The Transformative Touch

From St. Louis Street in downtown Mobile to Orange Beach and far beyond, Bob Isakson makes his mark.

by Kaija Wilkinson

Hardworking. Shrewd. Visionary. These are just a few of the words that describe Robert J. “Bob” Isakson Sr., of Lafayette Land Co., which he founded in 1975 and incorporated in 1982. For nearly 50 years, Lafayette Land has successfully completed scores of construction, re-construction, emergency construction and renovation projects throughout the U.S., South America, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Here in Mobile, the company has been instrumental in ushering in a new era for St. Louis Street downtown — built in the 1920s and formerly known as Automobile Alley for the many car dealerships lining the 17-block stretch between Broad and Water streets. With wider lanes than a typical downtown street, St. Louis is increasingly being populated with businesses that make Mobile a desirable place to live, work and play. There’s the beloved and unique Cheese Cottage, a restaurant and cheese shop housed in what used to be a service station; Wheeler Lofts; business incubator Innovation Portal (not associated with Isakson, it is a nonprofit initiative founded by the Mobile Chamber of Commerce that moved to the former Threaded Fasteners building on St. Louis Street); an engineering firm; an antiques store; a brewery; a lighting store; and — arguablythe street’s shining star — Greer’s St. Louis Street Market — an expansive grocery and café with lovely touches like exposed brick walls, scored concrete floors and a rooftop outdoor dining/entertainment area.

The supermarket was carved out of space that was originally a funeral home and then an auto parts store, but Isakson envisioned it as a grocery as soon as he saw it. He recalls:

“When we were introduced to the 1936 Davis Auto Parts building at 260 St. Louis Street, the building had not changed much since its opening. When we walked in and saw it for the first time, with the grandson of the original owner sitting behind the original counter, I immediately thought of a grocery. We had law firms approach us, and they were willing to pay three times the rent. We eventually were able to work out the financial details with the fantastic people at Greer’s and the incredible help of Mayor Sandy Stimpson to attract this essential business downtown. After buying it, we bought the other three corners of this intersection, including an 1860s warehouse that has been converted into Class A, fully restored office space.

(l-r) When the property at 650 St. Louis Street was a service station and today, as The Cheese Cottage right, with wingman Brewing Co. adjoining to the rear; images courtesy of The Cheese Cottage, LLC, and Visit Mobile, respectively

The corner’s transformation (some are calling the corner “Main and Main” for its significance to downtown Mobile) followed several other remarkable St.Louis Street projects spearheaded by Isakson, including buying a 15,000-square-foot cotton warehouse on the Mississippi River and taking it down —brick by brick— to create what is now Wingman Brewing Co. (a project of Fairhope Brewery located adjacent to The Cheese Cottage).

In the midst of all this, Lafayette Land acquired a pair of three-story antebellum homes at 157 N. Conception Street in the DeTonti Square historic district. Known as the Hannah Houses for the family who built them, the early 1850s structures had sat vacant for many years after the law firms that occupied them moved out. The federal government acquired them through imminent domain and intended to raze them before Lafayette Land worked out a deal to buy and lovingly restore them for use as the company’s offices, which relocated from Spring Hill. “They are spectacular,” says Isakson, and he is not wrong. From its listing on Zillow:

“The curb appeal of this property is exceptional. The details throughout, including the sheer size of the rooms and soaring 12-foot-plus ceilings, the porches and corniced ironwork, the brickwork, the front doors, the wide baseboards and the exterior star bolts are all phenomenal. The hardwood floors, the moldings, the turned stair rails, the multiple coal-burning fireplaces with beautiful mantles, the period chandeliers, the double parlors, the vault room, the primitive kitchen and the two luggage rooms are all truly exceptional features. The colors on the moldings are from the Jacquelyn Kennedy Historic Paint Collection, reflecting the era of this home.”[1]

From its offices downtown, Lafayette Land continued buying and restoring properties both downtown and beyond, including

• A former 1946 car repair shop at 306 St. Anthony that is now home to Nova Espresso coffee shop
• The former 1932 Ashland Place Fire Station at 2407 Old Shell Road in Midtown, which is now home to the well-received Bake My Day bakery and eatery
• The former Hudson Auto Dealership at 557 St. Louis, which was one of the first automobile dealerships on the street after Cadillac. It recently sold and is now being developed by a local engineering firm for its offices — “the perfect use for this fantastic property,” Isakson observes.

“We continue to pursue, purchase, save and develop fantastic buildings in downtown Mobile, with a particular eye toward the north side,” Isakson said.

Isakson’s Interesting Beginnings

Isakson’s real estate dealings followed a fascinating career as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent in New Orleans, where he was deeply involved with cases involving organized crime, as well as the biggest grain fraud case the U.S. had ever seen.

