If most of you come downtown for the Spotlight Festival, and I hope that you do, I want you to pay particular attention to the new developments on the north side of Main St, opposite the Centrepointe "field". For so long, probably 30 years or more, two of the three buildings in the photo above have placed on the ugly downtown list and now they are being renovated.The dark gray building on the left has had its false front torn off, a temporary wall built just inside and then painted a light blue. Saturday, during the downtown celebration, they were putting the finishing touches on a new brick face by installing new windows and doors. It looks great.
The building on the right has has its upper story false front removed. I think that what they found behind there is beautiful and a tragedy.
It may be hard to tell, but the capitals of all the columns have been destroyed and the other original cornice work is missing. I hope that enough of the stone work is in good enough shape and/or the existing historical photos can give sufficient detail to recreate the capitals and approximate the missing cornice.Below is a view of how Asa Chinn saw it in the early '20s. It won't look like that again but some of the elements could be used to make a fine looking building. The folks doing the construction are the same as did the Dudley's redo on Short St. so we know that they will do it right.
I'll keep my eye on this one.
4 comments:
You beat me to the punch on this one. I had all but forgotten the immediately-preceding facade when I saw the uncovered history.
I, too, am optimistic of a grand restoration but will (in Lexington style) settle for anything that remotely preserves what is there.
Thanks, as always, for a great post!
I asked one of the construction workers working on the building with the neat old facade what it would be. He told me it was going to be a jazz club. Sounds pretty cool!
The announcement on this was back in May sometime. The owners of Bellini's are opening it as an upscale jazz place which I have heard will be called "The Green Door"
I am sure that they anticipated being finished somewhere near the end of this year but some of the streetscape work and the remnants of the original front will slow that dramatically. Their contractors are some of the best in the business.
I'll have a post going up on 123 West Main Street - with of course a shout out to the Streetsweeper - tomorrow morning!
The Kaintuckeean
Would really appreciate a link in your blogroll!
Post a Comment