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Rebuilding
a downtown treasure
Kim Henderson
News Bulletin Reporter
May 14, 2004
Nestled in
the heart of downtown Laurel Hill are three buildings that are so dear to
so many. For years, the
structures that once thrived stood in disrepair and in danger of being
torn down.
Now, however,
they’re beginning to take on a whole new life.
Laurel Hill resident George Wittmer bought the buildings from
Reverend Catherine Parks and her Pentecostal church.
Our
ambition is to improve the quality of life in Laurel Hill, to attract
commerce to our community, and as important as anything else, to preserve
part of the heritage of Laurel Hill,” Wittmer said of the downtown
project.
With that
vision, Wittmer and several crews of men began working this January to
renovate the brick buildings and once again put them in use.
I used to
sit out in front of this building all the time,” remembers Douglas
James, one of the men currently working on restoring the structures.
“I would buy fifteen cents worth of bologna and crackers and take
them outside to eat,” he added of the middle building which at one point
in history was a dry goods and grocery store.
“If this building could talk, it could tell you so many
things.
That center
building James spoke of, graced with ceilings standing at around eighteen
feet high, will be transformed into a gift gallery, complete with twelve
individual shops. “This was
formerly Cadenhead Grocery,” Wittmer explained of the building.
“As you can see, it naturally divides itself into twelve 10-foot
by 12-foot spaces. We’ll
have the counter in the center at the front of the gallery.
The building
at the far left used to house the Laurel Hill Bank.
A walk inside reveals a spectacular 22-foot ceiling and again,
original beautiful bricks along the walls.
Wittmer
isn’t sure yet what that building will become, but the possibilities are
seemingly endless. Each of
the buildings was constructed shortly after the turn of the last century,
in 1905. The entry into the
old bank building has been completely restored to its original state.
“The front entrance is an exact duplicate of the original,”
explained Wittmer. That
includes wooden posts and room for spacious glass windows aligning the
front of the structure. In
fact, the wood used to construct the posts came from a tree cut in
DeFuniak Springs that was 200 years old.
The owner
says that the comments he’s gotten so far from people in the community
regarding the restoration have been very positive.
“I’ve gotten wholesale encouragement from everyone,” said
Wittmer. “There’s a
willingness to assist in any way,” he added.
“I have met no naysayers.”
The project
began earlier this year and should be completed by this summer.
We started
the construction and renovation in January,” explained Curtis Tunnage,
who’s working on the heating and cooling units in the buildings.
“We tore all the walls down to their natural surface, the brick.
Everything had been plastered with concrete, but now, we’ve
sandblasted the brick and it’s all original.
Like many
people in Laurel Hill, Tunnage has a connection to the old structures
downtown. “My wife’s
granddaddy used to own this building,” he said of the middle structure,
which used to house a dry goods and grocery store and at one point a
restaurant. Tunnage added,
“My mother-in-law bought her first pair of shoes here.”
Like Wittmer,
James and the other workers have a lofty vision of what the finished
product will be. “It’s
going to be extraordinary for him (Wittmer) to renovate buildings that are
100 years old,” James said. “To
know that it’s still intact and this pretty and this nice is just
amazing.”
James, in
fact, remembers Laurel Hill when it was in its heyday.
“Actually, there was a depot here in town that would carry out
the lumber,” he said. “Lumber
was a thriving business at that time.
This part of the county was just swamped with wood.
Laurel Hill used to be a booming town.”
Jack Darr,
another worker, has been wearing many hats during the restoration effort.
“I’ve been working on a little bit of all of it,” he pointed
out, “anything that goes along with construction.”
Darr moved to
the area about 11 years ago and he remembers thinking that the buildings
were something of an eyesore. “I
would drive by and see these buildings and think that they needed to be
torn down,” said Darr. “They
were pretty much run down structures.”
With the
renovation, Darr feels like many positive changes will take place in
Laurel Hill. “I think
it’s probably going to bring a community center at some point, and
definitely a few more jobs will be available.
Naturally, whenever you put in a business, you’re adding income
to the area.”
George
Wittmer and his wife Hope have undertaken quite a few restoration projects
in Laurel Hill. Those include
the renovation of the old Messicks farmhouse, which the Wittmers
established as Farm World, sprucing up the building that currently houses
the Laurel Hill Grill, the restoration of the old Dilley home and the
former home of Doc Stephens.
One day,
Wittmer says he would like to see a new library in the small community.
“When we
first moved here, we had two daughters in school,” explained Wittmer.
“We were attracted by the quality of the education, the character
of the community and the friendliness of the people.”
When all is
said and done, Wittmer says that his efforts simply mirror his love for
Laurel Hill. “We love
Laurel Hill,” he said. “My
wife and I are committed to improving the quality of life here in Laurel
Hill.”
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