WHITEWATER, Wis.—A local developer said it plans to restore one of historic buildings in downtown Whitewater, while also bringing more housing to the area.

For many, the White Elephant is just another empty building in downtown Whitewater. However, Greg Aprahamian said he saw it as an opportunity

“The big reason I wanted to purchase the building, it was one of the larger buildings in the downtown area. It was built in 1880. It has a lot of potential with the size of it,” said Aprahamian.

The White Elephant was also called the Bower’s Hotel until the 1970s.

Aprahamian said his vision includes a commercial space on the ground floor and about a dozen apartments on the upper floors.

“The ceilings are really tall. The windows are really large. It has that old atmosphere of living and it’s going to be more than just student housing. We are also hoping to get young professionals living in the downtown area by providing them a nice place to live,” said Aprahamian.

Kellie Carper is the executive director of the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce. Carper said she is excited  the building will be restored because she said she believes it will help the city thrive economically.

“When we get someone that's willing to invest in our downtown district and to restore an historical property to its former glory, it’s an exciting thing for us. It creates an energy in our downtown that we hope will bring additional investment and additional development,” said Carper.

Aprahamian explained the next step is to get the design process completed; then, construction is expected to take about a year.

“We are looking for commercial space tenants. There won’t be any difficulty finding the residential because there is a shortage of residential around here but it would be nice to get some commercial space that will bring other businesses and help the businesses in the downtown area,” said Aprahamian.

He said he hopes this project plays a role in making the community a destination point.