Print
Real Estate - Commercial

In Downtown Wilmington, Former Serpentarium Set To Be Transformed By 2020

By Christina Haley O'Neal, posted Jul 3, 2019
The building that previously housed the Cape Fear Serpentarium (shown in 2017 before the serpentarium closed) has a new owner, and is expected to become a dental practice, medispa and residence. (File photo)
Changes to the former Cape Fear Serpentarium property in downtown Wilmington are slated to take place over about seven months.

That's according to Terry Espy, real estate broker and president of MoMentum Companies, who represented Donald S. Bland in the purchase of the property, which was completed last week.

The purchase price of the property, located at  20 Orange St., was $915,000, according to New Hanover County deeds.

Bland, a longtime dentist in the downtown area, has plans to create a dental practice, medispa and residence out of the Orange Street building, which was once lined with cages that held various types of reptiles, including some of the most venomous snakes in the world.

Espy said Wednesday that the Serpentarium cages have been removed, and the inside of the building has been "taken back down to studs." It will cost around $1 million to renovate and construct the three aspects of the building, she said.
 
The former property owner, Dean Ripa, who owned and operated Cape Fear Serpentarium, was killed in May 2017. ​His wife, Regina Ripa, was charged with first-degree murder but was found not guilty by reason of insanity in October and was set to be transferred to a psychiatric facility, according to news reports at the time.

About a year after Ripa's death, the attraction permanently closed, and the property was put up for private sale after a petition was filed in New Hanover County Superior Court last spring on behalf of the Ripas' son.

The property went under contract in December. The new property owner, Bland, has had a dental practice at 206 Dock St. in downtown Wilmington for more than two decades, Espy said.

Work on the two-story brick structure built in 2001 is anticipated to take place over the coming months. 

“We are going to go ahead and start the process of adaptive reuse,” Espy said, giving about a seven-month timeline for the project.

MoMentum is doing the project management, and is working with ADT Construction Co., as well as ORA Architecture out of Raleigh, she said.
 
Doing turn-key project management for medical and dental is “right up our alley,” Espy said.
 
While the company hasn’t focused on this type of project management in Wilmington, it was a focus of her company when it was located in Raleigh, Espy said.
 
“It’s kind of going back to our roots. We really enjoy it,” Espy said. “We still do some medical in Wake County … but this is probably the first one we will be doing turn-key in Wilmington.”
 
The name of the medispa has not yet been solidified, she said.

River Valley Bank and Stephanie Dunn, president of the bank's SBA division, successfully coordinated an SBA loan "due to the fact that this was such a multi-faceted project," Espy said.
 
She said the project could be completed in the first quarter of 2020.
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Cfss headshots parker robert webversion 21422121214

Duke Energy Will Pay You Up to $9,000 to Go Solar with a Battery

Robert Parker - Cape Fear Solar Systems
Jessiepowellheadshot webversion

5 Reasons to Build Custom Franchise Software

Jessie Powell - Wide Open Tech
Untitleddesign12 11724100328

The Endowment’s Rainbow of Possibilities

Daniel B Winslow - New Hanover Community Endowment

Trending News

Better Business Bureau Recognizes Two Wilmington Companies

Staff Reports - May 13, 2025

Davis Named CFR's Government Affairs Director

Staff Reports - May 13, 2025

Kent Homes Earns Guildmaster Award

Staff Reports - May 13, 2025

Wilmington-based Outdoor And Adventure Education Center Earns Accreditation

Staff Reports - May 13, 2025

Port's Intermodal Rail Yard Project On Track For 2026 Completion

Emma Dill - May 12, 2025

In The Current Issue

CEA Professional Services Winner: Catering To CFO, Bookkeeping Needs

The firm has grown rapidly in just under three years, the founder said, adding that the company takes an entrepreneurial approach to its ser...


CEA Manufacturing + Distribution Winner: Firm Focuses On Versatile Structures

Modular spaces from Wilmington-based company Infinite Structures appeared this year at the Super Bowl, Coachella and at the bottom of the ha...


Meet The 2025 CEA Winners

Who would you invest $100,000 in? That’s a piece of advice given to the Coastal Entrepreneur Award judges as they make their picks....

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2024 Power Breakfast: The Next Season