Dave Smith has literally uncovered a piece of Renton history on Wells Avenue.

Now, with the brick facade of the Louisa building beaming, he’s looking for some new tenants for a nearly 90-year-old building that once housed City Hall.

“I am a sucker for old buildings,” said Smith.

It’s that affinity for history that could prompt Smith to buy other historic buildings in Renton’s downtown core. He also sees a bright future for downtown, somewhere down the road.

Smith is a real-estate agent for Paragon Real Estate Advisors Inc. in Seattle and the owner of several apartment buildings. He grew up on the Eastside.

He came across the Louisa building on a drive through Renton. A “for lease” sign caught his eye. Instead, he offered to buy the building from the Barei family of Renton. A deal was struck about eight months ago.

Since then, Smith has been busy reclaiming the building’s historic underpinnings, including the brick inside and out and some of the timbers inside.

Gone is the glass tile that covered the building’s exterior.

Remaining are two longtime tenants of the building, the Renton Coin Shop and A&M Stamps. He’s looking for a tenant for a roughly 2,000-square-foot retail space on the first floor.

Opening March 1 in first-floor retail space is a new bookstore, the Old Renton Book Exchange.

The building at 227 Wells Avenue S. has all-new electrical, plumbing, cable and heating systems. Smith is now to the point where he needs a tenant for the second-floor office space so that he can meet their needs for such things as walls and lighting.

He would like to lease the entire second floor to one tenant but could also break up the roughly 4,200 square feet into small spaces.

The entire building has about 12,000 square feet of retail and office space.

The building was built in 1924, with additions on either side coming later.

It served as a City Hall, including the Police Department and fire station. There’s a marker on the sidewalk in front the building, which marks a stop on the “historic” walk through downtown.

Smith didn’t find anything of historical value in the walls – “just problems,” he said.

Inside, some of the brick was covered with plaster. He’s exposed some of the brick and did some re-grouting.

He has redone a bathroom and there’s a combination break room and small kitchen.

He hired a general contractor, John Hendricks Inc. of Tacoma. He’s done some of the work, too. “I am a pretty handy kind of guy,” he said.

Smith may not be done with buying buildings downtown.

“I am very interested in other purchasing opportunities,” said Smith.

He said he loves “classic brick buildings” and urban neighborhoods. Obviously, he said, “there have been some struggles” in downtown Renton.

He sees potential for downtown, within 10 years. He would like to see more multi-family housing.

“I can’t change what happens down here by myself,” he said.

When a building is sold, “that’s the point when capital improvements are made,” he said.

Reaching Dave Smith

Dave Smith has office and retail space to lease in the historic Louisa building at 227 Wells Ave. S. He can be reached at 206-623-8880 or email.