The 1916 Neo-classical commercial block was originally occupied by the Purington Brothers Company, which provided its customers with heating coal and oil. It later served as office and retail space, with a number of restaurants running through its basement space, but it had been altered over the years and underused. Owner’s Matthew and Heather Pouliot recognized that the building anchored the southern end of Augusta’s Water Street Historic District and agreed with their peers that it needed to be brought back to life. The Pouliot’s reclaimed the interior of the residential second floor by removing drop ceilings to reveal a 20-foot octagonal monitor roof, unleashing natural light into the shared corridor. The redevelopment exemplifies the power of state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, especially considering the building is already fully leased, adding nine new residential units and three first floor commercial spaces.