic City of Jefferson is also involved with the event, and its members volunteered at some of the locations.
"At that time, there was a lot of space, particularly in downtown, that had upper stories that were just storage areas. So it was just trying to encourage reuse," Allen said.
He said the goal it to show some spaces that are finished and some that are diamonds in the rough.