Owner’s Representation | Historic Mixed-Use | Frederick, MD
A historic property needed more than renovation.
It needed an owner's operating plan.
Contour served as the local eyes, ears, and decision partner for an out-of-state ownership group, guiding a phased repositioning that stabilized the Patrick-Maxwell Building, supported two active commercial tenants, and helped sustain 98% average occupancy since 2013.
average occupancy since major stabilization in 2013
approximate gross building area
owner advisory and project engagement
THE ASSIGNMENT
The Fawcett family wanted to preserve a downtown Frederick landmark while creating a first-class, income-producing property that could attract strong residential and commercial tenants. Because the ownership group lived out of state, it needed more than a contractor or periodic status report. It needed a trusted local representative who could turn a broad vision into an operating plan, coordinate years of interrelated decisions, and protect the family’s long-term interest without requiring the owners to manage the building day to day.
THE COMPLICATION
There was no reliable roadmap. The building came with little dependable record information, no meaningful as-built documentation, outdated shared utilities, deferred maintenance, and a proposed work sequence that would have created avoidable rework and prolonged vacancy. Early stabilization also uncovered concealed structural fire damage, poor prior repairs, and environmental abatement needs.
The location amplified the challenge. With no off-street parking on one of downtown Frederick’s busiest corridors, deliveries, refuse, pedestrian access, occupied tenants, neighboring businesses, winter shopping, and public events all had to be coordinated while the property remained part of an active downtown block.
CONTOUR'S RESPONSE
Contour established a top-down program: make the building watertight, address structural and life-safety conditions, modernize core systems, and then advance residential, commercial, and finish work in controlled phases. The approach allowed ownership to deploy capital over time while returning usable space to the market instead of treating the property as one prolonged, all-or-nothing renovation.
Major systems were separated and modernized through submetered utilities, individual apartment HVAC and tankless water heating, in-unit laundry, fire suppression, and code-compliant egress improvements. Four apartments were reworked for contemporary living while retaining original hardwood floors and other historic character. Contour also developed three apartment finish packages, supported by cost models, samples, and renderings, so ownership could weigh investment against leasing appeal before committing capital.
The same program extended through the commercial spaces. Contour reconfigured the ground floor to support two distinct tenant operations and completed the restaurant build-out, including MEP systems, kitchen infrastructure, dining-area finishes, fire-rated assemblies, and safe ingress and egress. Today, the building is home to Maxwell’s Burgers & Shakes and Tenth Ward Distilling Company. Carrying the work from base-building strategy through occupied tenant spaces helped maintain continuity, protect the owner’s investment, and ensure the finished commercial environments functioned within the building as a whole.
Throughout the engagement, weekly schedule and event reporting and monthly cost reporting gave the family decision visibility without making it the daily project manager. Contour also represented ownership through tenant, neighbor, leasing, city, historic-review, and legal matters, consistently favoring long-term asset stability over short-term construction convenience.
THE RESULT
Major stabilization was completed in 2013. Since then, the building has remained 98% occupied on average—a durable operating result that validates the owner’s decision to invest in coordinated stabilization, modern systems, stronger residential finishes, and functional commercial environments.
Across the full 2011-2023 engagement, the Patrick-Maxwell Building was repositioned from a neglected, operationally difficult property into a modernized mixed-use asset with four renovated apartments, active commercial tenants, updated life-safety and building systems, and a restored historic presence on East Patrick Street. It also became substantially more self-contained and manageable: a property that a professional manager could operate competitively while the out-of-state owners remained informed rather than absorbed in day-to-day issues.
The visible result is a restored and occupied building. The deeper result is an owner-controlled investment program in which scope, sequence, tenant needs, stakeholder interests, and capital decisions were managed as parts of the same long-term strategy.
“Contour Construction’s ability to honor the past while building for the future was evident in every detail of this renovation. The updated apartments, commercial spaces, and restaurant fit-out make the Patrick Maxwell Building a true gem in downtown Frederick.”
WHAT THIS DEMONSTRATES
For remote owners and family offices, the greatest project risk is often not one defective detail or one change order. It is the absence of someone consistently connecting today’s decision to the property’s long-term performance. Effective owner’s representation turns a collection of consultants, tenants, permits, construction scopes, and operating decisions into a coherent investment strategy—and keeps the finished asset performing after the major work is complete.
Get In Touch
Ready to build?
Contact us today to discuss your next commercial construction project. We’re ready to bring predictability and excellence to your build.
CALL US
240-405-0123
Email Us
info@contour-gc.com
Location
7800 Biggs Ford Road, Unit B2 Frederick, MD 21701