I'm sure it was a good idea at the time ...

... but now someone has to deal with the aftermath.

When remodeling the first floor of the Kirksville Arts Center, part of the process was to uncover windows that were boarded up over 20 years prior. We could have easily kept them closed, but the natural light makes the main space feel so much larger.

I don't think anyone thought much of the column between the windows looking like it did. It was simply framed out in the same metal as the new windows rather than replacing the brick. However, one of the former owners reported that the brick was chipped away from every set of windows on the second and third floors, plus this and a second set on the main floor, before they were boarded up. It made for a flatter surface. Which I can understand. Don't get me wrong, it's a tough pill to swallow.

But let's do a quick count ... Yeah, that's 20 columns of brick that were broken out on these two sides alone. While it would be nice to replace the brick once the windows are uncovered, covering the damage in metal would add a sleeker finish to the exterior. Anyway, I've said it before and I'll say again, I hate it when bad things happen to good buildings.

(Oh, I know the windows aren't shown in the bottom photo which is from the 1920s. They were added sometime later, below the fourth and fifth set starting from the left. An exit was added below the sixth set. Oh, and the elevator in the corner, which takes out that first set on the top floors, and possibly some of the ones in the front of the building.)

History of the Kirksville Arts Center

Related links: Third Floor of the Kirksville Arts Center, You can always go ... Downtown ..., Pickler's Famous, Kirksville, MO

I've mentioned the Arts Center in several posts, so I decided it was fitting to post the journey of research and the evolving history of the building.

In talking with Dr. Cole Woodcox, Chair of Lang. & Lit. at Truman State, and historic architecture guru, we knew it was an old building built by Valentine Miller, and had narrowed its construction to between 1906 and 1914 with Sanborn Fire Maps. A look at the City Directories further narrowed that to around 1910 or 1911. In scouring the local newspapers, I found ads for businesses in the building, but nothing on its construction.

Images from Sanborn Fire Maps. Left: 1906. Right: 1914. 

The area in question is in the lower left quadrant of each.

A building that size -- three stories -- not related to government, medicine, religion, or education would be news. Having perused the microfilm of the Springville New Era while in high school, I was certain such construction would be reported on.

So, I started to work backwards. The Kirksville Journal was a weekly paper, thus easier to search through. I would (hopefully) be able to put together a time line that could be expanded upon when going through the daily paper. (Hopefully.)

One of the first images collected in our search. This postcard came

from Special Collections at Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University. 

I began with 1908. Well, that was a good year to start. In the February 20 issue of the Kirksville Journal, a notice on page one announced the sale of the V. Miller lumber yards. The sheds would be torn down to make way for a "fine four or five story brick structure." I thought, "Yikes! We're having trouble with getting three floors renovated." The rest of 1908 was void of news, so on to 1909.

There were a few ads of businesses having moving sales before heading over to their new location in the Miller building. But nothing more on construction until October 7, when a man was injured unloading plate glass windows. November 4 reported the Ladies of the Cemetery Association held a Halloween party there.

I finished out the year before moving to the Daily Express. This is where I found the purchase price of the lumber yards (about $50,000), and how fast the building went up. The February 5, 1909 issue reported clearing of the site of the former lumber yard would begin soon. Excavation of the site was still going on as of May 5. The Owl Drug Store was the first to open, towards the end of October. Jeweler Charles Sands was next, followed by Kerns & Lorton, a meat market and grocery.

Huzzah! The building was built in 1909! Having solved that part of the mystery was a relief. Plus, another piece of the downtown puzzle was officially put into place. Dr. Woodcox has spent the past several years dating each structure (existing and past) to create a time line for Downtown Kirksville. The North Side has already been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Back to our story ...

In looking at the first image, you'll see white enameled or glazed brick on the first floor. This was the new construction. The unshaded portion -- as seen below -- was built 10 years earlier.

In another interesting note, the City Directories listed the Northeast Missouri Loan and Abstract Company as having offices at 115-1/2-117-1/2 South Franklin. That would be this section:

There is no evidence of a connecting doorway on the 117 side. There may be on the 115 side; that theory has yet to be explored.

A postcard from 1910. To the left of center, partially hidden 

by the tree is the Miller Building, the future Kirksville Arts Center.

The upper floors were rented out to lawyers, physicians, dentists, but by the 1920s, those offices had become apartments. Owl Drug remained in the south section for over 20 years. Kerns & Lorton was replaced by Bigsby's Clothing by 1913.

