Posts Tagged ‘historic preservation’

Pure Oil filling station threatened in Illinois

February 22, 2012

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO

UPDATE 3/27/12: LHA Vice-President Kay Shelton reports “City Council of Geneva voted tonight not to allow the demolition of the Pure Oil Building.” She spoke there in favor of its preservation.

A former gas station along the Lincoln Highway in Geneva, Illinois, may be demolished. An article in the Geneva Patch (and other sources) says the landowner has proposed to replace the 1937 station with a branch of St. Charles Bank at the West State Street site. The well-maintained cottage-style station closed in 1995 and has been home to The PURE Gardener since 2006 when former owner and auto repair operator Joe Kuchera sold the building.

As the writer in the Geneva Patch stated:

On one hand, we have a historic building that is shown proudly in Geneva Chamber of Commerce brochures. It’s a building style that goes back to the 1930s and one that’s considered a milestone marker of the Lincoln Highway. On the other hand, it’s a former gas station. And the bank’s plans represent new development at a time when the tax base—particularly in downtown Geneva—is shrinking….

The public, always split on such matters, is leaning towards preservation. The writer continued….

But in these economic times, can the city afford to do that? Can any government in good conscience say no to good-faith development in an economy that makes it more and more difficult for anyone to build or expand?

The garden center owners who lease the blue-and-white station posted a letter to the editor HERE pleading to save the building. Comments overwhelmingly favor preserving the building because it makes sense, both aesthetically and economically.

NOTE: A follow-up article stated that last night, “With the applause of about 50 passionate spectators, Geneva’s Historic Preservation Commission voted 5-1 Tuesday to deny demolition of the former Pure Oil gas station.” But the commission is only a recommending body; the developer can still take the issue to the city’s planning commission and council.

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Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, roadside, travel | 4 Comments »

Next gen gets Lincoln Highway bricks to archway

January 5, 2010

An Eagle Scout project for Brian Cassler will be a gift for Lincoln Highway fans forever. The Kearney Hub reports that Cassler’s efforts will result in a recreated stretch of the transcontinental road at the Great Platte River Road Archway that spans I-80 in central Nebraska. The Kearney paper has 25 photos online, as seen in the screen capture below.

“The original paving bricks are getting pretty rare,” said Ronnie O’Brien, director of education/operations at the archway. “We were going to contract with a brick company to recreate a piece of the Lincoln Highway.” Instead, workers in Canton, Ohio, a city of 78,000, found original bricks in 2008 while reconstructing city streets. Brian Cassler of Canton took on a project of cleaning, organizing and palletizing the [2,200] bricks from the famous highway.

Cassler, along with trucker Tim Wunsch of Fort Morgan, Colo., delivered the load of pavers to the archway Sunday. “The city of Canton donated the bricks to the archway to be used in the display,” O’Brien said. “The bricks had been under other construction, and they were dirty and in a huge pile. They needed to be cleaned up and scraped before they could be hauled here.” Cassler, who took on the project as part of his Eagle Scout requirements, spent several months preparing the bricks. Cassler’s father runs the Lincoln Highway Trading Post in Canton.

Check out highway merchandise at the Lincoln Highway Trading Post online store.

The Omaha World-Herald also ran a feature story about the project.

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Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, Road trip, transportation, travel | 1 Comment »

Fort Wayne to mark Lincoln Highway route

May 6, 2009

The 1915 routing of the Lincoln Highway through Fort Wayne, Indiana, will soon be marked with red, white, and blue markers. The [Fort Wayne] News-Sentinel reports that the new signs for the old road will be dedicated by Mayor Tom Henry on May 21, 2009. Currently the only nod to its existence are at each end of the 1915 Harrison Street Bridge, noting the distance to New York (724 miles) and San Francisco (2,660 miles).

in_fort-wayne-bridge

Two weather-beaten stone signs easily missed by passing motorists, there are few visible reminders of downtown Fort Wayne’s importance to America’s first transcontinental highway….

“Now you’ll be able to drive around Allen County and know where the road was,” said [Jan Shupert-Arick,] Fort Wayne resident and author of a new book about “The Lincoln Highway Across Indiana.”…

“Right now, it can be frustrating (to find the old highway) in urban areas. There are dead-ends and other obstacles,” Shupert-Arick said, noting that the soon-to-be posted route won’t direct anyone “where it’s not safe.”…

When Henry proclaimed May “Historic Preservation Month,” he said, “We understand that moving forward into our future includes honoring our past, and we know how important it is to the vitality of our city to ensure strong revitalization efforts.”

Marker dedication will be at the Lincoln Highway Bridge—Harrison Street at the St. Mary’s River.  Call (260) 427-1127 for details, or visit http://www.indianalincolnhighway.com.

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Posted in highways | 1 Comment »

Senseless demo on Indiana's Lincoln Highway

November 6, 2008

Mitch Harper wrote on his Fort Wayne Observed blog about a beautiful house that will soon be demolished along the Lincoln Highway (IN 930) just east of Fort Wayne in New Haven, Indiana:

Its demolition will mean a little bit more of the historic record of the Lincoln Highway will be lost. In recent years, the demolition of the old Hoosier Courts motel and the Jefferson Consolidated School means that the structures which were familiar sights – and sites – to motorists traveling the Lincoln Highway are gone forever.

in_newhavenhouse

Above is a photo from Mitch’s blog – click to see it large. While the elegant appointments inside are set to be auctioned this Sunday, locals are outraged that such a demolition could occur. Here are some of the comments:

• WHY ARE WE TEARING THIS HOUSE DOWN?! I looked at the stuff up for auction – the interior of that house is drop dead gorgeous.

• You can’t build something like this today. I am so, so sad. Someone — please save this place!

• I can’t believe demolition is the only option for this house.

Angie Quinn, Executive Director of ARCH, Inc., answered questions about designating it a historic landmark:

The Dr. Cowan House is eligible for the National Register [plus] … Municipalities and counties in Indiana can adopt a Historic Preservation Ordinance, which places some protections on landmarks like this…. Both Allen County and the City of New Haven have the information about adopting a Historic Preservation Ordinance, and ARCH and others have pushed for this for several years. Unfortunately, neither has adopted an ordinance at this time.

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Posted in highways, history, roadside | 3 Comments »