The Sconi

A Madison building that was a witness to vestiges of the 1990s alternative rock boom is getting a new facelift.

The early 20th century structure on the corner of East Washington Avenue and Baldwin Street, Madison NBC affiliate WMTV reported, formerly housed Smart Studios, which brimmed with the loud, raucous sounds generated by Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins and local music heroes Garbage when most members of Generation X were barely old enough to vote.

Today, the building is under the ownership of Kenosha native Neka Allen, who plunked down nearly $500,000 for it.

“I was just looking at real estate in Wisconsin for some reason and came across this place,” Allen explained to WMTV. “I actually randomly saw the listing and just like fell in love with it.”

According to the station, Allen, who used to live on the West Coast, is taking a DIY approach to her restoration efforts, a likely nod to the punk rock ethos of Nirvana.

The Seattle trio that consisted of the late Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic recorded their legendary "Nevermind" album at the studios, which was opened by Madison native and record producer Butch Vig.

"Nevermind" spawned what was considered the anthem of Gen X with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and other notable tracks such as “Come As You Are” and “Polly,” which was cut at Smart Studios.

“There’s so much Madison history and music history connected to this place,” Allen said, WMTV reported.

Smart Studios occupied the first floor of the building.

Allen told the station that she plans to turn the studios’ old footprint into an AirBNB.

“A lot of people have reached out and said thank you for taking care of this building and making sure it will keep standing for decades to come,” she said.