After 1911, I hit 1922, 1933, 1944, etc. until the present time. Robb's Cue Room co-sponsored the weekly listing of church services in January 1955, and a used furniture store had made its way into the Owl Drug location. 1966 saw Baldwin's Biz Mart, an office supply store, and the beginning of the building's greatest changes.

The Miller Block in the early 1960s. The transom windows and stairwell 

are now boarded up. While hardly energy efficient, these old storefronts are amazing.

 At the far left, you can see an earlier location for Baldwin's.

The Baldwins had taken over the south storefront before ripping out the wall dividing the main floor. Now the spaces that once were a meat market and a drug store were now one. A mezzanine level was added to the back of the building and whoever was up there had the ability to look out onto floor. In the mid-1970s, a glass elevator was added. A 1977 ad had the tag "Ride the Glass Elevator."

In the 1980's Baldwin's moved out, and Old Towne Clothing moved in. They lasted until around 2002. An interior design store followed, and in 2005, the Kirksville Arts Association purchased the building with plans to transform it into one of Northeast Missouri's premier arts facilities.

Two views of the gallery, and due to inclement weather, the crowd 

gathers in the Arts Center for a Summer on the Square concert.

As designs were formulated, a small gallery was set up, and in February 2006, the inspiring musical Godspell performed to sell-out crowds.

A few months later, during auditions for a show, a couple of us started picking at the boxes concealing the support columns. Ok, it was mainly me, but I did have help. Then on Memorial Day weekend, a 30 yard dumpster was parked on the south side of the building. After learning it was for a nearby apartment slated for remodeling, we asked if we could use it. Sure. There was a quick call for volunteers, and then we got to work.

The wall gondolas were the first to go. (They're the shelving you see in convenience and grocery stores.) Then came the paneling. You cannot believe how much those two steps opened up the room. The timing of this was very fortuitous as KAA's Annual Membership Meeting was fast approaching. "Under Construction" became the theme and all board members wore hard hats.

Top row: first wave of demolition.
Second row: exposing the windows.
Third row: framing out the bathrooms and warming kitchen; custom sink.
Bottom row: original beam; what's left of original dividing wall on first floor.

The following months involved creating two foyers, exposing windows on the south side, framing out and drywalling the main space, new HVAC, and painting, lots and lots of painting. The deadline for this work was February 2007, in time for my production of The Lion in Winter. The new restrooms were barely under way, but there already was one on the main floor and one on the mezzanine.

By the next Annual Meeting, the bathrooms and warming kitchen were finished, and the east wall (towards the back of the building), which was paneling and simply painted over, was replaced with drywall in January 2008, thus finally completing the main space. A small room at the very back of the building, used mainly as a dressing room for performances, folding table and chair storage otherwise, was finished out as a classroom, complete with an eight foot chalkboard we found upstairs.

While finishing up the inside, the outside needed something to draw people in. Those upgrades are detailed here.

One of the bigger upgrades under discussion is redoing the front even more. This would replace the plate glass windows with the reverse bay windows storefronts of old used to have. But instead of more plate glass, it would brick with display windows at eye level to showcase pieces of art and a marquee to announce upcoming events. This would totally close off the front of the building to the setting sun (it gets really obnoxious). However, some natural light would allowed in if the transom windows are replaced. While not a true renovation, it is an homage to the building's roots. Below is a rough sketch I did.

Not all the time has been spent dreaming. Monthly exhibits came and went, along with theatrical productions and musical events. All of that work paid off when when the Center was chosen as the premiere stop in Missouri for New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, a traveling Smithsonian exhibit from Museum on Main Street. It's definitely a crowning achievement, but there will be more to come.

This post will be updated as new information and images are gathered.

OH, AND BY THE WAY ...
While researching, one of the strange but true stories I came across was the murder of a local professor. Apparently, his wife and her lover conspired to do away with him. His body was exhumed twice, and many of the city fathers were called as witnesses. I should say alleged murder as I did not continue into 1912 to learn the verdict. If I remember correctly, her bail was set at $25,000. Please recall that I said the lumber yard was sold for $50,000. (And those were 1910 dollars.)

Related links: Third Floor of the Kirksville Arts Center, You can always go ... Downtown ..., Pickler's Famous, Kirksville, MO

Third Floor of the Kirksville Arts Center

One of my pet projects while on the Board of Directors of the Kirksville Arts Association was wondering what to do with the third floor.

