Lexington Herald Leader News Brief1.9.10
GUTHRIE, Ky. (AP) - When the 120-year-old building just wouldn't fall down, Guthrie Mayor Scott Marshall decided something else had to be done about the eyesore.Marshall is now pushing to have the building renovated and converted to a transportation museum and tourist attraction for the town of 1,500 on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line.The Kentucky New Era reports that Guthrie could be just weeks away from approval of its third grant that would allow the town's revitalization team to begin transforming the two-story building into an 8,000-square-foot museum.
Two grants have already been awarded for the project, and the third - a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant - would give the venture $1.4 million in funding, likely covering a majority of the project."I guess it's my paramedic training that ties in here," Marshall said. "We're going to have to resuscitate an old building. We can't give up on it."
The building, which housed a department store for 40 years, has long been an eyesore, with the roof and second floor having partially collapsed to ground level, a freight elevator pulling half of the back wall down with it. The gaping hole exposes the building's interior to passers-by. Worn T-shirts and blouses hang neatly from a pair of racks upstairs, though no vendor has occupied the space in about 20 years.But nothing - not an earthquake, harsh winters or summer storms - could bring it down.
1.9.10
GUTHRIE, Ky. -- When the 120-year-old building just wouldn't fall down, Guthrie Mayor Scott Marshall decided something else had to be done about the eyesore.Marshall is now pushing to have the building renovated and converted to a transportation museum and tourist attraction for the town of 1,500 on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line.The Kentucky New Era reports that Guthrie could be just weeks away from approval of its third grant that would allow the town's revitalization team to begin transforming the two-story building into an 8,000-square-foot museum.
Two grants have already been awarded for the project, and the third - a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant - would give the venture $1.4 million in funding, likely covering a majority of the project.The building, which housed a department store for 40 years, has long been an eyesore, with the roof and second floor having partially collapsed to ground level, a freight elevator pulling half of the back wall down with it. The gaping hole exposes the building's interior to passers-by. Worn T-shirts and blouses hang neatly from a pair of racks upstairs, though no vendor has occupied the space in about 20 years.
But nothing - not an earthquake, harsh winters or summer storms - could bring it down.Architects visited the building, but were only able to step three feet through the door, said Tracy Robinson, executive manager of Silver Triangle Main Street. The nonprofit organization writes grants for community projects like this one."You can't go in it," Marshall said. "Had we been able to get some of this started sooner we would have been able to do a whole lot more work with it."Plans call for the inside of the building to be gutted while keeping the brick exterior intact, including a vintage advertisement for 5-cent bottles of Coca-Cola.
Matt Bailey, a Guthrie native working toward his master's degree in architecture at the University of Kentucky, is giving direction for the project. Bailey, 24, has no memory of the building ever being occupied, but knows the stories from people around town and the memories the building carries.The "tradition" of the building won't change, Bailey said, but he wants to tweak it enough to give it a modern touch. In addition to historical preservation, the plan is to implement as many environmentally-friendly elements into the structure as their budget will allow."It's one thing we wanted to look at because of grants in the future that have certain guidelines," Bailey said.The idea for making it a transportation museum came from over the small town.
Railroad tracks intersect from all directions, which helped the town flourish in the early part of the 20th century. It brought visitors - including gamblers and bootleggers - from all across the region.Koppers Industries, Todd County's oldest industry, specializes in railroad ties. U.S. 41, which was the primary route between Chicago and Miami before interstates, also runs through Guthrie."Our transportation history goes back to the stagecoach days," Marshall said. "Once we get (the museum) done, it'll be a good fit."Marshall doesn't know when construction will begin and, given the problems with getting the project moving over the last seven years, he doesn't want to guess."As soon as I say (a date), something will go wrong," he said. "It's been a long process trying to get the funding, but I think once we get into it, it's going to be a good project."
1.10.10
GUTHRIE, Ky. — There were days when Guthrie Mayor Scott Marshall wished that old dilapidated building on Ewing Street would just crumble to the ground. A shell of the structure, at least 120 years old, has stood as downtown’s biggest eyesore for more than a decade. When harsh winters, summer storms and even earthquakes couldn’tgrant Marshall’s wishes, he finally conceded that it was time to consider another option. “I guess it’s my paramedic training that ties in here,” Marshall said. “We’re going to have to resuscitate an old building. We can’t give up on it.” Guthrie could be just weeks away from approval of its third grant that would allow the town’s revitalization team to begin transforming the two-story building into an 8,000-squarefoot transportation museum.
