Renovations start this month at circa 1925 Foley Bakery building

Renovations start this month at circa 1925 Foley Bakery building

The owners of the former Foley Bakery building, closed for more than 15 years, plan to start improvements building at the corner of Alston Street and West Laurel Ave in April. The building, one of the oldest in Foley, was constructed in 1925. It has been closed since 2007.
Foley City Council voted to approve a facade grant for $19,500 to pay some of the costs of replacing and doors and other improvements to the building. The replacement of the windows and doors is estimated to cost $200,998. The total cost of the planned renovations of the building is $443,296. The work is scheduled to start April 20 and be completed by Oct. 20, according to the grant application.
The bakery operated at the site for many years. The most recent use of the building was the restaurant Cactus Cafe, which closed in 2007. After the restaurant closed, city officials said the building was too deteriorated to allow another business to re-open without renovations. The city bought the building in 2012 to preserve the structure, which is one of the oldest in Foley and a contributing structure to the Foley National Register Historic District. The city later sold the building to Katapult Properties and 4Wright Investments. “We have ordered the windows so it’s officially underway,” said Mark Wright of 4Wright Investments, one of the owners of the building. “We’ve got about six weeks before that happens.”