The H.M. Builiding

“Everything for the Farm and Home.” Such was the tagline of H.M. Gleason & Co., an iconic Charlottesville, VA-based company founded by H.M. Gleason & his father J.J. Gleason in 1871. From its founding, the Gleasons’ family business strove to provide “QUALITY and VALUE… always!” and this proved to be exactly what Charlottesville residents wanted.

Due to the success of their original 401 East Main Street store, H.M. Gleason & Co. expanded their operations with the construction of the HM Building in 1919.

Originally constructed as the company’s “feed and seed” warehouse, the HM Building housed everything from fertilizer to kitchen cabinets to power mowers over the years. H.M. Gleason continued to serve the Charlottesville community into the early 2000s when a portion of the retail space was subdivided for other retail shops. This spelled the eventual end of Gleason’s which ceased operations in 2004.

In 2005, Octagon Partners acquired and rehabilitated this 90-year old facility, which is located just a block from the heart of Charlottesville’s vibrant Downtown Mall. The H.M. Building retains most of the original building’s character with exposed beams, hardwood floors, and brick walls.

Octagon Partners manages the property and has fully leased 12,000 square feet on the first floor to high-end retail tenants and 12,000 square feet of Class-A office space on the second floor to Investure, a Charlottesville-based hedge fund.

Project Timeline:

• Land and building acquisition in October 2005
• Design and pre-construction phase from September 2005 to November 2005
• Demolition, building-core renovation, and tenant upfit from December 2005 to December 2006
• Building completed and fully leased by January 2007