A native of Brooklyn, NY, who grew up in Baytown, Texas (thanks to his father’s job as a sea captain), Isakson always worked more than one job — dating back to when he was only 8 years old. So, when the young FBI agent (now living in New Orleans) learned about flipping houses, he sprang into action. Isakson recalls:

“By 9 a.m. the next morning, I found a one-bedroom house on Orleans Avenue and, with a $7,500 loan, returned to the office to find some partners. Three of us bought the house, spent a couple of months cleaning and painting it, and sold it for, I believe, about $14,000. I was hooked. My wife and I ended up with nearly 50 historic 19th-century houses, a 13-unit apartment complex and an early 1800s triplex in the French Quarter.”

Thus began Isakson’s and his wife Doris’ love affair with finding and restoring historic buildings. Due to raising two young children and high crime in New Orleans, in 1986 the Isaksons moved to Orange Beach.There, Isakson bought beachfront land and built and sold condominiums with

business partners Tommy Marr, Jim Mattei and Mark Reed. Isakson entered the hurricane business (reconstruction in the wake of storms) in 1989 and the war business (building compounds for contractors and military and government personnel) in 1990. Once their children were school age, the Isaksons moved to Mobile since there were no schools at the beach at that time. They settled in Spring Hill and never looked back, Isakson says.

Historic Preservation Takes Center Stage

Real estate ventures would continue, with Isakson and his business partners constructing the Blakeley Forrest subdivision in Spanish Fort, among others. Historic preservation and revitalization remained Isakson’s passion, however.

Lafayette Land originally began by working with national industrial and retail companies throughout the U.S. These were build-to-suit projects, where Isakson would meet with a large, national company that wished to have a building of their typical design in a certain part of a certain city. Isakson is proud of his many successful build-to-suit projects and the many high-tech military facilities his company built in the Middle East and Africa as “greenfields” — i.e., from the ground up, often with no existing water, sewer or electricity.

But living in Mobile and seeing all the underutilized historic building stock put revitalization at the forefront of Lafayette Land’s initiatives. In addition to the previously mentioned developments, the company counts among its successes conversion of a 1928 self-service Delchamps grocery

store (in the 600 block of St. Louis Street) into BoHayden’s cocktail bar; and a former 1927 church in DeTonti Square and adjacent homeless shelter into luxury apartments with a ground-floor pub and a fabulous Victorian home, respectively. “My son did this and was featured on the cover of Mobile Bay magazine,” Isakson proudly notes. “It was a beautiful restoration.”

Lafayette Land and the Isaksons continue to play a major role in revitalizing downtown Mobile and, in turn, increasing property values “very substantially,” Isakson says. Greer’s St. Louis Market, in particular, is essential for continued growth of residential downtown. Isakson is optimistic about that, due to the momentum and the outstanding leadership of individuals like Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson. Isakson says:

“Downtown is just turning a corner. The Downtown Mobile Alliance and I did a survey recently and found in excess of 1 million square feet of empty space downtown and another 700,000 square feet that is underutilized. This is a massive opportunity to increase the density of downtown, and residential is an essential part of that. The balance of high-tech, engineering, offices and residential placed on top of grocery and entertainment is just the beginning. Additional occupancy and offices will eventually begin to encourage retail, which is the ultimate success for a downtown.

“Mobile’s being on the cusp of future success is because of Mayor Sandy Stimpson. Without him, downtown and St. Louis Street would have nowhere near the success it does today and will have in coming years. His leadership is groundbreaking and spectacular.”

Icing on the Cake for St. Louis Street

Earlier this year, the Mobile City Council approved a $16 million “complete streets” project that will bring new paving, sidewalks and new water and sewer pipes to St. Louis Street. Its curb appeal will be enhanced by planting more than 50 new trees and working with Alabama Power to move power lines back from the street. Most of the funding is coming from penalties paid by companies involved in the 2010 Gulf oil spill, with the city’s match a little over $1 million. Covering all 17 blocks between Broad and Water streets, work will take place one block at a time to minimize impacts on business.[2]

Lafayette Land, meanwhile, has had several “very serious enquiries” about the Hannah Houses. “Everything downtown sells and, in DeTonti Square, absolutely everything sells as it is so desirable,” Isakson observes. With his children moving on to their own companies in real estate and investments, the 9,340 square feet offered by the historic structures is more than what Lafayette Land needs. Isakson envisions the historic property as another office space, a bed and breakfast or as one or two homes. “If and when we sell, I plan to relocate my office next to my home in Spring Hill and attempt to slow down a little and visit with my fabulous bride, my children and grandchildren.”

But, knowing Isakson, he will likely remain involved in revitalizing Mobile’s many historic structures.

References

[1] robertsbrothers.com/realestate/details/39767765/157- conception-street-n-mobile-al-36603

[2] Kirby, Brendan, “Mobile’s ‘Innovation’ of St. Louis To Begin in 2025,” WALA, July 2, 2024.