Royal Arms Apartments, located at 1200 E. Byers Avenue, experienced a fire on April 9, 2017, that nearly destroyed an entire building, taking out 20 apartment units and forcing those living there to relocate. However, the staff at Royal Arms now say the rebuilding process for that building is going well, and they expect it to be reopened by August.
“We are three-fourths of the way done,” said Property Manager Dana Marshall. “We’re in the process of rebuilding right now.”
Marshall said the fire was started by a resident living in one of the units, and it destroyed at least 75 percent of one of the apartment buildings, making the entire building unlivable. Marshall said she didn’t feel comfortable revealing the actual cause of the fire, in part, because of the complexity of the apartment’s insurance claims filed.
“It wasn’t due to anything electrical. It was caused by a resident,” Marshall said. “What wasn’t damaged by fire was damaged by smoke and water. It was pretty bad.”
If anything positive came out of the unexpected fire that wreaked havoc on Royal Arms in April 2017, the apartment complex has been given a chance to upgrade several of their units with a fresh look, an open-concept living space and brand-new appliances. Those 20 units can soon be home to a number of individuals and families.
“Everything is going to be fresh and new,” Marshall said. “The original buildings were built in 1980. These are all going to be more open, with a real nice bar. They’ll have stainless steel appliances and, hopefully, granite countertops. Each unit will have vaulted ceilings.”
Even more encouraging, Marshall said, was that some of the new units have already been reserved for those who lost their original homes in the fire.
“A few who live here will go back to their original apartment space,” Marshall said. “Now, the rent will be a little higher because everything is brand new, but it won’t be too big of a difference.”
Marshall said Royal Arms is accepting names that will be added to a waiting list for the available units. While Royal Arms Apartments has been around for almost forty years, Marshall said the community that resides there is has been faithful.
“Our average stay is between 15 and 20 years,” Marshall said. “One person has been here for 40 years. We’re really proud of that. It was a rough time when the fire hit. We’re just excited to be moving forward, and we’re welcoming everybody.”
