Maumelle City offices fill old retail space.

ASIDE FROM CHURCHES, THERE ARE PLENTY of other noncommercial organizations finding abandoned former retail spaces and calling them home. A shining example is the city of Maumelle, which has gradually acquired an entire former retail-intensive structure to house its administrative offices.

"I suppose it's a little unconventional, and any time you're in an old building not designed for your purposes, there are a lot of kinks and unexpected things that come up," said Joshua Clausen, city clerk. "It was built in 1973 or so, so you're dealing with electrical things and water leaks and things like that."

The Maumelle City Council also meets at the site, which has seen a number of businesses come and go, including grocery stores, beauty salons, real estate agents, photography studios and gift shops. The city bought one-third of the building in 1990, and bought it outright with a bond issue in 2005 for about $1 million.

The bottom floor of the building was recently totally renovated to house the city's Senior Wellness Center, which includes a gym, a dance floor, a yoga center and several other attractions for the community's seniors.

"All in all I'd say this has been a great investment," Clausen said. "And we're doing a good thing by filling space and revitalizing a structure that otherwise could very well be sitting empty and collecting dust."