Two grants have already been awarded for the project, and the third — a $500,000 CommunityDevelopment Block Grant — would give the venture $1.4 million in funding, likely covering a majority of the project. But money isn’t the problem. The Jenkins building, a nickname given by the locals who recall Bill Jenkins’ department store that occupied the space for more than 40 years, is an architectural hazard. Both the roof and second floor have partially collapsed to ground level, with a freight elevator pulling half of the back wall down with it. The gaping hole exposes the building’s interior to passersby. Worn T-shirts and blouses hang neatly from a pair of clothes racks upstairs, though no vendor has occupied the space in about 20 years.
Architects have already visited the building to survey the damage but were only able to step 3 feet through the door, said Tracy Robinson, executive manager of Silver Triangle Main Street. The nonprofit organization writes grants for community projects like this one. “You can’t go in it,” Marshall said. “Had we been able to get some of this started sooner we would have been able to do a whole lot more work with it.” It was 2003 when city officials first considered renovating the building. They initially planned to save it for nostalgic purposes,but when talks progressed, the town’s transportation history steered discussion toward a museum and welcoming center. Four years later, as the building slowly deteriorated, Guthrie received its first grant approval for $300,000. The project was starting to gain a little momentum. One of its grants is still pending, but the town has narrowed bids from architects down to two. Marshall plans to finish meeting with them by next week and take it before city council shortly after. “You got to have all the pieces of the puzzle at least on the table,” he said. Preservation is still important. The inside of the Jenkins building will be gutted while keeping the brick exterior in tact — including a vintage advertisement for 5-cent bottles of Coca-Cola.
Matt Bailey, a Guthrie native working toward his master’s degree in architecture at the University of Kentucky, is giving direction for the project.The 24-yearold said he has no memory of anyone ever occupying the building but hears stories all over town about what it means to them. The “tradition” of the building won’t change, Bailey said, but he wants to tweak it enough to give it a modern touch. In addition to historical preservation, the plan is to implement as many environmentally-friendly elements into the structure as their budget will allow. Making a century-old building “green” isn’t that simple, but it could open more doors for further development. “It’s one thing we wanted to look at because of grants in the future that have certain guidelines,” Bailey said. “For me, in (Todd County) I’m always trying to find modern purposes for these old buildings that no longer have a purpose,” he added. Two years ago, Bailey drafted a preliminary sketch of what the restoration might look like.
Marshall said funding through the Kentucky Heritage Society requires the original structure stays in tact. When construction will begin, Marshall doesn’t know. There have been so many setbacks and obstacles to overcome the last seven years, he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. “As soon as I say (a date), something will go wrong,” he said. “It’s been a long process trying to get the funding, but I think once we get into it, it’s going to be a good project.” What’s in a name Most longtime Guthrie residents have their own memories, whether they’re from personal experiences or stories passed on from family. Several vendors have been in and out of those doors at 214 and 218 S. Ewing St. since the early 1900s, but to Guthrie, it’ll always be Jenkins Department Store.
Marshall recalls when a storefront window display took second place in a national contest by the needlework industries; Kahn’s in Washington, D.C., won first, according to memoirs from a book published in 1972 by Jenkins’ son, William M. Jenkins, Jr. It’s titled, “And I’ll Throw in the Socks: The Memoirs of a Kentucky Storekeeper.” It recounted his dad’s life as a dry goods clerk in Allensville and Guthrie. Longhurst General Store has operated just across the street from the Jenkins building since 1943. One customer there remembered watching part of a World Series at Jenkins’ in the mid-1950s.
He said the store had the first color televisions in town. It was in the 1940s when Jenkins moved into the building that would later adopt his name. It actually started out as two separate, but adjoining, buildings. Jenkins said he purchased both because he wanted to keep the competition from moving in next door. When his business boomed, he knocked down the wall between his buildings to make it a “true department store,” his memoirs said. Robinson said that’s when he brought in the freight elevator to move merchandise to the top floor. He had the elevator transported by train from a funeral home in Allensville.
It was previously used to move caskets. Jenkins continued to run his store until the mid- to late-1980s, Marshall said, even battling through a bout with tuberculosis. He died about seven or eight years ago, Marshall said. “I like the small town I live in, and I like the people,” Jenkins said in his son’s book. “You get to know folks better in these smaller places. Some folks say the day of the little town is over, but I can’t bring myself to believe that.” Tribute to transportation
A Guthrie transportation museum was a natural fit based on its history, Marshall said. The small town was The Trail of Tears’ first entry point into Kentucky. It’s where chiefs Fly Smith and Whitepath drank from a well they believed had healing powers before they both died in Hopkinsville, Marshall said. Guthrie’s transportation landmarks are spread all across town. Railroad tracks intersect from all directions, which helped it flourish in the early part of the 20th century. It brought visitors — including gamblers and bootleggers — from all across the region. “The way the tracks lay out, this is the only place, either in the country or with CSX, that a train can change direction and not have to go through a roundhouse,” Marshall said.
