Local developer changing the face of downtown Jackson

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

By Jake Nichols

“If you take a risk, people are bound to judge it,” says Greg Prugh Jr., the Jackson Hole real estate developer best known for his controversial project, 810 West. “People hated the Guggenheim. People still think Pollock is garbage. But no one can debate the success. I am not so worried about what others say, as they cannot deny the success of the space, the community, the setting, and privacy great design offers.”

The challenging townhouse development at 810 West was Prugh’s first collaboration with hotshot architect Stephen Dynia, who defected from a major NYC firm to begin his own in Jackson Hole in 1993. From the inside looking out, units at 810 are sleek and modern, with bamboo floors, concrete countertops, and a wall of windows offering high-def views of the mountainside.

“When we wake up in the morning, we look at the mountains and sky through glass windows 11 feet up,” says Prugh, who lives in one of the townhomes. “On the roofdeck, we live with the birds at the tops of the trees and not at the traffic below.”
From the outside squinting at the corrugated steel glare, well, 810 West has been called a “tin can” and an “eyesore” – in polite company.

Prugh purchased the 6-acre property from the Town of Jackson in the spring of 2004 with the understanding he would build 22 deed-restricted and 14 market-unit dwellings. The attainable housing units were snatched up immediately, and the 14 market spaces are all currently sold and occupied. The list price for a three-bedroom, three-bath, 2,800-square-foot unit is $995,000. There are units in 810 West that will sell for as much as $1.3 million soon, Prugh adds.

The design and materials used at 810 West are fast becoming the cornerstone to every downtown Prugh project. The Jackson native abhors faux-finishing for the sake of form over function. Rather than paste logs or stone onto the skeletal structure of his buildings, Prugh prefers a more pragmatic approach: “We want to build something very different with low maintenance materials which would last for a long time. We want people to have elevated living spaces with private decks, garages and storage.”

Though 810 West has become the whipping boy of know-it-all builders and armchair architects, Prugh is happier with any reaction – even negative – than with being ignored.
“For years, we have heard people say that they would love to live in town if there were better spaces to live in,” Prugh says. “I want to see smaller, better designed spaces. We redefined space at 810 West with roofdecks and floor-to-ceiling glass. Now we want to take that idea and look at other parts of town.”

Now, Prugh is continuing to make a name for himself with similar urban cubes that reflect the lives of their occupants: mod quads shunning chinking and cedar shake for steel, concrete and glass.

“I don’t want to ‘citify’ Jackson,” he says, “but honestly respond to the population of people who want great design and don’t necessarily subscribe to the idea that ‘western’ needs to be a cabin or a building clad in log siding.”

The real estate developer has several projects in the works including the Margaret Jaster Addition in East Jackson – single family homes with views of the Tetons and Snow King. Prugh is also redeveloping a 3.5-acre property on Hall Street and revamping the trailer park on the corner of Kelly and Millward.

But the Stagecoach Motel redevelopment may be his most ambitious undertaking to date. The $3.5 million condominium project will be designed by Dynia and will feature 20 one-bedroom units designed to be multi-use, live-and-work studio-type dwellings, with five 600-square-foot commercial spaces all under one roof. It is pending Final Development Plan approval from the city council.

“I think the town council has been very proactive,” Prugh says. “They really must look at the valley 30 years from now and understand how the town will continue to grow. We, as a community, have decisions to make. Less density means higher prices, less people living here, a greater gap between affordable and market, and fewer lights on for most of the year. More density requires new ideas, less space, better design, more public transit.

“Town is heart,” he continues, repeating the oft-quoted rallying cry of the downtown redevelopment movement. “Whether we like it or not, people will continue to come to town to go to the [Snake River] Grill. They will hit the latest art opening, they’ll shop, they’ll buy groceries, they’ll sit on the saddles, and they’ll go to a movie.”

Prugh doesn’t feel he is a leader in “push marketing” these hipper downtown dwellings on tenants. Rather, he is sensing the pull of consumers who want practical homes within biking distance of work, shopping and entertainment.

Real estate is exciting because there is always opportunity to improve,” he says. “I will get involved with any project in which I can add value.”
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Local developer changing the face of downtown Jackson | Planet JH News Article: Development

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