HHM CPAs Renovates 100-year-old Historic Harle Building
The Harle Building Gets A New Chance At Life In Midst of Cleveland’s Downtown Revitalization
HHM CPAs, a Chattanooga-based full-service certified public accounting and consulting firm, has completed its renovation of Cleveland’s historic Harle Building and opened its doors for business once again to the Bradley County community.
Known in Cleveland as the “Moore Building,” the historic 100-year-old building that sits at 266 Inman Street East at the corner of Inman and Edwards St was once a busy pharmacy but sat vacant for decades before HHM’s purchase in 2021. The formerly boarded up doors and windows now sparkle and represent a newfound spark in Cleveland’s downtown business community.
The overgrown and decaying 7,000 square foot structure has been refurbished to its original glory with black brick accents and a new patio area. A tour of the building prior to the renovation featured a partially collapsed ceiling, an out-of-order blood pressure machine from its days as a pharmacy, and soggy ceiling panels. Now, a vast entry and lobby feature a modern welcome area to the right, a reception desk with large wood accents, and a beautiful industrial staircase to the left. Upon walking past the entry, you’ll see a fully functional kitchen with a large island and seating area, a working garage door that opens to the patio, and several offices along the wall. You’ll also notice the original brick walls, lofted ceiling, and beams throughout, an homage to the building’s history.
In the middle of the first floor, you will see a large conference room with a refurbished windowed garage door that lights up the room and several cubicle offices and open space for co-working. You’ll also note a train baggage cart, delivered from the firm’s main office which is located in the historic Southern Railroad Freight Depot at 1200 Market Street in downtown Chattanooga. The baggage cart ties the two historic buildings together and greets visitors as they start the ascent upstairs to the Cleveland building’s second floor via a grand staircase that opens to a glass wall conference room and more office space.
The $2 million dollar investment in the building parallels HHM’s investment in the Cleveland community and the HHM employees who call Cleveland home.
“It is part of how we give back to the cities in which we do business,” says Donnie Hutcherson, HHM CPAs managing partner. “To take a building that has been abandoned and give it new life - new purpose - is a way we are serving the communities in which we work.”
HHM has been serving the Cleveland community for years but has made a permanent commitment by opening a brick and mortar to serve clients and house professionals.
Hutcherson and the leaders at HHM all agree that a vibrant community to work in, somewhere that is a hub of business activity, is an asset and retention tool to keep employees satisfied. “A location where you can walk to a restaurant or visit a client, that is where we want HHM to be,” Hutcherson said. “We want to be accessible and available in a location people want to visit.”
Hutcherson has never looked back on his three renovations - the Cleveland office, the Freight Depot, and the single unit bank renovation on the site of the Chattanooga campus – with anything but pride. Those investments continue to give back to HHM employees and the communities surrounding the beautified properties.
The building hosts 18 HHM accounting professionals and three HHM Bookkeeping Solutions bookkeeping specialists. The Cleveland office accounting professionals include partners Randy Dummer, Adam Osborne, Weston Porter, and Branden Wilson; managers Sydney Zumbrun, Ryne Shumaker; supervisor Garrett Williams; senior accountants Abigail Bentley, Kellye Cawood, Ammiah Stafford and Josh Shoemaker; staff accountants Drew Linkous, Madison Dispensa and Rachel Sharp; and office administrator Briana Greene. The bookkeeping professionals are Christina Dill, Kathy Austin, and Rhea Joyner.
“We look forward to continuing to invest in this vibrant community,” said Hutcherson, noting the city’s downtown revitalization plan. As far as if another building renovation is in the plans, Hutcherson says his focus is now on the expansion of the Chattanooga office with a new build on site. “We’ll wait until the new building beside the Freight Depot is complete,” he said. “Then we’ll see what’s next.”