Koppers Industries, which Marshall said is Todd’s oldest industry, specializes in railroad ties. He added that one in four railroad ties across the nation is thought to be a Koppers product. U.S. 41, which was the primary route between Chicago and Miami before interstates, also runs through Guthrie. Even commodities like the town’s Chevron gas station are a tribute to its history. Marshall believes it’s the longest continually operated standard oil station in the country, dating back before World War II. “Our transportation history goes back to the stagecoach days,” Marshall said. “Once we get (the museum) done, it’ll be a good fit.”
Story By Kevin Hoffman, Associated Press
KEVIN HOFFMAN can be reached at 270-887-3240 or khoffman@kentuckynewera.com.
1.10.10
GUTHRIE, Ky. -- When the 120-year-old building just wouldn't fall down, Guthrie Mayor Scott Marshall decided something else had to be done about the eyesore.Marshall is now pushing to have the building renovated and converted to a transportation museum and tourist attraction for the town of 1,500 on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line.The Kentucky New Era reports that Guthrie could be just weeks away from approval of its third grant that would allow the town's revitalization team to begin transforming the two-story building into an 8,000-square-foot museum.
Two grants have already been awarded for the project, and the third - a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant - would give the venture $1.4 million in funding, likely covering a majority of the project. http://www.kentuckynewera.com"I guess it's my paramedic training that ties in here," Marshall said. "We're going to have to resuscitate an old building. We can't give up on it."The building, which housed a department store for 40 years, has long been an eyesore, with the roof and second floor having partially collapsed to ground level, a freight elevator pulling half of the back wall down with it. The gaping hole exposes the building's interior to passers-by. Worn T-shirts and blouses hang neatly from a pair of racks upstairs, though no vendor has occupied the space in about 20 years.But nothing - not an earthquake, harsh winters or summer storms - could bring it down.
Architects visited the building, but were only able to step three feet through the door, said Tracy Robinson, executive manager of Silver Triangle Main Street. The nonprofit organization writes grants for community projects like this one."You can't go in it," Marshall said. "Had we been able to get some of this started sooner we would have been able to do a whole lot more work with it."Plans call for the inside of the building to be gutted while keeping the brick exterior intact, including a vintage advertisement for 5-cent bottles of Coca-Cola.
Matt Bailey, a Guthrie native working toward his master's degree in architecture at the University of Kentucky, is giving direction for the project. Bailey, 24, has no memory of the building ever being occupied, but knows the stories from people around town and the memories the building carries.The "tradition" of the building won't change, Bailey said, but he wants to tweak it enough to give it a modern touch. In addition to historical preservation, the plan is to implement as many environmentally-friendly elements into the structure as their budget will allow."It's one thing we wanted to look at because of grants in the future that have certain guidelines," Bailey said.The idea for making it a transportation museum came from over the small town.
Railroad tracks intersect from all directions, which helped the town flourish in the early part of the 20th century. It brought visitors - including gamblers and bootleggers - from all across the region.Koppers Industries, Todd County's oldest industry, specializes in railroad ties. U.S. 41, which was the primary route between Chicago and Miami before interstates, also runs through Guthrie."Our transportation history goes back to the stagecoach days," Marshall said. "Once we get (the museum) done, it'll be a good fit."Marshall doesn't know when construction will begin and, given the problems with getting the project moving over the last seven years, he doesn't want to guess."As soon as I say (a date), something will go wrong," he said. "It's been a long process trying to get the funding, but I think once we get into it, it's going to be a good project."
1.10.10
GUTHRIE, Ky. (AP) — When the 120-year-old building just wouldn't fall down, Guthrie Mayor Scott Marshall decided something else had to be done about the eyesore. Marshall is now pushing to have the building renovated and converted to a transportation museum and tourist attraction for the town of 1,500 on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line.
The Kentucky New Era reports that Guthrie could be just weeks away from approval of its third grant that would allow the town's revitalization team to begin transforming the two-story building into an 8,000-square-foot museum. Two grants have already been awarded for the project, and the third — a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant — would give the venture $1.4 million in funding, likely covering a majority of the project."I guess it's my paramedic training that ties in here," Marshall said. "We're going to have to resuscitate an old building. We can't give up on it."
The building, which housed a department store for 40 years, has long been an eyesore, with the roof and second floor having partially collapsed to ground level, a freight elevator pulling half of the back wall down with it.Plans call for the inside of the building to be gutted while keeping the brick exterior intact, including a vintage advertisement for 5-cent bottles of Coca-Cola. Matt Bailey, 24, a Guthrie native working toward his master's degree in architecture at the University of Kentucky, is giving direction for the project.
