LEWISTON — Eric Agren is bringing the facade at 43 Lisbon St. back to the 1920s, remodeling the second floor for the present day and he’s leaving the first floor to fate.

The owner of restaurants Fuel and Marche, and an active proponent of downtown living, started construction three weeks ago. Agren plans to build three high-end apartments on the second floor, now an empty space with tall ceilings and 8-foot windows.

Through word of mouth, two apartments have already been leased.

“There’s been a lot of interest, more than I thought. I’ll have these (all) leased before they’re finished,” Agren said on Wednesday.

He’s calling the building The Newberry and the apartments the Residences at The Newberry in a nod to the addresses’ past: It’s the former home of the J.J. Newberry department store. The retailer closed in 1959.

With help from a facade grant from the city of Lewiston, Agren is retooling the face of the building to its 1920s heyday. Future tenants will enter from the left, walking down a long hallway to an elevator. The shaft is original, the elevator is new. Because of its location, the elevator will also serve 49 Lisbon St., known as Lyceum Hall, the neighboring building that houses Fuel.

Agren’s plan for the second floor involves splitting its 5,000 feet into two one-bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom unit. Each will have a laundry, walk-in closets and a rooftop deck.

“It’s nice to be able to get out and sit in the sun, have a grill out there,” Agren said. “These beams — you can put a garden up there, there’s no weight issues.”

Leases will range from $800 to $1,000 a month. Construction should wrap in October.

Downstairs it’s a slightly different story. Agren said he plans to open up and minimally finish the 4,000 square foot first floor, then wait.

“The plan has always been to put another restaurant in here,” he said. But, “I’m open to possibly finding something unique. If the right person came along with the right idea I might sell the space to them, if it fits with what’s going on with Lisbon Street.”

If the right someone, or right project, doesn’t emerge, he’d like to open a Spanish tapas restaurant.

Agren purchased 43 Lisbon St. at the same time as 49 Lisbon St. seven years ago. It had been empty for some time, last home to Sampson Furniture. The facade was mostly glass, eventually boarded up.

“It looked like a ’70s storefront, it was an absolute mess, it was embarrassing,” Agren said. When someone busted a window he covered it over. “I didn’t want to pay $2,000 to fix it when I knew I was going to rip it all down.”

He’s pleased to have renovations under way. Agren declined to reveal the cost.

“The timing couldn’t be better with all that’s going on,” he said.

Within the same block, the new Rainbow Bicycle, the Singer building and the McGillicuddy building are also under construction.

Between his three downtown buildings (Agren also owns 40 Lisbon St.), only the third floor of Lyceum Hall is left to develop.

“I have somebody interested in it for an artist space, which would really be cool,” Agren said.

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