Historic, older homes in need of a little extra care are the norm in Selma, particularly in the Old Town district of the Queen City. Adequate housing, especially short-term leases and apartments, are not as common, but a local company’s renovation project is showing how both problems could be solved with imagination and hard work.

The Real Estate Gallery is renovating the Compton-Fowler House, located at 601 Lauderdale St. The house, which was built in approximately 1875, is a two-story Italianate style dwelling that was turned into apartments around the mid 1950s. A fire damaged the inside of the home in the last few decades, and the building is not believed to have been inhabited since.

That won’t be the case for much longer.

Real estate brokers Mandy Henry and AC Reeves are completing a renovation on the house, which is estimated to be between 5000-6000 square footage, that will turn it back into four large apartments.

“It was in bad shape, so what we have done is come in and update the plumbing, electrical and sheetrock work,” Henry said. “We have basically done a complete renovation on it.”

The project, which started in August, is estimated for completion by Christmas. Two of the apartments are already filled with awaiting renters. Depending on the need, the plan is for the apartments to be used for short-term and long-term leases.

“If we had not renovated it, it would be something that in a couple of years that would be to a point of no return,” Henry said. “… It was in shape enough that we could repair everything.”

The Real Estate Gallery is taking advantage of a national tax credit, equal to 20 percent of the expenses on the rehabilitation. The national credit, which goes through the National Park Service, applies to properties that will be used for a business or other income-producing purposes and a “substantial” amount must be spent to restore the building.

There’s also a tax credit available through the state’s Alabama Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, which offers 25 percent for rehabilitation of a historic residential or commercial property. Reeves is encouraging more people to take advantage of both credits — particularly the one at the state level. She said most of the historic properties in Selma should qualify for both credits if the guidelines are met.

“We want to shout from the mountaintops or on top of the building is there is money to be made in Selma by investing in our historic properties,” Reeves said. “We need more and more people to get on board.”

Reeves said the need for apartments in Selma is immense, so the decision to renovate the apartments was an easy one.

“There is such a real need,” Reeves said. “There is no surplus of rentals.”

A lot of work has been put into the Compton-Fowler House, but Reeves and Henry are confident it will pay off for the local community.

The outside of the house, which was white, has been painted light French grey to freshen up the exterior. The front porch was rotten but has been rebuilt and a large tree, which soared well above the roof of the house, has been removed from the front lawn. Other than enhancing the outside of the house through historical features, the only exterior change was to meet code requirements with new railing on the porches.

On the inside, they tried to keep as much of the overall framework in the house as possible.

“I love the feeling of the building,” Henry said. “It has a good feeling and the apartments are very roomy and very homey. They don’t feel stuffy at all.”

Each of the apartments is extremely spacious.

None of the rooms had to be moved — the bathrooms and kitchens stayed where they were. Several fireplaces in the house were renovated but are not operational. Instead, they sit as appealing features that become talking pieces in a house with plenty of historical value.

One of the apartments on the first floor has original plaster molding in its den and is separated from the adjacent room by pocket doors. Many of the light fixtures were already in the house but needed touching up, although a couple of them were replaced.

Each of the apartments has a unique flare; whether it is that they simply have two bedrooms and two baths or jib doors that lead to the spacious porches. The rent for the apartments is expected to be between $850 and $950.