A Developer's Perspective on Historic Restoration for Mixed-Used Development

Developer Nick Kujawa shares his experience with mix-use development, and provides commentary on a new Community Builders report, "RESTORE: Commercial and Mixed-Use Development Trends in the Rocky Mountain West."

2 minute read

July 26, 2014, 11:00 AM PDT

By AlisonBerry


Downtown Guthrie

farmalldanzil / Flickr

In the June Community Builders webinar, we were fortunate to be joined by Nick Kujawa, president of Kujawa Development, LLC. One of Kujawa’s projects, the Sears Building in historic uptown Butte, Montana was a featured case study in the recent report, RESTORE: Commercial and Mixed-Use Development Trends in the Rocky Mountain West.

Nick shared his experience with mixed-use development, and commentary on the RESTORE report. Here are his responses to our questions:

Q: Please share a little bit about the Historic Sears Building renovation and talk about what drew you to this project.

A: Our mission at Kujawa development, is to foster sustainable environments through thoughtful development. Whether it’s a historic building or new construction, we spend a lot of time trying to figure out what the market needs, and how we can provide that with the best building possible. In some cases, it means not doing a building.

I am from Butte, so there is a long history of our family being involved in Butte. I had been in New York City, practicing as a real estate attorney, when my father let me know about this building. At the time had been vacant for over 30 years. The city had taken it for back taxes. They had put a roof on it and sealed up the windows. When we bought it, you could stand on the 5th floor and see seven stories down into the basement.

What drew me to this project in particular was a feeling of connectedness to the history of the town that I grew up in, especially when I was living in New York City at the time. But also the realization that my money would go a lot further in the Rocky Mountain West than it could on the east coast, and I would have a much more lasting impact.

So this project was a catalyst for me leaving the “white shoe” real estate law firm that I was at, and coming out West and doing this kind of work.


Friday, July 18, 2014 in Community Builders Blog

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight