of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio
of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio |
A candle-lit Carlisle tower on a better evening several years ago |
updated 10/19/04, new 9/15/04I met Rod Kagy, the president of KG&R - the Columbus corporation that has taken on the revitilization of the Carlisle building - at another of KG&R's projects in Gallion, Ohio, earlier this summer.
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| The "Central Hotel" in Gallion, north-central Ohio, being renovated by KG&R of Columbus |
If you remember the Gazette article back in February, KG&R is renovating the Central Hotel there in Gallion. Now, this is a building that - as I am wont to say - as a preservationist I would have despaired of saving. It had been vacant for years, moisture sealed up inside it and roof rotting and rear wall collapsing. When KG&R finally was able to begin work on the building, their first action was emergency stabilization. They caught the building at the brink of collapse, and dragged it back from the edge of self-implosion.
Now Gallion, a US 30 town in north-central Ohio about half the size of Chillicothe, retains a historic corner of its crossroads and is gaining employment, tax revenues, and beauty...and a few unbelievers who should now eat their words.
Mr. Kagy helped to give tours to attendees of a small conference I was with, and he welcomed my inquiries into the Carlisle.
I called him August 30th, and again September 15th. He told me that off-site construction of roof trusses are beginning September 15th. After about a month of staging at the Carlisle, the trusses will be shipped in to officially begin the renaissance of this grand downtown landmark. Completion of the roof should be after about 8 weeks, ending in early December.
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| The fire-damaged Carlisle Building at a summer dusk - but with a new morn approaching |
How has the building taken the 17 months of weather since it was scorched in the fire and soaked in the firefighting, and then left mostly open to the sky? "Pretty good," Rod told me, since the roof is open and allowing moisture to escape much more easily. "It's not good to have the elements beating on it. But if you're going to have any, it's best to allow it to breathe."
I told him that there are constant murmurings about how the building has decayed into a ruin since it has been missing its roof for so long. He agreed with me that most people don't understand old buildings. And the wood inside? "Some is ok, some is not. We plan to cover most of the hardwood floors."
I called for an update on Wednesday the 15th and caught Mr. Kagy touring the Carlisle with city engineer Tom Day. He told me "This is far better than the Central Hotel...The interior is in better shape since the roof is off; it's pretty solid." He was busy and so I let him continue his tour. The September 16th Chillicothe Gazette also has an article on the beginning work.
KG&R is also working on buildings elsewhere in Ohio in Findlay, Tiffin, and Norwalk, as well as Galion..and one project beginning in Chillicothe.
Work will begin under the new roof and continue through the winter, and hopefully silence those with doubts about the worth of the damaged Carlisle, the feasibility of reusing it, and the wisdom of using public funds to help. After an estimated 18 months and $2.4 million, the Carlisle will rise again like a phoenix...a phoenix that was a lot less burned up and weathered down than most people think.
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| The "Central Hotel" in Gallion, north-central Ohio, being renovated by KG&R of Columbus |
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| KG&R President Rod Kagy introduces visitors to the work on the Central Hotel |
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| The rear 'courtyard' of the Central Hotel, littered with construction debris and tracks. At the far end is a wall that was dismantled because it was trying to bring down other walls. Imagine this in your downtown - before work begins. |
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| The third floor of the "Central Hotel" without plaster on brick walls, parts of the roof, ceilings - but not without hope. |
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As I wrote in my January/February 2004 issue (Vol. 2, Issue 1): The Chillicothe Gazette presented excellent articles and sidelines on the front and third page of the Saturday, February 8th issue describing the work KG&R has done in Tiffin and Gallion, Ohio, and promises to do with the Carlisle. Some of those building were in such bad shape before KG&R renovated them into downtown showplaces that I would have despaired of seeing them saved. And, some of them were in worse shape than buildings that have been destroyed here because they were considered beyond hope. Some of the quotes in the articles are very telling about what is possible with vision and the right resources. (I repeat, "VISION.") The February 8th Gazette stories are available online. One of the sideline articles describes the spirit of KG&R: "Anyone can throw up a house in a green field. Let's do something different." |
new 10/19/04I stopped by the Carlisle October 14th and greeted Mike Thacker, who was hired locally to oversee the work. Cleanup is done, and powerwashing will begin. The first floor looks bare without the "Carlisle Corner" accoutrements - the loft offices, weaving corridor, artifacts hanging on the walls. But work is progressing...
