Here’s a little excerpt of our discussion of this historic property.
LUKE: Soooo…. How exactly would one rehab a property like this?
MICHAEL: Honestly, the commercial addition is ‘historic’ in its own right, considering it’s more than 50 years old.* The rehabilitation would depend on the building’s period of significance.
LUKE: Let’s be real, this property isn’t significant.
This house and/or office is for sale and can be found in the 3900 block of East 10th Street.
*The Department of the Interior sets 50 years as the arbitrary age a building must be before it is deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
There are several other examples of this type of commercial addition on East 10th. One is at the Pogues Run Grocery, another is across from the Boner Center. There are also several here in Fountain Square. The small frame house at the corner of Prospect and St Patrick with the large concrete pad was the original location of Skip’s Market. The shed addition was demolished in 2006. Having grown up in a family business with a store built on to the back of my grandparent’s house I dont see these types of structures so much as an aberration. Rather, I see these as a testament to entrepreneurship and a statement of self reliance. Funky? Ugly? Anomalous? Yes, but like any type of structure these additions tell a story and give us a chance to learn from the past. When possible they ought to be preserved.
Beautifully put, Eric. As much of a purist as I tend to be, I have to say in Louisville, Bardstown Road is one of my favorite places–much of its charm is derived from just such chop-jobs. There are merits to both sides of this coin IMHO.
Its appearance shouldn’t really have anything to do with determining its historical significance though. The house in this link doesn’t look very significant either http://www.mjsite.com/pages/j5housebig.htm but it turns out it’s the boyhood of Michael Jackson. I’m not even a big fan of MJ, but I would argue that his house has historical significance. That said, I know nothing about the house that’s for sale.
Eric: I completely agree, but based on the FB comments, we are in the minority. Some are ugly, but this one (which was a doctor’s office) has a certain charm to it. Considering the location of this one on a commercial block (http://www.flickr.com/photos/heritagephoto/6836209496/sizes/l/in/photostream/) I rather like it.