PHOTO BY MICHELLE OWNBEY
The former Heartland Credit Union branch on South Grand Avenue has a new owner who is remodeling the space in hopes of finding a tenant.
It took nearly two years to find a buyer, but now the new owner of the property at 720 South Grand Ave. West has renovations underway in hopes of securing a tenant.
Heartland Credit Union closed its South Grand Avenue branch in December 2022 and listed the property for sale. But the property, which includes a building just under 600 square feet with four drive-up lanes, lingered on the market before eventually selling in October 2024.
Acree Company LLC purchased the property for $75,000, according to Sangamon County tax records. The limited liability company is managed by Aaron Acree, who is also the owner of Michael von Behren Builder, a Springfield-based home building and remodeling company. Acree purchased Michael von Behren Builder in 2017 after a decade of working as a construction manager for the company.
Acree said he purchased the building with plans to renovate it and find a tenant to lease the space for retail or office use. A building permit has been filed with the city of Springfield to close in the drive-through lanes to create additional finished square footage and redo the sidewalks to meet ADA requirement. Steckel-Parker Architects is handling the design work, and the project is valued at $145,000.
Acree has tackled other long-vacant commercial buildings in the past. In 2020, he purchased 3 S. Old State Capitol Plaza after United Community Bank foreclosed on the previous owner. It had been leased for many years to the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, but the organization moved out in 2009 and the building fell into disrepair. Acree told SBJ at the time that a portion of the roof had collapsed and he had to correct structural issues and work with the city to address numerous code violations.
