Type: Historic mixed-use Year Built: 1906 Commercial space: 1,700 square feet Owner: High View Investments LLC Architect: R.J. Johnson Architecture & Interiors

Details: A historic downtown Osseo storefront with a second-floor apartment is getting a makeover under an effort by its new Maple Grove-based owner.

Sharon Schmidt of High View Investments LLC is carrying out a renovation of the 107-year-old building at 200 Central Av. — downtown Osseo's "Main Street" — with an eye toward restoring the structure's original front-facing brick facade and landing tenants for the apartment and its 1,700-square-foot first-floor commercial space.

The edifice at Central and Second Street was originally the Citizens State Bank and later housed a post office, a feed supplier and a series of small businesses, the most recent being a screen printing and embroidery operation.

Schmidt, who purchased the building last year for $227,000, according to Hennepin County records, said restoring the structure, described as "decrepit" by city officials, is a labor of love for her.

"I just really like that building, and I want it to look like it should look," she said.

Her first moves were to tear down unsightly window awnings and remove dated wood siding from the facade, which will be replaced by brick designed to match the original as closely as possible, with new windows and an entry door to come.

The Osseo Economic Development Authority is considering a request by Schmidt for financial assistance under a program meant to encourage downtown businesses to upgrade building facades.

Don Jacobson is a freelance writer in St. Paul. He can be contacted at hotproperty.startribune@gmail.com.