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The historic building, pictured Sunday, has been a major part of Midway's streetscape for 122 years. |
By Lauren McCally University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
Mayor Grayson Vandegrift has asked the owner of the historic building at 116 E. Main St. to agree by Friday to make the property safe and secure, in return for the city holding off action that could lead to the demolition of the building.
Vandegrift said in an online meeting Wednesday night that an engineer hired by the city had inspected the property this week and delivered what he called a “harrowing” report.
The mayor said the building has “many technical deficiencies, but the most immediate danger to the public is that the front is open” and if a strong gust of wind were to hit it “just right,” which the engineer said “could happen at any time,” combined with the condition of the building, could make it collapse.
Vandegrift said engineer Jordan Yeiser told him the building needs a professional crew of seven to eight working daily, an engineering design that could cost up to $25,000, and immediate action to prevent danger to nearby buildings and passers-by.
The engineer also said that the scaffolding in front of the building needs to be removed because it is dangerous and could be a liability for the city because it is not “anchored to the sidewalk or harnessed to the top of the building” or supported by sandbags, as required by regulations, Vandegrift said.
“He told me anybody that wants to walk up and push that thing over, could do it,” the mayor said.
The proposed agreement would also require property owner Naser “Ness” Alamdari of Lexington to provide proof of liability insurance of $2 million per occurrence, and allow the engineer to inspect the property after it is secured. The deadline for him to sign the agreement is Friday, Feb. 12.
If he meets the requirements, the city will “agree to not appoint a board to review the appeal” by Alamdari of the demolition order under the city’s property maintenance code and thus suspend the demolition process, Vandegrift said.
The building has been an object of public concern for years. The proposed agreement is the latest in a series of events that have made clearer the dangers the building poses, and its historical significance.
In February 2020, the Woodford County building inspector made a routine inspection and issued a condemnation order, requiring repairs to be done by March. Alamdari was given until Oct. 31 to make repairs to the building. A few days before that deadline, he got another building permit that is good until October 2021.
Vandegrift said he got angry calls and emails about that, but “We just thought it best to err on the side of caution. Again, it was because of our interest in preserving this history.” But in December, witnesses heard “a loud bang and witnesses Mr. Alamdari and another unidentified male fleeing the premises” and “did not return that day,” the mayor said.
A structural tension cable had snapped, building inspector Joshua Stevens said in an emergency demolition order that Alamdari received Jan. 7. On Jan. 25, Stevens received a notice of appeal from Alamdari.
Vandegrift said he expects engineer Yeiser to submit a written report of his inspection next week.
With his appeal, Alamdari submitted a letter from Lexington engineer Ron Jackson, who wrote that he made a "visual assessment of those structural building components that were exposed to view and accessible" on Jan. 18 and "The building structure is safe for renovation."
The building will also be examined by structural engineer Chris Kelly of Lexington, who was contacted by Lucy Jones of Lexington, the daughter of Brereton and Libby Jones of Midway.
Jones said in an online meeting Thursday night that Alamdari reached out to her a few weeks ago. She said Kelly “is coming in completely free, just because he is a preservationist and wants to know actually what is going on.”
“He’s going to come in and take a look at it and give it a very impartial third-party view, say if it’s structurally sound,” Jones said. “If it’s not structurally sound, he is going to give suggestions to how it can be.”
Jones spoke in a meeting hosted by Milan Bush, who was also part of the mayor’s discussion Wednesday. Bush has become a recent leading advocate in Midway for black history, respect of African Americans and their involvement and equality, starting with the sidewalk chalk protest in June 2020. She posts frequently on her Facebook page Honoring Black Stories in Midway.
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Partial screenshot of Bush's meeting, including Lucy Jones and City Council members Mary Raglin and Stacy Thurman. |
“What I value about Midway,” Bush said, “is making sure everyone’s voices are heard.” She added that she wanted to give the “opportunity to open up the floor for everyone . . . that may not have been privy” to the mayor’s meeting the night before – which she left after getting into an argument with him about the public availability of Stevens’ condemnation order and other issues.
In a letter to the Messenger about the building, Bush said: “It had purpose. It served as a lodge, a meeting place, a fellowship hall so to say. It was a place for business. In those times this was major. For black folks to feel safe in a place of their own. A place where they could conduct business and have pride in taking care of themselves.”
The building is a landmark to Midway’s African American community because it was erected in 1898 by the Pilgrim Lodge of the Odd Fellows, an African American men’s organization. It had many owners before Alamdari bought it in 2016. The last known occupant was an antique clothing store 15 to 20 years ago, according to local historian Bill Penn, a store owner nearby.
Rich Schein, who is Midway’s representative on the Planning Commission and was in the mayor’s discussion, told Bush that after she left it, “The support for your position and the support for that building was unanimous.”
Schein said Thursday night, “I absolutely understand the value of this space. It’s not just that it was a black space. It was actually owned, controlled and a lodge of the Independent Order of he Odd Fellows,” which was “really important.”
Schein, a geography professor and associate dean of arts and sciences at the University of Kentucky, said he wrote an essay for the National Trust for Historic Preservation about “sites of segregation” and “We have to give voice to those stories.”
In his meeting Wednesday night, Vandegrift said he called it after “a few of the folks in the meeting had sent around a few emails.”
After the mayor described the proposed agreement, Marcie Christensen said of Alamdari, “He doesn’t have any intention of doing it quickly but he has every intention of doing it well.”
She added, ”If it’s not unsound, and it can be made safe, and it’s possible for him to come up with a reasonable period of time to restore it, I would certainly like to see that happen.”
“We would, too,” Vandegrift replied. But he asked, “Does anybody really believe that Mr. Alamdari is incredibly serious about doing this work fast?” Citing the engineer’s advice that a large work crew is needed, he said, “If Mr. Alamdari is not interested in doing it fast, the building can’t be saved.”
Noting the dangers of the scaffolding, Sally Kinnaird, a pediatric nurse, said the building poses “incredible dangers to downtown.” For example, “Any child can climb up on that scaffolding, fall, kill themselves; we’re liable.”
Kinnaird added that she has lived in Midway for 45 years and the building has been “unsafe” the whole time. She said when the building was used as a tea room, “You could drop a ball and it would roll out the door.”
Kinnaird posed the question: Even if the structure were not preserved, would the site still have significant historical meaning? Greg Bush, a cousin of Milan Bush, responded. He said that the main thing they would want is the “safety of the citizens first” but also “to keep the historic value of the building.” He also said that he would “want a physical structure that somebody could touch and go inside and look” at to see and visualize its history.
Earlier, Bush said, “Shooting for the stars, we’d like to a museum, specifically a Black museum.” Kinnaird replied, “I don’t see it happening with Ness as the owner,” and asked if there are potential buyers.
Vandegrift said at least one local person who has done several renovations has expressed an interest, while another doesn’t think the building is salvageable. Jones said an engineer with the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation looked at it and told her, “Anything can be fixed.”
Jones said “Ness is not going to get this done quickly, but I do believe that he is capable of doing it well. I understand that he’s suffered a number of setbacks . . . I believe that he really wants to save this building.”
And it needs saving, Jones said: “This is very important history, and Black spaces have not been respected in that way traditionally in America. . . . So we all have to take responsibility moving forward to do everything we can to protect this legacy that still exists. . . . Once this building’s gone, it’s gone for good. That’s it. It’s over.”
She thanked Vandegrift for “coming up with compromises after everything that’s gone on to make this work, but I would just love to see the city, instead of rushing to tear it down, rushing to help Ness fix it up in whatever way that he can.”
Near the end of the meeting, Helen Rentch said she was “really grateful” the mayor had set up the online discussion. “It has helped us talk,” she said.
Vandegrift replied, “These last few days are literally the hardest I’ve had in six years as mayor. I think we’ve all got some healing to do in this community.”
In an email interview with the Messenger after the meeting, the mayor said he thought “plenty of good came out of” the meeting and the group “seemed happy” with the agreement as a solution. Now the ball is in Alamdari’s court.
The proposed agreement says the city will not appoint a board to review Alamdari’s appeal if he encloses the building (and the scaffolding, if he desires) “within a solid structure . . . so that the building cannot be entered by passers-by and preventing the building from falling” within 45 days from the effective date of the agreement.