First a little background. There are six groups of two windows on the south side of the building, seven groups of two on the north. (The seventh grouping was taken out when the glass elevator was installed in the mid-1970s.)

One of the first things done to get rid of the green covers was a mural contest with area high school students. Twelve were selected, and they were placed on the south side.

On the west side, you will see two rows of three which cover three windows, one, then three more, and one long expanse of green.

One day, a couple of us were adventuresome enough to peek under the green in the bottom row. We found stucco. In order to help further dress up the Center, it was decided to remove that row of green, repair any cracks, and paint it black to help match the other windows that were open.

It came off quite easily. In this area were transom windows. While it was a long shot that they were covered up under the stucco, crazier things have happened. There was a noticeable hole in which we stuck very long crowbar through. It hit nothing. No windows. But the hole that was there needed to be squared up in order to patch it.

I'm not sure how, but we reached a point where it was decided to remove all the stucco, which turned out to be concrete, and replace it with plywood and trim to simulate the windows that were there. We found another board member who we knew would be most agreeable to this plan and give the go ahead.

(I stress that this is not the best way to move things forward in an organization. However, we had a traveling Smithsonian exhibit coming, and the majority of us were willing to do almost anything to spruce up the place, and more importantly, draw attention to the Center.)

We completed one half of the work that weekend, and spent the rest of the following week on the other half, plus exposing the brick surrounding our efforts. Signage across the front and down the corner were added a few months later.

Now then, let's take a tour upstairs.

This is looking down the center hallway. The layout today is closest to the original configuration of the building after it was completed in 1909. Over the years the roof leaked, and there's plaster everywhere. The owners fixed it a few years before selling, and I never noticed any new signs of leakage.

I'm not sure if this numbering is original. The style looks like it might be, but I'm not holding my breath. You know, the more I think about it, glass should be up there.

This is a really skinny door; it's barely two feet wide.

A close up of the glass in one of the original doors leading to the hallway. I know it wouldn't be up to code, but it would be nice to see it in use after the remodeling.

The original flooring would have to come out to do the structural work. I would love to see it refinished and used as part of the new flooring, or as a wall treatment.

Several layers of patterned linoleum? If it's not linoleum, it's a forerunner. Interesting designs nonetheless.
One of the seven window groupings on the north side. The building has settled, hence the exposed brick below the windows. And you can see where the ceiling patch became waterlogged.

Same room, looking towards the hall. Each room has some rewiring with fluorescent tubes or standard bulbs for lighting. But that is definitely the original lath. Why it is exposed I have no clue; it is in some rooms, it isn't in others.

One of the connecting doors on the south side.

The water damage was at its worst on the east side (the back) of the building.

This could be where one of the original walls was torn out. It's too clean of a cut to be anything else.

One of the biggest surprises was the discovery of tin ceilings. This section was painted brown just outside the elevator. I'm a little amazed it was left there because of all the work done to that part of the building.

Remember when I said the back end suffered the most water damage? You know where this room is? The back end. Aside from a few rusted points, this ceiling is in great shape. Hopefully it can be preserved.Apparently at one point, there was something requiring this exhaust pipe. That something is no longer there, and this pipe does not stick out of the roof. Am I surprised? Not really.

Tucked away in a small room is the only radiator remaining. How it escaped being sold for scrap is a mystery. You can see a heating vent on the floor just to the right.

Here's another view. It would make an interesting conversation piece in the lobby. I wonder how many people would stand next to it during the cold months hoping to get warm?

The success of the main floor as a multi-purpose space is leading the Building Committee to seriously consider reconfiguring the second and third floors in a similar fashion. A lobby at the front of the building, open area in the middle, and service areas in the back.

The second floor would be dedicated to classes but also able to handle private events. The third floor (in my ultimate dream) would see use as a performance space. Blackout curtains on the windows, portable seating for up to 100, and a light and sound booth would make for a very nice black box theatre.

Support columns will be needed towards the center of the upper floors as well as steelwork. On the other end of the scale, it would be wonderful to completely re-engineer the building to have those wide open -- and unencumbered -- spaces, column free. Also, since the roof is the highest point for several blocks, solar panels to offset increased energy needs is a practical idea to explore further.

There are a lot of progressive minds on the Board at the Kirksville Arts Association; the Center is in very good hands.

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.