Façade Redo Earns Heritage Award

Façade Redo Earns Heritage Award

Staff Report

 

WATER VALLEY – The North Mississippi Herald’s façade renovation earned recognition during the Mississippi Heritage Trust’s two-day “Listen Up! Heritage Preservation Conference” held in Water Valley earlier this month. The project received a Heritage Award for Preservation, one of 30 awards handed out statewide every other year.

The recognition follows months of weekend work last year by Water Valley native and emerging architecture professional Leigh Ann Black, who helped bring life back to the 1880s-era building with a storefront that resembled a 1960s ranch house grafted on the front from decades of patchwork. 

Black recalls that she was first approached by Main Street Manager Mickey Howley last year about designing the façade renovation. That request started a journey for Black, who knew firsthand about the multiple lives the aging storefront exhibited.

“There were numerous repairs and infill attempts and finding photos of the original building was nearly impossible,” Black told the Herald. “Most historic pictures of Main Street show a view looking north or south, and the prominent buildings in town always got the glory. The 416 North Main Street building (newspaper office) was always obscured,” Black explained.

Black spent many weekends driving around the state looking at small railroad towns and the storefronts that remained. The search included buildings that may have been abandoned, but were preserved enough to still tell a story. 

“An old general store in Tchula, abandoned buildings in Sumner, historic storefronts in Greenwood were great teachers. And thanks to the Caulfield (photo) collection, I was able to piece together the spirit of Main Street,” Black explained.

Black created a 3D model as a design tool, and finalized the construction drawings in November. That’s when contractor James Ledford got started, just as a cold, wet Mississippi winter was settling in.

“The winter weather made this project move a little slower than we anticipated, but the end result was perfect,” Ledford told the Herald. “We were able to create the historic storefront using the detailed design work by Leigh Ann. Equally important was building a lasting structure that will only require minor maintenance for decades,” Ledford added.

Ledford also recalls an early discovery in the demolition that revealed the original footprint for the recessed entry was almost identical to what Black had designed.

“From the beginning, the design intended to bring the façade back to life, honoring the architectural history of Water Valley and turn-of-the-century storefronts,” Black added.

For Howley, who has been hands-on with several Water Valley Main Street building renovations and has studied countless historic buildings across the state and nation, the finished work on the façade and front office does just that.

“It’s a space that could have been there all along. And it’s a great feeling to just walk in the door and see how natural light fills the room. Most of Water Valley’s Main Street buildings were built before electricity and utilized natural light then. That is the key now to making a room feel open and delightful,” Howley said about the renovation. 

“Input from Herald staff members Betty Shearer and Melody Smith also played a role in the project,” Herald editor David Howell added. “Shearer suggested a tongue and groove ceiling in the lobby, which was a great touch for our lobby. Smith played a key role in the exterior color selection, which can really make or break the entire project,” Howell explained. 

“Smith used her skills as a graphic artist in Photoshop to help visualize different color schemes. I was happy to let her and James make the final selection and it was the right one.”

As for decorating the lobby, Howell also turned to Smith with help from Glenda Gordon. “They picked out the furniture in the lobby, I knew I would mess that up otherwise,” Howell added.

Black also points to numerous details that will have a lasting impact on the renovation.

“Jack Gurner provided beautiful, historic photos. I found an old, cast aluminum grate that James repurposed into a vent for the lobby. Finally, Bill Warren put the finishing touches with his classic sign painting and design work. Bill has a keen eye and skill that is very rare, we are so lucky he was part of the project,” Black said. 

“We’re just reaching out to people for a much deserved round of applause for a job well done protecting Mississippi’s rich architectural heritage,” Missis-sippi Heritage Trust Executive Director Lolly Barnes said about the recognition. She added the awards are given after a panel review of nominations.

“This newspaper is the oldest business on the street and while it may not have always been in this building, it now has presence where it looks like it,” Howley said. 

But Howley pointed to the collective effort in Water Valley as the biggest factor in reshaping the town’s business district. 

“So many people have put forth detailed and hard effort to get their buildings to fit in well with the rest of the downtown. Walk down the street now and most buildings have a distinctive personality, but clearly are related to each other. You can think of that as a big, extended family. What Mississippi Heritage Trust saw was a family member brought back in and up to shape. That’s good for the whole street,” Howley also said about the project.