Renovation of old radio building wraps up in Belmont – Gaston Gazette

With their most recent office redevelopment project in the bag, the big question is where J.C. and Maria Vargas might turn their attention next.

Considering that theyve already overhauled a dilapidated motel, followed by reinventing a derelict radio station, the sky seems to be the limit.

Absolutely, said J.C. Vargas. We dont have anything thats closed at this point, but there are a lot of places were looking at and dreaming about.

The Vargases professional expertise includes everything from real estate to consulting, but J.C.s background knowledge of construction led them to begin dabbling in redevelopment in 2014. Their most recent success story involves the old WCGC radio building at 6021 Wilkinson Blvd. in Belmont.

After noticing that the iconic and locally well-known property was up for sale, they bought it for $305,000 in late 2018, then spent the bulk of the past year overhauling it. It now offers just shy of 5,000 rentable square feet between the two floors, with half a dozen offices and a conference room on each level.

New occupants

The first tenant, Star Leasing, moved into the second level long before the overall building renovation was complete.

They were eager to get settled in, Vargas said.

The second tenant, Elite Spine Center, is a chiropractic clinic that celebrated its grand opening on the first floor Friday. Both businesses have signed three-year leases with an option to renew.

I think theyll both be there for a while, said Vargas. (The redevelopment) turned out really nice. I think they got a bargain.

The radio building was constructed in 1978 on a roughly one-acre lot. It carried WCGCs Christian programming from the beginning and was a place where live broadcasts took place for years, often hosting local classes of schoolchildren on field trips. It also was used to broadcast local sporting events.

The station was more recently operated by WHVN, which is continuing to use a transformer in the basement to relay signals to towers elsewhere.

Before buying the property in 2008, the Vargases did a walk-through, where they saw everything from a piano still tucked into one corner of the old studio, to a vintage microphone hanging from the ceiling.

It was something else. It was like a snapshot in time, said Maria Vargas. It had shag carpet all over the walls in the recording studio.

Satisfying result

But based on the configuration of the rooms, and the appealing architecture of the exterior, it didnt take long for them to see its potential for hosting a couple of professional service businesses of some type.

Newly installed features include wall-to-wall carpet in the offices and granite countertops in the bathrooms, along with Crafstman-inspired moldings, and new paint and trim. The hallways and reception areas inside were upgraded with a ceramic wood floor that features a ceramic tile inlay.

We also removed vinyl siding on the outside, said J.C. Vargas. We put a wood-looking clad and it came out just beautiful.

Major landscaping also included bringing in fill dirt to lift up and reconfigure the parking lot. There are now about 25 spaces in the front, and another 20 in the back.

Dearness Gardens of Huntersville installed the aesthetic conifer landscape, while the architect for the exterior of the building was Tom Giblin of Charlotte.

All in all, Vargas said it proved to be a worthwhile project.

There were no major problems, he said. There were just the normal challenges you have in an older building when youre taking things apart and finding things you didnt expect.

But it was all pretty much expected. There was nothing that made me wish I didnt do it.

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.

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Renovation of old radio building wraps up in Belmont - Gaston Gazette