Pickler's Famous, Kirksville, MO

A friend of mine is renovating one of the major downtown Kirksville storefronts. It's taking awhile, as he's jumping through the hoops of bureaucracy; tax credits for historic preservation, etc. When orignally built by one of the town leaders, it was called Pickler's Famous, and back in the day it was one of the major general merchandise stores in the area. When the renovation is complete, it will house a soda fountain, artisan bakery, and a few other things which I've been sworn to secrecy over, or death will be swift and from above ... or below ... or ... I should read the fine print again.

Despite the critics , and there are a few (of this project and of doing anything to improve the downtown), it's a clear example of how progressive a community can be when it embraces its past. I consider architecture an art form. The old adage "They don't make 'em like they used to" certainly rings true when it comes to these old buildings. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Daniel Libeskind, and the structures built for the China Olympics are mind blowing. But when you realize what's been torn down in order to build a giant piece of mediocrity, it's shameful.

I know not everything can be preserved. Some structures are beyond care and it wouldn't make sense financially. Yet if the bones are good, then a second look must be taken. As society increasingly recycles, what better way to do so than to take an older structure and renovate?

Allow me to detour for a moment -- similar topic, on a smaller scale. One of the cooler things I saw earlier this month was an iVictrola; an iPod dock with one of those Victrola horns sticking out. Now, I like my CDs. I like reading the liner notes and looking at the photos in order to get some inspiration for my design work. But when I looked at this blend of old and new, I really, really wanted an iPod.

Now this old/new combination, a light fixture in Union Station, is how not to mix styles. Yeah, those are fluorescent bulbs. I think I read somewhere where the Station will be renovated. I hope I'm accurate, and I hope those bulbs will disappear.

Let's get back on track and on to the photos of Pickler's Famous ...

Early in the process, a ton of blue stucco had to be removed. They just slapped it over some chicken wire which was nailed into the brick. "Lehr Furniture Co." can be seen below the top board. It was one of many the incarnations of this building.
All the stucco is off, the windows reopened, and the restorative brickwork along the top has been completed. There's a small banner reading "picklersfamous.com" to keep people apprised of the progress. This was taken during the Red Barn Arts & Crafts Fesitval, hence the white and blue tents in the foreground. When I was walking around taking pics, I did notice people pointing and wondering.

Research indicated this was the original color scheme of the building. You'll notice the big steel beam running the width of the facade. Originally, there were transom windows above that, and bay windows below which helped support the upper floors. In the 1960s, all that disappeared.

If you've noticed the white metal to the left of Pickler's Famous, well, this postcard shows what it covers. It's the building on the left with the really cool arched windows. Yeah (plus a few other choice words I shouldn't put into print). I don't know whether they still exist. Current ownership does not call for any restoration. Grumble.

I've scanned several photos from the 1960s and tried to replicate the angles before leaving Missouri. I'm working on melding the images together to form a past/present snapshot. So far, it's been mixed results and nothing I'm proud of displaying. Something to revisit over the holidays.