Jamie Irwin tours a one-bedroom model apartment at the Hoffman Hotel Apartments on Wednesday in downtown South Bend. Residents started moving into the renovated artist lofts in mid-march, but Wednesday marked the building's official opening. Tribune photo/BECKY MALEWITZ
SOUTH BEND — Downtown is expected to gain hundreds of new residents in the next year as old hotels and office buildings are renovated and converted into apartments.
The Hoffman Hotel Apartments, a project devoted to creating affordable living spaces for artists, is the first to open in that wave. Renters began moving into the circa-1930 building last month.
Alex Allen is in that group. She made the Hoffman her home on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old works at a hardware store to pay the bills, but painting is her passion. She paints oil portraits as well as murals. One of her outdoor murals — an abstract portrayal of piano keys that measures 8 feet by 8 feet — can be seen on a building near the Arts on Main gallery in Elkhart.
Allen is excited about being part of the Hoffman's artist community. Her oil paintings are already on display in the building's first-floor gallery.
"This is an opportunity to meet people and spread some love and show my work," she said.
Equal Development, based in Carmel, Ind., led the Hoffman's transformation.
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